Meet the LION Publishers Team
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
Associate Director 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.
Stel Duncan
Associate Director of Technology
(he/him)
[email protected]
Stel Duncan maintains and improves LION’s tech stack, including its website, Salesforce, and connected systems. This integrated technology allows LION to collect, streamline, and analyze its program and membership data, which in turn helps the association understand how it can meet the needs of its members and glean important insights about the independent news industry. Stel previously worked at SFMade and Family Promise HCR, and is based in New York.
Lisa Heyamoto
Associate Director of 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.
Reshma Kothari
Finance & Operations Manager
(she/her)
[email protected]
Reshma Kothari helps LION achieve organizational excellence through financial management support and administrative operations. With a growing staff around the country, Reshma supports state compliance processes, staff and organizational operational excellence, and overall financial health. She most recently came from Benefits Data Trust, where she worked as a Partnerships Associate managing contracts, program impact, and technical support on proprietary products. Reshma is currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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.
Samantha Matsumoto
Community Engagement Manager
(she/her)
[email protected]
Samantha Matsumoto works on outreach and engagement at LION, and is here to ensure members are participating in LION’s programmatic offerings, connecting with one another and receiving value from LION’s membership benefits. She previously worked as a radio producer at Oregon Public Broadcasting and Minnesota Public Radio. She is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
More on Samantha.
Hayley Milloy
Marketing Manager
(she/her)
[email protected]
Hayley Milloy is responsible for designing and executing LION’s editorial and marketing strategy to grow LION’s membership, attract new publishers to LION’s programming, and communicate the association’s impact on the independent news industry. She got her start at the international Women in Manufacturing Association, where she led membership growth and marketing efforts, and she most recently worked in higher education marketing at Case Western Reserve University. Hayley is currently based in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
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
Research and Evaluation Associate
(he/him)
[email protected]
Dylan Sanchez 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 currently based in Long Beach, California.
Stephanie Snyder
Associate Director of Membership Products and Services
(she/her)
[email protected]
Stephanie Snyder 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.
Kelsey Wotzka
Membership Success Associate
(she/her)
[email protected]
Kelsey Wotzka 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.
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/Caucasian: 7 | Hispanic/Latino/Latine: 2 | Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic: 2 | Asian American/Pacific Islander: 3 | South Asian: 1
- Female: 10 | Male: 4
- Cisgender: 14 | Transgender: 0
- Heterosexual: 8 | LGBTQIA+: 4 | Decline to state: 2
- Person without a disability: 12 | With a disability: 1 | Decline to state: 1
- Born in country of residence: 13 | Immigrated to country of residence: 1
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.