CARBONDALE — Tim Knight, president and CEO of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, will join Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute for a virtual conversation at 10 a.m. this Wednesday.

Knight and institute director John Shaw will discuss philanthropy and civic engagement.

Knight took on the top leadership role at the Chicago-based McCormick Foundation in March of 2020. The foundation, according to its mission statement, “works with communities in Chicagoland and across Illinois to develop educated, informed, and engaged citizens.”

Knight also is a member of the DePaul University Board of Trustees and the Board of Regents of the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, both in Chicago. Before he became chief executive of the McCormick Foundation, he was president and CEO of Tribune Publishing Co., in addition to serving on the company’s board. He previously was president and CEO of Newsday Media Group and publisher of Newsday, and he co-founded Classified Ventures LLC, the parent company of cars.com and apartments.com.

“Tim Knight has had a remarkably interesting, consequential and wide-ranging career and is now the leader of one of the most important institutions in Illinois,” Shaw said. “We are very eager to learn about his views on the challenges and opportunities facing philanthropy in Illinois and the strategic role he envisions for the McCormick Foundation.”