Mariam Noland
Detroit Regional Chamber > Mariam Noland

Mariam Noland

President, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Mariam C. Noland became the founding president of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, in 1985. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has distributed approximately $1.2 billion through more than 80,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties. During Noland’s tenure, Community Foundation assets have grown to more than $1.1 billion.

Noland has had extensive experience leading community foundations. She joined the staff of the Cleveland Foundation in 1975 where she served as program officer and secretary/treasurer. In 1981, she became vice president of the Saint Paul Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Prior to her work in the foundation field, Noland was on staff at Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, and Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio.

She currently serves on the boards of trustees of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, Downtown Detroit Partnership Inc., and the Bipartisan Policy Center (in Washington DC). She previously served as the vice chair, board of trustees, Henry Ford Health System and served on the board of trustees of Independent Sector and of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Noland also chaired the board of trustees for the Council of Michigan Foundations and served as vice chair of the board of trustees of the Council of Foundations.

In 2020, Noland received the Special Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Philanthropy from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Detroit Chapter. She was named 2015 Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News and received the Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award. She was also honored with the 2010 Women and Leadership in the Workplace Award and the “Others” Award of the Salvation Army.
Ms. Noland obtained her Ed.M. from Harvard University and her Bachelor of Science from Case Western Reserve University. She and her husband, James A. Kelly, live in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.