The Maynard Institute has trained journalists for over 45 years, so there are always alumni achievements to celebrate! The Maynard Family of Alumni, Faculty, and Directors has had a busy and fulfilling year. As we approach 2024, here’s a look back on the journeys and accomplishments of some members of the Maynard Family.
Maynard 200 Fellow and founder of Queerency, Travers Johnson, launched LGBTQ+ Business Week, a week-long digital awareness initiative that aimed to increase the visibility of queer-owned businesses, empower LGBTQ+ small business owners, and raise awareness of economic issues facing LGBTQ+ people.
Maynard 200 Fellowship Faculty member Aaron Glantz wrote a moving tribute to First Lady Rosalynn Carter and his experiences at the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship in Mental Health Journalism for NPR.
Faculty member Ron Nixon held an investigative reporting bootcamp at Morehouse College with the Ida B. Wells Society, their first in-person bootcamp event since the pandemic, and was honored by The Root as one of 2023’s most influential Black Americans.
Maynard 200 alum and Managing Editor at The Oaklandside, Jacob Simas was promoted to Community Journalism Director at Cityside. Also, the folks at Cityside announced that the city of Richmond will be getting its own sister publication, Richmondside, in 2024.
Priya David Clemens, the host of KQED Newsroom, became the press ambassador for the San Francisco Host Committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). The forum saw world leaders including President Biden and China’s prime minister Xi Jinping, and also witnessed massive protests.
Maynard Media Academy alum Karen Rundlet became the new CEO of Institute for Nonprofit News. INN strengthens and supports 425 independent news organizations that are nonpartisan, non-profit, and dedicated to public service.
Rachel Hinton became an investigative reporter with Block Club Chicago , a publication dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
Michael Butler celebrated two years of reporting with the Miami Herald, where he recently published several pieces on Black entrepreneurs in STEM who are changing their industries and their communities.
Michael Tennant published his book “The Power of Empathy,” which counts vulnerability as a “superpower” and aims to help people chart paths from personal to societal change through empathy and connection.
Ashton R. Lattimore announced the publication of her debut novel, “All We Were Promised,” and held a virtual open house event for Prism media called “Prism: Justice, Journalism, and Power,” as the outlet continues to grow.
Natasha Alford, host of The Grio Weekly and Vice President of Digital Content for The Grio, announced the publication of her memoir “American Negra,” available in February of 2024. The book is “part memoir, part cultural analysis” and Alford dives deep into identity, family, and diversity of Black experience in America.
Maynard 200 Fellow, Class of 2019 Investigative Storytellers, Aysha Khan became the managing editor at NextCity.
The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education is proud of all members of our Maynard Family. We’re excited to move forward into 2024 with optimism and passion for diversity and belonging in journalism, and can’t wait to see what our Fellowship graduates and Fault Lines training recipients will do next to build inclusive and equitable news ecosystems in the new year.
Our work is made possible by individual donors, The California Endowment, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Democracy Fund, Ford Foundation, The Hearthland Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation, Knight Foundation, Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, The Reva and David Logan Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation.
About the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
For 45 years, the Maynard Institute has fought to push back against the systemic lack of diversity in the news industry through training, collaborations and convenings. Founded by Robert C. Maynard, the Institute promotes diversity and antiracism in the news media through improved coverage, hiring and business practices. We are creating better representation in U.S. newsrooms through our programs , which gives media professionals of color the tools to become skilled storytellers, empowered executives and inspired entrepreneurs.
Are you an alumni with exciting professional news?
Contact Community Engagement Coordinator, Amani Hamed, at ahamed@mije.org to be featured in our next Maynard Family Update.