As Tiny News Collective matures into a new phase of development, it is adding three board members and one interim officer who have the experience and expertise that will help the organization as it charts a new course through a Strategic Plan focused on growing membership, increasing staff and board capacity, elevating the field and becoming sustainable. 

The new board members bring deep knowledge that will help with governance as well as taking on new challenges as TNC grows. With the addition of these board members, Tiny News is ready to take on priority areas of the Strategic Plan to better serve its network of founders in their vital work in communities. 

“We are thrilled to have the new additions to our board who can help us through this next phase of the Collective,” said Amy L. Kovac-Ashley, executive director of Tiny News. “The diversity of their experience in fundraising, publishing, strategy and business are well suited for our goals for TNC moving forward.”

The new board members include:

Steve Katz: Steve has worked in the fields of community housing, theater, environmental advocacy and, since 2003, journalism, when he started at Mother Jones, eventually being named its publisher. In 2022, Steve was named assistant dean for advancement at UC Berkeley Journalism, where he now serves as special adviser to the Dean. Steve also serves as a coach and consultant to nonprofit news executives and development leaders, combining his deep understanding of the media landscape with proven fundraising and leadership development capabilities to support organizations in creating long-term sustainability and impact. 

Garry Pierre-Pierre: Garry is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, media entrepreneur and leading voice on Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. He is the founder of The Haitian Times, an award-winning publication that has grown from a weekly newspaper into a nationally recognized digital outlet serving Haitian communities in the United States and beyond. A former reporter at The New York Times, he has spent his career advancing community-centered journalism and building sustainable models for immigrant and local media. He also co-founded and led the Center for Community Media at the City University of New York.

Ben Werdmuller: Ben is the senior director of technology at ProPublica. Previously, he served as the first CTO at The 19th and co-founded one of the web's earliest social networking platforms. As part of investing in early-stage media startups at Matter Ventures, he helped teach venture design to newsrooms and mission-driven teams. He lives in the Philadelphia area and writes about the intersection of technology, media and society at werd.io.

Kimberly Spencer (interim treasurer): Kimberly Spencer is a fundraising strategist and media sustainability leader dedicated to building strong, community-rooted journalism. With more than 20 years of experience across the nonprofit and media sectors, she is the executive director of the Colorado Media Project, where she supports news organizations by investing in the local news and information ecosystem. Kimberly holds a master’s in organizational leadership and is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). Beyond her work at CMP, she serves as advisory chair of the HBCU Digital Media Collaborative and on the boards of Open Vallejo and the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, working alongside partners to ensure access to trusted, independent news and civic information.

They join current board members Lillian Ruiz, Tyler Fisher, Jillian Bauer-Reese and Amy Austin. 

We also bid a fond farewell to board member Kara Meyberg Guzman. Kara’s visionary leadership and steadfast service as a founding board member and chair were instrumental in shaping Tiny News Collective’s mission, governance and early growth. Her legacy of founder-centered values, strategic guidance and deep commitment will continue to influence the organization’s culture and impact for years to come.

“We are excited to welcome Steve, Ben, Garry and Kimberly to our board,” said Lillian Ruiz, TNC board chair. “Their guidance and experience will be needed as we chart the course ahead for Tiny News. And we thank Kara for her years of service in our early years. She will be missed!”

Welcome to our new board members, and au revoir to Kara! 👋🏽

Featured photo collage, from left to right: Steve Katz, Garry Pierre-Pierre, Ben Werdmuller and Kimberly Spencer.