Lauren Fuhrmann, associate director of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, is among 10 mid-career professionals selected for the first Institute for Nonprofit News Emerging Leaders Council, a peer group of business and news leaders who will meet for a year to work on news industry challenges, build support networks and develop professional skills.
Council members are mid-career professionals nominated by their organizations for demonstrating potential to lead their organizations and the growing nonprofit news sector.
“Lauren makes our organization stronger, and the solutions she develops in Wisconsin will strengthen local and state investigative journalism nationwide,” said Andy Hall, executive director and co-founder of the Center. “We congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition of her outstanding performance and leadership.”
Fuhrmann joined the Center in 2011 after receiving her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. At the Center, she leads daily business operations, including revenue development efforts and public engagement initiatives; supervises public engagement and marketing interns; tracks the distribution and assesses the impact of WCIJ’s news stories; assists with development of donors and writing of grant reports; handles bookkeeping duties; produces photo, audio and video content; and copyedits stories.
Fuhrmann is vice president of the Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She was among five young leaders in the inaugural group of “Future Headliners” honored in 2014 by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
“The range of entrepreneurial talent rising in nonprofit news to create new types of journalism is incredibly exciting for the future of news,” said INN Executive Director and CEO Sue Cross. “We saw a very strong field of candidates and will work to expand this program to meet the breadth of interest and ability among our members.”
The group will be led by peer and member Jason Alcorn, a nonprofit news consultant and adviser. “We need insightful, innovative leadership that represents the diversity of news and diversity of the communities we serve, and this group reflects that,” Alcorn said. “I very much look forward to facing the challenges that will shape the future of nonprofit news as a group.”
The other council members are:
- Jahna Berry, Director of News Products, Mother Jones
- Natalie Choate, Director, Media Relations and Partnerships, The Texas Tribune
- Sarah Garland, Executive Editor, The Hechinger Report
- Dave Levinthal, Politics Reporting Team Leader, The Center for Public Integrity
- Ben Nishimoto, Director of Philanthropy, Honolulu Civil Beat
- Brad Racino, Assistant Director, inewsource
- Amber Rivera, Engagement Editor, Inside Energy
- Paula Saha, Director, Audience & Donor Development, NJ Spotlight
- Halle Stockton, Managing Editor, PublicSource
The Emerging Leaders Council is funded by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation as part of a broader INN initiative to build business, strategy and leadership skills in nonprofit news organizations.
More information about INN is available here and details about the Emerging Leaders Council are available here.
The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
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