Keynote speaker Maxwell King offers a unique perspective on northern Appalachia, having adopted the region as his home after a distinguished career as editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Upon taking the role of president of The Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh, Mr. King added to his writing portfolio with a small poetry collection, Crossing Laurel Run, followed by the New York Times-bestselling biography, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers. Most recently, he published, through the University of Pittsburgh Press, American Workman: The Life and Art of John Kane, a book about a man whose experience in northern Appalachia typifies the misunderstood and overlooked voices of this region.
Mr. King also served as chairman of the board of the national Council on Foundations and chairman of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation. His most recent role was president of The Pittsburgh Foundation.
With his wife, Margaret Ann, and their two dogs, Mr. King retired to Ligonier, PA. From there, at the foot of the westernmost ridge of the Alleghenies, the couple enjoys visiting the families of their sons Will and Ned in Stowe, VT and Nantucket, MA.
Mr. King graduated cum laude from Harvard University and did graduate work at Stanford University. He is the recipient of the inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, presented by the Coro Fellows Program for young professionals; the Coleman Award, presented by the University of Pittsburgh's Institute of Politics for excellence in leadership; the 20th Anniversary Spirit of Enterprise Fred Rogers Good Neighbor Award; the Andrew W. Mathieson Fame Leadership Award; the exemplary leadership award from the Johnson Institute at the University of Pittsburgh; the President's Award for lifetime achievement from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania; the Pittsburgher of the Year Award from Pittsburgh Magazine; and he has been awarded honorary doctorates from Point Park University, the University of Pittsburgh, Carlow University, Duquesne University, and St. Vincent College. He has served on numerous boards in the Pittsburgh Region. He is currently a member of the Board of The Heinz Endowments and an emeritus board member of the Senator John Heinz Regional History Center.
