Meet the LION Publishers Team
LION Staff
(In alphabetical order)
Anika Anand
Deputy Director
(she/her)
[email protected]
Anika Anand ensures LION meets its annual and strategic goals, has a healthy work culture and is a sustainable organization by collaborating with the executive director to set and execute on vision and strategy and by overseeing the day-to-day work of the programming, membership and operation / finance teams. She previously cofounded a Seattle-based news publication and worked for The Seattle Times and Chalkbeat. Anika is based in Seattle, Washington. More on Anika.
Elaine Díaz
Senior Manager of Coaching
(she/her)
[email protected]
Elaine Díaz helps provide LION program participants with relevant, practical and actionable coaching by building a bench of coaches and analysts with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise; ensuring a high-quality, consistent experience for recipients of coaching; and designing and executing training programs for coaches and analysts. She previously founded Periodismo de Barrio, an independent investigative publication focused on social, environmental issues and climate change in Cuba. She has worked at Inter Press Service, the University of Havana and SembraMedia. Elaine is based in Miami, Florida.
Lisa Heyamoto
Programming Director, Membership Education
(she/her)
[email protected]
Lisa Heyamoto helps LION members reach sustainability by designing and overseeing the creation of training programs, coaching/consulting opportunities and practical resources that help news businesses become more operationally resilient, financially healthy and journalistically impactful. She was previously a journalism educator and program coordinator at the University of Oregon and a reporter at The Seattle Times and The Sacramento Bee. Lisa is based in Eugene, Oregon. More on Lisa.
Lisa Hunter
Director of Finance and Operations
(she/her)
[email protected]
Lisa Hunter oversees LION’s financial management, financial planning, and organizational operations. After her first career chapter leading nonprofit program evaluation teams, Lisa pivoted to finance: she got an MBA and went on to serve as Finance Manager at KIPP Northern California and Finance Director at Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. Lisa is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. More on Lisa.
Chloe Kizer
Director of Research and Evaluation
(she/her)
[email protected]
Chloe applies her background in startup operations to strengthen LION’s products and programs by designing and managing systems for ongoing data collection, data management, KPI measurement and iterative product development while also managing the technology used by LION's members and stakeholders. Most recently she led the development of the Project Oasis database and research report for UNC-Chapel Hill. Chloe is based in Durham, North Carolina. More on Chloe.
Chris Krewson
Executive Director
(he/him)
[email protected]
Chris Krewson works with LION Publishers’ Board of Directors to set the organization’s vision and strategic direction, executes its strategic plan, leads fundraising and budgeting, works closely with the Deputy Director and engages with industry groups. He’s a former VP of strategy for Spirited Media, former top editor at Philadelphia’s Billy Penn, and the former top digital editor for Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Morning Call of Allentown, Pa. He is based in Havertown, just outside Philadelphia.
Stephanie Martinelli
Programming Director, Membership Experience
(she/her)
[email protected]
Stephanie Martinelli leads membership growth, retention and community-building strategies to ensure LION Publishers is providing the highest possible value to the news entrepreneurs it serves. She most-recently led Hearken’s engagement consulting team, and previously worked for Denverite, Chalkbeat and The Ventura County Star. Stephanie is based in Vancouver, Washington. More on Stephanie.
Christian Monterrosa
Community Manager
(he/him)
[email protected]
Christian Monterrosa helps foster an engaged community among LION’s members and those interested in news entrepreneurship by listening to and articulating their needs and designing engagement strategies that strengthen their relationships with one another. He comes from a background in photojournalism where he has worked with The New York Times, the Associated Press, Bloomberg and others. Christian is from Los Angeles, CA and currently based in Boston, MA. More on Christian.
Andrew Rockway
Program Manager
(he/him)
[email protected]
Andrew Rockway supports aspiring news entrepreneurs and existing publishers as they launch, grow and work toward sustainability by shaping, executing and assessing LION’s education and research programs, training and other resources. He previously led the Trusted Elections Network and Local News Ideas-to-Action cohorts at the American Press Institute and the Your Voice Ohio media collaborative at the Center for New Democratic Processes. Andrew is based in rural western Wisconsin. More on Andrew.
Dylan Sanchez
Data Systems Associate
(he/him)
[email protected]
Dylan supports LION’s operations by managing the data, systems and processes supporting daily operations at LION as well as providing technical assistance to the organization. He brings with him a background in project management, data analysis, and capacity building. Previously, Dylan served as a Public Health Advisor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention working to centralize responses to communicable diseases. He is from Huntington Beach, California, and he's currently based in San Antonio, Texas.
Kelsey Wotzka
Membership Success Associate
(she/her)
[email protected]
Kelsey ensures LION’s membership systems, data processes, and customer support operate efficiently and smoothly to ensure the best possible product experience for existing and prospective members. Her pivot to journalism comes after coordinating the membership program at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and managing data systems at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Kelsey is based in Jackson, Wyoming.
LION Staff Demographics
We are committed to employing a diverse staff based on race/ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, disabilities, and whether they identify as LGBTQIA+. Our staff self-identifies as:
- White: 6 | Hispanic/Latino/Latina: 3 | Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic: 1 | Asian American/Pacific Islander: 1 | South Asian: 1
- Female: 7 | Male: 4
- Cisgender: 11 | Transgender: 0
- Heterosexual: 7 | LGBTQIA+: 2 | Decline to state: 2
- Person without a disability: 10 | With a disability: 1
- Born in country of residence: 10 | Immigrated to country of residence: 1
LION Staff Disclosures
The LION Publishers staff is committed to providing our members, our board of directors, and the public with transparent disclosures on the companies and businesses we’ve worked, or currently work with, in the course of our careers. Here are our staff disclosure statements.
Interested in working with us?
We post open roles here, and are always interested in hearing from prospective consultants or contractors with experience supporting independent news entrepreneurs.