Jim Boyle has served as the Vice President of Programs and Communications for the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation since its earliest inception in 2016. In his role, Jim oversees several of the grantmaking and initiatives for Youth Sports & Recreation; Parks, Trails, & Green Design; Entrepreneurship & Economic Development; and Nonprofit Support & Innovation; in addition to Communications for the Foundation. He brings over 25-years of experience in strategy design, grantmaking and communications to the work.

In addition to overseeing day-to-day grantmaking, Jim has spearheaded the implementation of several larger-scaled projects and programs, and can attests to the power of cross-collaboration to catalyze community centered, big picture visions. Through his work with projects such as Western New York’s Regional Revitalization Partnership, a $300 million private and public regional economic development

co-investment strategy; Don’t Retire Kid (in partnership with ESPN), a critically acclaimed public awareness campaign on youth sports attrition rates; and Built to Play, a $16 million cross-collaborative partnership to build over 100 innovative play spaces; he has championed the regions the Foundation serves by supporting community input and coalition building to creating long-lasting positive impact.

Known for his energy and creativity when approaching his work, Jim has harmonized dynamic partnerships, initiatives, and passion projects across the region for decades. Prior to the Foundation, he served as senior program officer at the New Economy Initiative (NEI), the largest philanthropic led economic development initiative in the country. Heralded as one of the most impactful economic development initiatives to date, Jim spent his tenure at NEI driving grantmaking strategy, culture change, and promotions for the project. He has also served as vice president of integrated marketing at lovio george | communications + design, guiding integrated and strategic programs for many key Detroit organizations and projects. In addition, he also served as marketing director for the Detroit Institute of Arts and as marketing manager at the Detroit Public Library.

Most of Jim’s free time is spent with his wife Mary chasing down his three 20-something-ish kids. He is a proud resident of Detroit, and a proud Spartan with a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University. Jim has long been tied to various creative communities in Michigan, including his current outside venture as founder of 53North, a project where Detroit-area artists create large-scale installations, mainly using barns, in his hometown of Port Austin, Michigan.