WHO WE ARE
The National Trust for Local News comprises a team with diverse perspectives, expertise, and experiences to support community news.
STAFF
Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder
is a Harvard Business School-trained leading expert on local news business models and organizational change.
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Will Nelligan, Chief Growth Officer
is an expert on social enterprise and financial innovation who previously held leadership roles at Anthemis, JFI, and the Robin Hood Foundation.
is a seasoned VP Finance/Controller for public and private companies across industries.She has been a vital resource to both small start-ups and mature, $50 million+ companies.
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Orlando Comas, Head of Advertising
Leads the field in digital and advertising innovation. He previously held roles at Knight-Ridder and McClatchy, as well as the Miami Herald.
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Erika O. Carlsen, Deputy Chief of Staff
excels in fostering mission-driven teams and cultures, with notable roles at Coro Northern California, Rockwood Leadership Institute, and Harvard Kennedy School.
Ross McDuffie, Chief Portfolio Officer
is a performance-focused publishing executive with more than 15 years of experience on the front lines of local news transformation.
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is a social impact strategist who has spent the past decade building and advising organizations that create a more inclusive and just world.
Amalie Nash, Head of Transformation
develops transformation strategies to drive journalistic impact. She oversaw 250 newsrooms at Gannett, and held senior editorial leadership positions at the Detroit Free Press and the Des Moines Register.
Caroline Porter, Director of Impact & Strategic Partnerships
is a media strategist, researcher, and former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
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Jasmine Weathers, Program Associate
specializes in community engagement, leadership development, qualitative research, and academic writing.
BOARD MEMBERS
is the former President of the WNBA, CEO and President of Time’s Up, Vice President of Global Community Affairs at The Coca-Cola Company, and President of the Grady Health Foundation. She served as Atlanta City Council President, chaired the Borders Commission for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and is Founder and CEO of Golden Glow Media. She sits on both Duke University's and JP Morgan's Six Circles Trust Board of Trustees.
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is the SVP of Business Operations for Warner Bros. Discovery International. He joined the company in 2011 and has held various roles in strategy and corporate development. Prior to joining WBD, Louis worked at JP Morgan Chase.
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served as President and CEO of Amalgamated Bank, America’s largest socially responsible financial institution. Prior to joining Amalgamated Bank, Mestrich served as the Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief of Staff for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). In 2002, he went to work for UNITE, and following the formation of Workers United, he was named the new union’s first Chief of Staff.
is the Chair Emeritus, Co-founder and current Director of CALmatters. She is a Director and former Chair of Internews, an international media support organization working in 100 countries, and has recently joined the board of Human Rights Watch. She serves on the advisory board of the UC Berkeley Journalism School, and she was the CEO and co-founder of Blanc & Otus Public Relations, providing services to the high technology industry from offices in San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Atlanta, and London.
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is a co-founder of the National Trust for Local News and the founder of the Public Media Venture Group, a group of 31 public media entities operating 130 stations.
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is a lifelong journalist and community servant who is President and CEO of Emerging Leaders LLC. Previously, he was a senior news executive for Gannett/USA TODAY Network, Journal Media Group and Scripps and led local newsrooms in Akron, Ohio, Evansville, Indiana and Tallahassee, Florida.
STRATEGIC ADVISORS AND DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
is a co-founder of the Trust and its first board chair. He also co-founded Report for America and founded the Rebuild Local News Coalition.
is a co-founder of the Trust and former Chief Partnerships Officer. She also founded the Community Foundation of Utah and led the historic transformation of the Salt Lake Tribune into a nonprofit newspaper.
is a co-founder of the Trust and former Chief Operations Officer. She also founded Ci-X Strategies and co-founded Civil Media Company.
