Linda Bowers is the director of business development and partnerships for Solving Sacramento. She began her career in media sales, representing both local and national publications, and later expanded into training, marketing strategy and donor relations. She has a strong track record of working with organizations that champion diversity and inclusion as core values, helping to create opportunities and elevate voices that might otherwise go unheard. For Solving Sacramento, Linda identifies new revenue streams through sponsorships, grants and branded content. Linda also serves on the board of the Penn Valley Community Foundation and tends to her small hobby farm, where she cultivates growth into the land and community around her.

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

I will be working on finding new revenue opportunities for our collaboration of local media. This will come from a variety of sources: optimizing existing opportunities, creating new opportunities, and staying on top of any donor- or grant-related funding. 

What excited you most about joining Solving Sacramento?

Anytime anyone gets to work on subject matter close to their heart and skillset, it is a privileged place to be. Working on an ever-evolving topic (media) with smart and interesting people is a big win! I am grateful for the opportunity to work in this space.

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

I started in newspaper sales, and over the years I have worked for both paid and controlled circulation publications, local and national. I have been a consultative sales trainer and have co-run a small marketing strategy company for non-profits. On a personal note, I am on the board of a small community foundation and live on a small hobby farm. My last role was as Director of Corporate Partnerships for a national non-profit focused on supporting Hispanic business professionals where I worked with Fortune 500 and 1000 clients.

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

Local media faces many challenges, especially the tension between the attention economy and true journalism , i.e. quick hits of information/opinion versus facts/deeper understanding. This shift has eroded trust, destabilized the financial foundation of news, and reshaped culture. Yet within this is opportunity. As people recognize what’s been lost, there’s a growing awareness of the need to rebuild and re-invest in journalism’s essential role. 

Truthfully, what keeps me up at night is the question of how to create meaningful impact in what can feel like an insurmountable challenge. What gets me up in the morning is the chance to work with like-minded people on solutions that strengthen civic engagement (truly meaningful work given our current political and cultural climate). Well, that, and my rooster, Gordo.