Mark Trahant and Karen Lincoln Michel

WINNERS: Mark Trahant and Karen Lincoln Michel of ICT, who designed and led one of the most successful transformations of a nonprofit news organization in saving Indian Country Today, now ICT. Founded in 1981 as a print publication, it nearly went under in 2017 before the pair engineered its rebirth and then rapid growth. It’s now a daily digital news platform covering the Indigenous world of American Indians, Alaska Natives and First Nation people reaching some 800,000 readers a month, with a television presence in 30 markets, and includes the first comprehensive database of American Indians and Alaska Natives running for office.

Beyond their own work, Trahant and Michel are leaders within the INN Network, extending the impact of their expertise and journalism to many smaller publications and individual journalists. Michel has also contributed to nonprofit news through university teaching, and serves on the board of directors of nonprofit news pioneer Wisconsin Watch.