The GroundTruth Project has had extraordinary success in the past year, sustaining the growth of our flagship Report for America program while also launching our Report for the World initiative across three continents. We’ve expanded our reporting corps in the field through a steady rise in financial support from a growing number of donors. And we’ve strengthened our reputation as an industry leader in non-profit journalism, helping build a sustainable future for local news and serving communities. Today, we are excited to recognize the exceptional efforts of four essential team leaders who will play critical roles in our ambitious strategy for continued growth and impact: Lauren McKown, Sam Kille, Jimmy Martinez and Rachel Rohr.
“Each of these leaders has been instrumental in the powerful impact our team is having in addressing the crisis in local news globally and locally. Their energy, vision and leadership — and the consistent focus and hard work of our entire team — help us support our corps members in the field to do impactful on-the-ground journalism that is making a difference around the world,” said Charles Sennott, founder, chief executive officer and editor-in-chief.
“Rachel Rohr, Sam Kille and Jimmy Martinez have done extraordinary work for Report for America,” said Kim Kleman, senior vice president. “These promotions acknowledge their impressive contributions to date and the vital roles they will play in leading and growing our organization.”
“It’s all about people,” said Susan Leath, Chief Operating Officer. “This group’s energy, dedication, and brainpower are helping us forge a path to our north star.”
Please join us in celebrating these great team members!
Lauren McKown will be the Senior Vice President of Development for GroundTruth, overseeing all of the fundraising for the organization, including its programs Report for America and Report for the World. Lauren joined GroundTruth in early 2019 as its first Development hire and has played a vital role as the organization grew its annual revenue by over 500%. She will be heading up a growing development team and continuing her outstanding work in structuring our development work with foundations, major donors, individual donors and campaign drives. This new position will draw on Lauren’s dynamic and catalytic leadership style. She will continue her work on our communication strategy as we establish a new role for a Vice President of Communications. Read her bio.
Rachel Rohr will step into a pivotal new position as Vice President of Program Development for Report for America. She will oversee training, service, evaluation and alumni affairs and will coordinate on the operational side where the program intersects with technology, data and systems. She’s done an extraordinary job leading the training and service functions already. This role will deploy her prodigious organizational and process skills to help ensure that all Report for America functions are humming smoothly and that the program can scale. Read her bio.
Sam Kille will be the Director of Communications for Report for America. Under Sam and his team, we have seen growth in social media reach and newsletter open rates. Sam’s steady hand guided us onto CBS 60 Minutes bringing the Report for America brand to a prime time national audience. He has also helped navigate placements of OpEds and appearances by the team across leading publications and broadcasts. His strategic advice on the messaging of our mission has been invariably wise. This promotion reflects both the excellence of his work so far and the increasing importance of communications, branding, and public relations. Read his bio.
Jimmy Martinez will be the Deputy Director of Sustainability for Report for America. In this role, Jimmy will continue to lead our work with newsrooms to help them raise funds and be responsible for coordinating the operational parts of the department, including the interface with technology, program, finance, and legal. This promotion reflects the extraordinary work he has done in the last year and the confidence in his ability to help us strengthen the logistical aspects of our local sustainability efforts going forward. Read his bio.
A heart-felt congratulations to all!
Other Announcements
Steven Silvers has accepted the permanent role of Controller at The GroundTruth Project. In this role, Steven, a Certified Public Accountant, will manage the day-to-day financial operations, while maintaining the internal controls of the organization. Steven will collaborate with key members of the organization to improve systems, processes and policies, manage the annual audit and provide accurate, up-to-date financial information in support of GroundTruth’s mission and vision. Susan Leath, GroundTruth’s COO, welcomes Steven back as a trusted partner in the financial work undergirding GroundTruth’s success. Read his bio.
About The GroundTruth Project
The GroundTruth Project is an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up. GroundTruth serves under-covered communities by supporting the next generation of journalists to do on-the-ground reporting and to advance sustainability, innovation and equity in journalism worldwide. GroundTruth’s flagship programs — Report for America and Report for the World — place talented, diverse local reporters in the newsrooms that need them most.
