At Press Forward, I lead efforts to engage our diverse array of national, issue-focused, and place-based funders with each other and with Press Forward grantees and ecosystem allies. Over the next five years, we will invest more than $500 million in new funding to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive. I work closely with my colleagues at Press Forward to share knowledge and strategies, both for supporting “big bets” that aim to change the face of journalism across the U.S. and also to ensure that smaller or more nascent but equally promising initiatives get the attention they deserve.

Since 2018, Colorado Media Project has served as a center of gravity for engaging a broad-based coalition of community leaders in addressing, with urgency, the disturbing expansion of local news deserts and the negative impacts on Colorado and its residents. I was a founding member of the CMP Executive Committee and served as Director of CMP from January 2020 through August 2024, leading strategy and grantmaking for a pooled fund that in 2023 provided 66 direct grants totaling $1,273,908 to 47 newsrooms and capacity-building partners. I also worked with philanthropic peers on CMP's Executive Committee and Press Forward Colorado Funder Table to harness aligned funding for catalytic, path-leading projects and grantees.

Gates Family Foundation is a Denver-based, statewide philanthropy that since 1946 has supported projects and people in addressing the state's long-term quality of life challenges and opportunities. For 7.5 years I worked alongside my colleagues at Gates to bring greater visibility to the work of the Foundation’s grantees and partners, facilitate knowledge sharing, and amplify the quality of life issues and ideas of greatest concern to the Foundation and Coloradans. In early 2019, I also took on a new role as program officer for Informed Communities, and led Gates' strategy, grantmaking, and activities in that focus area.

• Cultivated and stewarded corporate and foundation relationships and led grants program for Texas' largest nonprofit community development organization ($5.2 million annual fund goal, for $250 million agency budget)• Led donor research, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship for $50 million capital campaign; successfully completed first $20 million phase in June 2016 • Worked closely with Executive Director, senior leadership team, Board and other volunteer leaders to leverage relationships with major donors to support both ongoing and new initiatives• Co-led 12-person development department during VP transition and managed grants team• Worked closely with program, strategy, and communications directors to research, design, fund and publicize new and existing initiatives

• Led fundraising, communications, marketing and public policy for nonprofit organization working to strengthen, innovate and connect the Greater Houston region’s public schools• Worked closely with Executive Director and Board of Trustees to conduct organizational strategic planning, diversify funding base, and attract national media coverage and philanthropic investment• Lead writer or editor on grants totaling nearly $10 million during tenure; in addition, served as key team member on a successful charter school application with the State of Texas• Led event planning and execution of international speaker series on public education, including four private VIP dinners and four free public breakfast lectures annually• Wrote and edited print and electronic newsletters, annual reports, media releases, fact sheets, brochures, website copy, development letters and proposals• Oversaw design and production of print and online publications

• Recruited to position based on accuracy in reporting and knowledge of education and politics• Strengthened media relations and public engagement for the top elected official in the nation’s second largest school district by: o Writing speeches, media releases, newsletters and official correspondence o Planning and executing media events, business meetings and official dinners o Increasing external outreach activities during nationwide superintendent search

• Wrote daily news and in-depth feature stories for south Los Angeles County newspaper (circ. 70,000)• 2007 Copley Ring of Truth First Place for Breaking News (team award); 2006 Copley Ring of Truth finalist for Best Specialty/Beat Reporting (education beat)• Beat encompassed Los Angeles Unified and suburban K-12 districts, as well as higher education • Promoted to position after just two months as a news reporting intern – a first for the paper• Four to six bylines published each week, without corrections – clips available on request

• Recruited by a former supervisor to launch and manage staff of a startup online magazine (SA)• Led content production team of three full-timers and numerous freelancers (SA)• Coordinated with marketing and sales directors on local implementation of corporate initiatives• Converted Austin American-Statesman newspaper stories into interactive online packages• Created original content, including feature stories, breaking news briefs, photography and video• Participated in two complete Austin360 redesigns during corporate restructuring / repositioning