Brian Ries Joins The Patterson Foundation as Community Impact Initiative Consultant

Bringing over 20 years of experience in media leadership to The Patterson Foundation, Brian Ries has been hired as a consultant for the Community Impact initiative.

Throughout his career, Ries has focused on cultivating public awareness and understanding of critical community issues. As a key member of the executive team at the Herald-Tribune, Ries successfully expanded coverage of topics vital to our region by forging partnerships with community groups and philanthropic organizations, including The Patterson Foundation.

While facilitating these community connections, Ries was directly involved in several initiatives The Patterson Foundation and the Herald-Tribune partnered on, including Season of Sharing, our region’s trusted, time-tested safety net helping our rebound from setbacks through one-time financial assistance, along with the SPIRE CoLab and Aspirations Journalism initiatives, which focused on sharing information and engaging with communities through stories on key social issues to encourage community action.

“Throughout his pivotal leadership in The Patterson Foundation’s collaborations with the Herald-Tribune, Brian demonstrated strong alignment with our approach toward philanthropy and efforts to equip people with the knowledge and resources necessary to shape our region’s future together,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation. “Now, we have the good fortune to engage him once more in his new chapter as we explore ways to strengthen our impact on people, organizations, and communities throughout Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.”

In his new role, Ries will work with Foundation staff members and consultants on the Community Impact initiative to explore the role of agriculture in our region and opportunities to strengthen its impact on future generations.

The Community Impact initiative aims to increase mission impact by utilizing a portion of the organization’s investment portfolio in impact investing — investments designed to create a positive impact on our world. This initiative explores insights from nationally proven practices and understanding the local region for investment opportunities that foster wide participation around shared quality-of-life aspirations, such as affordable housing and a strong agriculture industry.

“I saw firsthand the positive impact that The Patterson Foundation has on our community when I was at the Herald-Tribune," said Ries. "I am excited to now be on the other side of the table and help The Patterson Foundation continue engaging with people, businesses, nonprofits, government, and media to build a better future for our region."