Supporting our Tiny News members is of utmost importance to us, so we are excited to announce our new membership director: Elaine Díaz Rodríguez. 

Elaine will join the team on August 4 and will support TNC’s 60+ member news startups to help them succeed. Her work will include running the membership experience, including recruitment, application and selection, as well as member training, cohort meetings and services. She will oversee a small team of consultants who provide support and guidance to members and will be a key member of Tiny News Collective’s leadership team.

Elaine is a journalist, nonprofit leader and media strategist with more than a decade of experience building and supporting independent news organizations all over the world. She founded Periodismo de Barrio, a Cuban newsroom focused on the social and environmental impacts of disasters in 2014. Later, she joined LION Publishers, where she led membership programs for hundreds of independent local newsrooms across the U.S. and Canada. Elaine has designed and facilitated coaching, funding and peer learning programs that help founders strengthen their operations, grow their revenue and better serve communities. She has also worked at Inter Press Service, the University of Havana and SembraMedia.

“I’m joining Tiny News Collective because I believe in building from the bottom up,” Elaine said. “I’ve seen firsthand how bold ideas and meaningful change often come from the smallest, most resourceful teams. I’m excited to support the next generation of news founders as they reimagine local journalism in their own communities. In a time when many communities across this country are being tested and overlooked, it feels not just important, but necessary, to stand behind the people building trust and driving change from within.”

Elaine is joining TNC at a time of expansion, not only in members but also in support programs, including the Spark Fund and Tiny Vitals. Membership services — from business and operations to editorial to the personal — are at the heart of what we do at Tiny News, putting our members first to help them serve their communities around the country.

“This moment feels like the exact right time for Elaine to join our team,” said Amy L. Kovac-Ashley, executive director of Tiny News. “Her experience as a founder, journalist and educator, and running coaching services on revenue and operations for so many LION Publishers members, makes her a perfect fit for our membership director. Elaine’s deep personal knowledge of working in challenging political and economic conditions will no doubt prove instructive for TNC members, and we know the Collective will benefit from her empathy and kindness.”

Welcome to the team, Elaine! 💖