Ms. Porter is the Foundation’s Community Engagement Advisor, overseeing and advising on relationships with external partners and MBRF scholarship awardees and grantees. Ms. Porter previously served as Executive Director of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation from 2018-2022.

Prior to joining the MBRF, Ms. Porter served as Executive Director of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) from 2001-2010 and the National Osteoporosis Foundation from 2010 through 2017. During her nine-year tenure, the FNIH received nearly $500 million in contributed revenue and she spearheaded the creation of a pioneering form of public-private partnership that produced the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and the Biomarkers Consortium.

Ms. Porter received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University and attended the Master’s in Arts program for non-profit management at the University of Akron. Among many career accolades, Ms. Porter was awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center Director’s Award for her work in support of NIH patients and their families.