A little over a year ago, on August 5, 2024, coincidentally my birthday, I stepped into the role of revenue manager for the Mississippi Free Press. When I interviewed with CEO Donna Ladd and Publisher Kimberly Griffin, I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into. After 14.5 years of working for the Mississippi Business Journal as advertising director, then associate publisher and ultimately publisher, I knew it was time for a change.
I had spent 25 years working in the media industry, but one thing was entirely new to me: I had never worked for a nonprofit newsroom, and I had never fundraised.
Fundraising, I quickly learned, is not like selling advertising. Advertising is transactional: You sell space, a product runs, and both parties walk away with something tangible. Fundraising is different. What you are offering is not a product, but an opportunity: a chance for someone to connect with a mission and a vision through their financial support. In return, donors receive no ad placement or no guaranteed exposure, just the knowledge that they are helping sustain something they believe in.
This was a world I had never experienced before, but I found myself drawn to it. I realized it was time to do work that truly mattered, work I could one day tell my grandgirls, Einsleigh and Jerricka, that I had been a part of.
A Little About Myself
So for whatever reason, maybe out of sheer bravery, Donna and Kimberly extended me an offer, and I accepted. I had long admired the work of both these ladies. In fact, during my years at the MBJ, I honored them both through awards programs, never imagining that our professional paths would eventually intersect in this way.
I had also been an avid reader of the Jackson Free Press back in the day and, admittedly, even had used the JFP as a prospecting tool to sell advertisements in my days as retail sales supervisor at the Clarion Ledger. You do what you have to do, and the JFP had built a strong, loyal base of advertisers during its long, important journey in the city of Jackson.
A year into this journey has taught me a great deal. Kimberly has generously shared her fundraising knowledge, strategies and hard-earned wisdom, guidance I know will help me continue raising the resources needed to sustain the MFP well into the future. Donna has mentored me through her deep experience leading and growing a nonprofit organization, along with her impeccable journalistic instincts and unwavering commitment to truth and accountability.
Now, I am far from a writer, but I can string a few words together. With my recent promotion to publisher of the MFP as Kimberly is succeeding, one of my responsibilities is writing a regular Publisher’s Note. This is my first, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to tell you a little about myself, or maybe just ramble a bit.
Either way, here we are.
Journalism Is a Public Service
I came to journalism because I saw early on what happens when people’s stories are ignored or misrepresented. I grew up understanding that information is power and that who gets to tell the story matters. Journalism showed me a way to listen closely, ask better questions and help make sense of the world, especially for communities whose voices are too often left out of the conversation. That belief has stayed with me through every newsroom, classroom and community space I’ve worked in.
I am guided by the idea that journalism is a public service rooted in trust, care and accountability. I believe strong reporting starts with listening and is sustained by relationships with readers, sources and the communities we serve. My role now is to ensure that the MFP continues to be a place where stories are told with integrity, truth and respect, and where journalism helps us better understand one another in the moment we are living in.
An example for me was Donna’s personal essay about Jeffrey Epstein’s victims. It is written from a place of knowledge, and lived experiences. MFP is lucky to have her expertise.
Just since I joined the team, I’ve watched my MFP do some truly remarkable work, most notably achieving a significant increase in pageviews and readership over the past year. That is no small feat, especially for a newsroom of our size, at a time when many news organizations are experiencing declines in readers. This growth reflects the dedication, talent and integrity of our team, and reinforces why this work matters.
I want to continue being part of the “firsts” at the MFP, and I hope you will continue following, reading and sharing our stories. More importantly, if you feel compelled, I invite you to support what we do by donating to the best newsroom on this side of the Mississippi, so we can continue delivering stories that inform, challenge and truly matter.
I have some big shoes to fill with Kimberly’s upcoming departure, but I am up for the challenge. Rest assured, the MFP is in good hands, and I am honored to help lead it into its next chapter.
This MFP Voices opinion essay reflects the personal opinion of its author(s). The column does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.