Nina is project manager of Lab for Journalism Funding, and is new to the LMA/LMF team. After participating in the Colorado state cohort of the lab in 2024, Nina is excited to join the team to help share its valuable lessons with other newsrooms. She acts as a liaison for program participants and manages details like scheduling meetings, organizing assignments and supporting curriculum development. She will also be involved in strengthening the lab’s alumni network to keep former lab participants engaged with each other and funding opportunities.

Tell us a little about what you will be working on for LMA/LMF:

I am working as the project manager for the Lab for Journalism Funding, which means I am in charge of coordinating communications with program participants, answering questions and helping develop, plan and implement the curriculum. The lab is a six-month program that trains local news leaders on how to develop philanthropic strategies for their newsrooms. I’ll be helping on our cohort calls, our in-person events and behind the scenes.

What excited you most about this project and joining the team? 

As a graduate of the Lab for Journalism Funding, I was excited to join this team because I know how amazing the program and its leaders are. I loved learning from Frank Mungeam, Liz White Notarangelo and the coaches, and I am really enjoying working with them, too. Having worked in a local newsroom, I also know firsthand what kinds of challenges local newsrooms face, and how important sustainable funding strategies are. Local reporters are doing incredible and important work, but are often spread so thin due to funding constraints. I am excited to support newsrooms in getting creative to build new funding strategies so they can continue to do the amazing, critical work they do.

Tell us a little about your background in media and how you came to this role:

I started my journalism career at Colorado Community Media, where I was the Littleton Independent reporter for almost three years. In that role, I learned so much about journalism and community engagement, and I developed a lot more confidence as a young professional. I was honored to have opportunities to continue growing my skills and knowledge of the journalism industry through fellowships with the Poynter Institute and the National Press Foundation. These programs opened my eyes to the creative work happening in the funding space, and I started to become more interested in working on the ecosystem side of the industry to help support journalists. I have a degree in Leadership Studies from the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, and I have always been interested in how people and systems can work together for the greater good. I have also worked in the podcasting industry as a writer and marketing consultant.

What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities in the local media industry today?

Many local newsrooms are facing questions about how to modernize their media formats to reach audiences who are inundated with information from all sides, through social media and more. I believe journalism plays a critical role in our society, and a lot of the challenges and opportunities in the industry right now are tied to how we can reach audiences with that important content.

In addition, trust is a huge challenge. I believe local reporters have an opportunity to build trust with audiences through transparency, responsiveness and owning up when we make mistakes. Building and maintaining real relationships with audiences can be challenging, especially as misinformation and doubt continue to exist, but I think leaning on communication and engagement with audiences is critical.

What keeps me up at night is the fact that many journalists, editors and news producers are underpaid or lack resources in their newsrooms and struggle to continue doing the work that matters so much to our democracy. That’s part of the reason I am excited to work with the Local Media Association — I believe in the support and strategies that we provide to local newsrooms. What gets me up in the morning is my clear belief that local journalism makes a difference in people’s lives. As a reporter, I saw this impact firsthand through feedback from readers and smiles from sources as they saw their stories shared with their communities. Beyond the ability to inform and empower, stories have the power to connect people with each other — and that, I believe, is something that can really make a difference in people’s lives.