Karen Rundlet leads growth and support of about 450 news organizations that make up the INN Network, setting standards and best practices for philanthropy in news and advancing the innovation, business reinvention and equitable approaches reshaping the news field. She previously served as senior director for the Knight Foundation’s journalism program, where she managed a more than $50 million portfolio of grants in newsrooms and field-building organizations, including INN. Rundlet, her husband, Alex, and daughter live in Miami, where she grew up after her family emigrated from Jamaica.

Lisa Gardner-Springer leads development initiatives benefiting nonprofit newsrooms that are members of INN and make up the fastest growing news network in North America. In this role of attracting philanthropic investment, she advances INN’s mission of expanding Americans’ access to trusted sources of news. Most recently Gardner-Springer has been the senior director of institutional giving at PRX, where she has overseen strategies to secure foundation and government grants for the organization and its programs.

Courtney Lewis oversees INN’s initiatives to accelerate the growth of nonprofit news organizations. These include our annual INN Days conference, philanthropic giving programs like NewsMatch, and a myriad of newsroom leadership training programs. Courtney joined INN in 2020 to manage NewsMatch, the most sophisticated collaborative fundraising campaign for journalism in the U.S. The campaign has helped raise more than $150 million for nonprofit newsrooms. Courtney graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University and holds an MBA from Wayne State University.

Jonathan Kealing strengthens collaboration and audience growth among INN’s network of nonprofit newsrooms and develops partnerships and services that help them meet their missions and increase the reach and impact of their journalism. Jonathan oversees INN’s membership and collaborations teams, in addition to audience growth and services. He is especially interested in ways local and regional news organizations can work together and with national organizations to extend the impact of their journalism

Soraya Membreno leads organizational development as INN extends programs and support to a growing number of nonprofit newsrooms across North America. Prior to joining INN, Soraya served as the publisher of Bitch Media, an independent, feminist, nonprofit media outlet. She is a graduate of the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. A first-generation Nicaraguan-American forever repping Miami, Soraya now lives in Los Angeles.

Sharene Azimi promotes the work of the INN network to funders, partners and other external audiences while bringing INN members news and resources from the field of public service journalism. She edits the weekly INNovation newsletter and oversees all of INN’s communications channels. Prior to joining INN in 2020, Sharene spent a decade as founder and principal of Mission Communications, providing organizational strategy, branding, communications planning, and marketing services to non-profits, universities, and foundations.

Sam Cholke works with INN members to better understand their audiences and take their direct audience to the next level. Prior to joining INN, he was project manager for the Metro Media Lab at the Medill School at Northwestern University, the largest university program in the country researching and developing strategies around news audiences. He was also director of the Local Media Association’s Solving for Chicago collaborative and reported on Chicago for 15 years as a contributor to Chicago Magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Washington Post and other publications.

Karen Dougher supports the fiscal operations of INN and its fiscal sponsorship program. This includes providing support to staff as the membership network grows. Karen has 20 years of accounting and finance experience in a variety of organizations including private industry, a local Pennsylvania news media company and public school system.  

Devon Dunkle supports operations of the membership team at INN. Prior to INN, Devon worked in the membership department of the Florida Press Association for more than eight years, focusing on journalism contests, member onboarding and board management. She has also worked extensively with the Florida Society of News Editors, the Florida Magazine Association, and the Florida Newspaper Advertising and Marketing Executives.

Kemuel Farmer coordinates and streamlines our processes for supporting members with fundraising services, capacity-building training and virtual and in-person gatherings. Prior to joining INN, Kemuel served in conflicts analysis at a global law firm. She has also worked extensively within the nonprofit sector in law and several organizations that directly give back to disenfranchised communities.

Andrew Haeg creates digital products that broaden the reach of the INN Network, increase impact and diversify revenue streams. He works with the collaborations and network teams to identify opportunities for developing products or services that leverage the scale and quality of member journalism to reach new audiences or tap into new revenue streams. Andrew is passionate about using the power of technology to help newsrooms engage and listen to their audiences–ensuring that their service is reflective of, and responsive to, the communities they serve.

Peter Heckendorn works with member newsrooms to grow and deepen their audiences. Peter comes to INN having worked with nonprofit news organizations from New York City to Anchorage, including the Alaska Current, the Daily Yonder, the 5BORO Institute and the New York Editorial Board. Prior to his journalism career, Peter managed local political campaigns across Alaska and he studied mathematics at Pomona College.

Hope Kahn drives engagement with INN programs, events and expertise across multiple communications channels. In her previous role at the National Press Foundation, she created social media and website content, assisted with event logistics and supported fundraising efforts. Hope is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she studied journalism and nonprofit leadership and social innovation. 

Bia Medious leads the strategic growth and diversification of INN’s member network, deepens network engagement and implements systems to support that growth. That includes managing the membership team, expanding collective actions and measuring impact to ensure nonprofit newsrooms draw exceptional experiences and value from their membership. Prior to joining INN, Bia spent five years working in public, legacy and local media as an investigative journalist and narrative audio producer. She also brings over twenty years of experience in political organizing and education.

Bryan Nakawaki draws upon his grant writing, prospecting, reporting and project management experience to support the needs of INN’s growing list of institutional funders. Prior to joining INN, he served as Associate Director and Senior Grant Writer for a Washington, DC-based consulting firm specializing in building, sustaining and growing grant programs for nonprofit organizations. A former English teacher, Nakawaki also has tremendous experience teaching students to identify, access and use information provided by trustworthy news sources like those INN supports.

Chip Potts supports the growth and financial success of the INN membership network by overseeing INN’s fiscal sponsorship program, expanding the portfolio of business services as well as supports INN’s staff to help their work to the benefit of INN members. Chip has over 35 years of accounting, tax and nonprofit management experience. He was previously the associate director and CFO of the Santa Monica College Foundation and ran his own accounting and tax practice for 12 years in Arlington, Virginia before moving to California and joining the college foundation

With more than 15 years of nonprofit administration experience, Cynthia is equal parts admin and equal parts jack of all trades — depending on project and office priority. Before joining INN, Cynthia worked closely with keratoconus patients for the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at the University of California Irvine. Cynthia is actively pursuing a B.A. in Sociology and Masters in Social Work, with a concentration on strengthening, empowering and rebuilding under-resourced communities.

Alana Rocha leads INN’s Rural News Network — our most ambitious collaboration to date. As editor, Alana works with more than 85 member outlets in 47 states to guide and amplify coverage of remote areas. Alana joined INN after 20 years as a news and politics reporter in Florida, Kansas and Texas. Most recently, she worked for The Texas Tribune — a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization based in Austin — directing news partnerships and producing award-winning multimedia journalism in English and in Spanish.

Stephanie Schenkel designs and manages capacity-building programs and collaborative fundraising initiatives to grow philanthropic support for the INN Network. In her previous role as director of institutional advancement for a local public media organization, Stephanie managed the development department, working to fund collaborative journalism initiatives, track impact and raise revenue. Stephanie began her career with the United Way and has worked as the director of development for a literacy organization. Stephanie lives in Connecticut with her family and a very rambunctious Beagle named Sunny.

Jordan Smith increases the scale and scope of services we offer INN members, helping manage existing services like our relationship with JustWorks and LexisNexis, and identifying new services in response to member feedback. Prior to joining INN, Jordan served as the Manager of Technology and Multimedia for the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest local bar association of trial attorneys. He oversaw all communication and social media platforms, and coordinated marketing and registration for online programs and events.

Meta Stange serves as the program director for NewsMatch, the largest collaborative fundraising campaign building awareness and support for nonprofit journalism. Before joining INN, Meta was the digital content and engagement manager for WDET, Detroit’s NPR Station, where she developed and implemented a comprehensive strategy for WDET’s digital platforms. She also provided digital insights for membership campaigns and developed marketing campaigns to build station audiences in the Detroit market.

Ha Ta advances research and knowledge of the field by developing INN’s data services and leading INN’s Pods, a benchmarking data and peer recommendation initiative. She plays a key role in the design, collection, management and analysis of INN’s cornerstone Index dataset. She previously worked for the Civil Rights & Restorative Justice Project, helping build the database for the Burnham-Nobles Archive of anti-Black killings in the mid-century South. Ha has taught digital storytelling at Northeastern University School of Journalism. She was previously a Poynter fellow, editor-in-chief of The Scope Boston and co-founder of The Global Observer, a publication reporting on issues pertaining to international students in the United States.

Paulina Velasco works with members to develop and execute high-impact, investigative reporting series that are republished nationwide. Based in California, Paulina brings a decade of experience in multilingual journalism, including investigative reporting, audio production, and feature writing. Her work has uncovered critical issues, such as disinformation targeting Latinos on Spanish-language radio and the conditions facing asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.