Cambridge Community Foundation has named David E. Trueblood vice president for Communications and Public Relations. In this role, he will work to raise the Foundation’s public profile, articulating the work and goals of the Foundation to the community it serves. He will manage relationships with the media and develop new and effective ways to strengthen the community’s ability to share in a common conversation about critical issues.
“David brings great skills, deep familiarity with the work of community foundations and years of personal experience living and working in Cambridge,” said Geeta Pradhan, president of the Foundation. “The perfect mix. He will be a key member of the team as we work to sharpen the role of the Foundation as a civic player in the city.”
Trueblood has long experience with Boston-area media. He began his career as a reporter for local newspapers that grew into the Community Newspaper Company, now part of GateHouse Media. He wrote about the early rise of biotech in Cambridge as well as the rapidly evolving food scene as a restaurant critic. He managed newspapers and groups of papers in Greater Boston and founded an award-winning newspaper to cover the Boston neighborhoods of Allston and Brighton for the former TAB newspaper company. He was managing editor for the Community Newspaper Company, which published 100-plus news and specialty publications in the region, with particular responsibility for investigative reporting and cultural news.
When the Community Newspaper Company was sold in 2001, Trueblood developed his interest in nonprofit enterprise, becoming director of Communications for Trinity Church in Copley Square as it underwent a major capital campaign and retooled its historic building to serve a greater and more inclusive community. He joined the Boston Foundation in 2005 as director of Public Relations. More recently he worked for community foundations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Trueblood earned a bachelor’s degree in History and Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in history from Harvard.
“Communications is most powerful when it brings people together,” said Trueblood. ”Creating an inclusive conversation about the future of our city—that is my goal for this Foundation.”
Cambridge Community Foundation was established in 1916, making it one of the oldest community foundations in the country. It is a key supporter of nonprofit organizations, distributing $1.1 million in grants in 2014 to meet local needs and support the aspirations of Cambridge residents. The Foundation provides leadership support to deal with urgent local challenges and partners with donors to provide a permanent source of charitable funds for the community.
