The new president of the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tenn., says he'll bring a "keen appreciation for the arts and Appalachian history" to the job, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports.
"I grew up hearing stories about life in East Tennessee," Michael Carson says in a press release.
"That helped provide a foundational zeal for learning that guided me to pursue a career in international affairs."
The 51-year-old says he plans to expand the center's "institutional partnerships near and far to expand its local and global impact."
Carson, who comes to the center from the Washington, DC, area, has worked with public and nonprofit organizations in the US, as well as in France and on the African continent.
He has a master's degree in public administration from Harvard and an MBA from Clark Atlanta University.
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
The 2014 Social Enterprise Awards, now on is 2nd year, has revealed its finalists, which include “businesses that turn household waste into wages, employ the disadvantaged through the baking of artisan breads, or transform the purchasing power of toilet paper into life-saving sanitation.”