Grameen America Welcomes Hope Knight to Board of Directors

Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone COO joins Nobel Peace Prize leadership

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Grameen America announced Hope Knight has been elected to the organization's Board of Directors.

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"Hope Knight's community-based perspective and experience in both the private and government sectors will help guide Grameen America to expand nationwide," explained Stephen A. Vogel, CEO of Grameen America.  "We are proud to welcome her to our governing Board."

Hope Knight is the Chief Operating Officer of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ), a leading government initiative designed to revitalize distressed communities by using public funds and tax incentives as catalysts for private investment. 

Ms. Knight joined UMEZ following her tenure at Morgan Stanley, where she served as a Vice President in the Institutional Equities Division. She also served as Head of Strategic Planning and Vice President of the E-Commerce Division for Morgan Stanley, Japan.  In the public sector, Ms. Knight worked for the City of New York under the Dinkins administration as the Director of Management, Planning and Analysis. Ms. Knight is a Board Member of Carver Community Development Corporation and Marymount Manhattan College.

Passionate about economic empowerment and minority rights, Ms. Knight is a champion of bridging the gap between the public and private sectors for social good. Ms. Knight commented, "My passion, personally and professionally, is to create better access and opportunity for those in need. Grameen America has a proven track record of community impact and I am honored to be joining its leadership."

Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chair, warmly welcomed Ms. Knight to the Board of Directors, joining Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates; Sila Calderon, Govt. of Puerto Rico; Michael Granoff, Pomona Capital; Mahmoud Mamdani, Morgan Stanley; John Megrue, Apax Partners; H.I. Latifee, Grameen Trust; and Vidar Jorgensen, World Health Congress.

About Grameen America:

Founded by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus, Grameen America is dedicated to helping women who live in poverty build small businesses to create better lives for their families. We offer microloans, training and support to transform communities, create jobs and fight poverty in the United States. Since opening in January 2008, Grameen America, has disbursed over $96 million in microloans to more than 18,000 women. Grameen America provides support to entrepreneurs in New York City, NY, Omaha, NE, Indianapolis, IN, Charlotte, NC, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, and Los Angeles, CA.

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SOURCE Grameen America