Isthmus Community Media board of directors
Board members are, left to right, from top: Masood Akhtar, Michael Wagner, Taylor Kilgore, Ralph Russo, Dan Koehn, Kirsten Houghton, Jill Pedigo Hall, Molly Stentz and Judith Davidoff.
In many ways Isthmus moved into unfamiliar territory when it became a nonprofit. One big change was our need to create a nonprofit board of directors. A new and different challenge for us for sure, but in the process we have forged new friendships and working relationships to support the mission of Isthmus.
Board members, among other things, oversee the nonprofit’s finances and operations, and assist with fundraising. We are a small, under-resourced operation at the moment so the latter is key. As is customary, we have tried to recruit board members who bring different skills, backgrounds and experiences to the table and we’re still looking to fill in some gaps.
The board is looking forward to meeting for the first time in person next week (!), so we thought it was high time that we also formally introduce our members.
Masood Akhtar has been recognized many times for his community work, but this fall brought a special honor. On Sept. 15, he and 18 other “Uniters” from around the country were celebrated at the White House for their work building bridges across communities and countering hate-fueled violence. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were among the dignitaries at the event, and Akhtar, founder of We Are Many - United Against Hate, says the experience exceeded all of his expectations.
“The message of unity was coming from the very top officials in this country,” says Akhtar, noting the dignitaries promised to work with anti-violence advocates on programs to address hate and bigotry.
Akhtar, born in India, has lived in the United States for 36 years. A scientist and entrepreneur, he says he joined the Isthmus board because the paper “has historically done a lot of good things for the community,” and because the paper does crucial “fact-based, nonpartisan journalism.” He is looking to tap into his wide network of connections — corporations, community groups, universities, and other institutions — to help support the work of Isthmus. He says that stories of everyday people, whether “black, brown or white,” can help promote understanding by demystifying difference. “If there is somebody doing good in the community, that is less public, let’s get the story out,” he says.
Michael Wagner, like Akhtar, had a big September. A professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he directs the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, Wagner and his team received a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator to study effective ways to combat misinformation online. The goal is to identify ways to aid professional fact checkers and journalists. A former journalist himself, Wagner is co-chair of Isthmus’ newly formed community engagement committee, which will help us build our audience of readers through outreach, public events, networking and new collaborations. Wagner is also helping Isthmus develop relationships with some of the foundations he’s already connected with.
Wagner’s co-chair on the community engagement committee is Taylor Kilgore. A few of us at Isthmus have known Kilgore for many years from the Simpson Street Free Press, where she has worked since middle school. Now a 2017 graduate of the UW-Madison journalism school, she works in communications at CUNA Mutual and recently moved into a dream position there as the social media implementation specialist. She continues to also work at Simpson Street Free Press, now as the managing editor. She says she looks forward to bringing 14 years of experience in nonprofit work and her passion for marketing to her board work at Isthmus.
Ralph Russo, the retired director of the Wisconsin Union Theater, is one of the founding board members at Isthmus. He is also the board president of Monroe Street Arts Center, and board vice president of PhotoMidwest, where he serves as co-leader of the group’s Black and White Photography Interest Group and education committee. He is a photographer himself — if those board affiliations did not make that clear. Russo believes strongly in the arts and has seen over the years how Isthmus, through its reporting, previews and reviews of arts events, and calendar listings, has been an integral to supporting the arts in Madison.
Part of the job of board members is to recruit new members to serve. Russo did just that with Dan Koehn, who is the alumni relations director for student affairs at UW-Madison. Koehn studied classical voice, receiving his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from UW-Madison. He has also worked with education and arts nonprofits. Koehn says he loves using his creativity and expertise to help people turn their organizational priorities into sustainable program realities. It was his idea to add a tear-off “coupon” to the print ads for our 2021 year-end fundraising campaign and it paid off… literally. We raised thousands of dollars through mail-in donations. Russo and Koehn are co-chairs of the board’s fundraising committee.
Once Koehn got on board he was insistent that we connect with Kirsten Houghton, a CPA who specializes in nonprofit accounting at SVA Certified Public Accountants. Houghton has volunteered with numerous local organizations and brings years of experience and knowledge about nonprofit governance and finance to the board; as such, she will be chairing both the finance and governance committees. She joined the board in the nick of time, just as our longtime volunteer bookkeeper notified us he needed to move on. Houghton was instrumental in helping us find a new accountant. Her firm will also take over tax preparation for us.
In March publisher Jason Joyce and I were the presenters at Downtown Madison Inc.’s breakfast meeting. We talked about board membership, among other things, noting that we were still seeking an attorney to add to our mix. Jill Pedigo Hall, an attorney with von Briesen & Roper, s.c., heeded our call. Hall specializes in employment law, working with organizations to develop and implement best strategies and to ensure compliance with labor and employment laws while supporting organizational goals. Guess which committee Hall is going to chair? Yup, the personnel committee. We have a lot of work to do in that area and are grateful to have Hall on board to help us with it.
Board member Molly Stentz brings both years of journalism and nonprofit experience to the table. A former manager of WORT-FM, a nonprofit radio station, and a former producer at Wisconsin Public Radio, she was recently tapped by CityCast to launch a daily news podcast for Madison. In a clutch move in early 2021, Stentz recommended someone she knew when we found ourselves suddenly without an ad sales rep. It was a brilliant move as Barbara Bolan has been indispensable to our organization since.
I am also a member of the board as was Dylan Brogan, who I am sorry to say is leaving Isthmus for a wonderful opportunity with CityCast. We are still looking for new board members with diverse backgrounds, experiences and skills, as well as volunteers for our various committees. If you have a passion for local news, and would like to help Isthmus grow and prosper, please be in touch (jdavidoff@isthmus.com).
