The Rapidian: Founding Member & Program Manager

July 2009 - Oct. 2011

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The Rapidian is a hyperlocal, citizen journalism platform seeded by the Grand Rapids Community Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The project has received multiple local awards and recognition since launch in Sept. 2009.

I was a founding member of The Rapidian as well as its only full-time staffer for two and a half years. As part of my work, I:

  • Coordinated local media collaborations, educational partnerships, gatherings for the Rapidian community and GR Drupal meetup.

  • Collaborated with host nonprofits in cultivating news bureaus to empower diverse populations in quadrants of GR via media production.

  • Worked with other staffers on strategy, design, and execution concerning sustainability, reporter retention and recruitment, and platform development. Trained local volunteers to become competent reporters.

  • Coordinated and produced a weekly radio show, Catalyst Radio, highlighting local grassroots efforts and providing media analysis to increase media literacy.

  • Reported and produced content, tools and design materials as needed.

In recognition of my work, I received an honorable mention for the MJ Bear Fellowship from the Online News Association and received the Good to Great award* in 2010 from the Grand Rapids Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.

More:

* YNPN’s Good to Great award will go to

an individual that has moved an organization or program from good to great. This person may have increased the participation in a program at your organization, strengthened an organization so they may provide stronger service to the community, or simply took a dying organization and made it sustainable again. The person that will receive this award will have shown strong initiative toward improving and strengthening a program or service.