LION Publishers’ board adds publishing industry veterans from LAist, The Haitian Times, CivicLex

LION Publishers’ board of directors has voted to add three new publishing industry veterans to its ranks: Ariel Zirulnick, a journalism consultant who has held leadership roles at LAist and the Membership Puzzle Project; Vania André, publisher of The Haitian Times; and Richard Young, founder of Kentucky’s CivicLex.

“It’s deeply satisfying to have this much expertise, talent, and genuine passion for local news abound on our board,” said current Board Chair Gunita Singh, a staff attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “I know that I, our board members, and ultimately LION will benefit from Ariel, Vania, and Richard lending their voices through 2025 and beyond.”

“I’m thrilled that these three stellar publishing vets are joining LION’s board, kicking off a strong start to this year,” said Anita Li, a fellow board member and the founder and CEO of LION member The Green Line. “Vania, Ariel, and Richard have already contributed so much to our industry, and I’m positive their immense expertise will bolster LION’s support for our membership and value to our broader journalism community even more.”

Zirulnick, who joined LION’s board development committee in 2021 and moved to the membership committee in 2023, is an audience and product consultant who has served as an analyst on our LION Sustainability Audits and recently worked with the News Product Alliance, American Press Institute, Knight Election Hub, and Press Forward South Florida, among others. She was previously the director of news experimentation at Southern California Public Radio’s LAist, a LION member publication. Prior to that, she directed the Membership Puzzle Project’s experimentation fund, an effort to provide funding, coaching, and knowledge sharing around membership. She also led former LION member newsroom The New Tropic in Miami.

André has been with LION member The Haitian Times for 11 years and is currently the publisher and editor-in-chief. Under her leadership, The Haitian Times has transformed from a local weekly publication into a globally recognized brand, chronicling the vibrant Haitian community across borders. André is also an assistant professor of journalism, media studies, and public relations at The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, as well as the principal and founder of MUSER, a full-service creative agency specializing in integrated branding, marketing, and public relations campaigns. She has experience in communications and digital media and worked for nonprofit newsroom THE CITY in New York as their communications director. She has also held positions in New York City Council, ABC News, and NBC Universal.

Young is the founder and executive director of CivicLex, a nonprofit organization that builds civic knowledge and capacity for residents, stitches together new relationships, and builds more responsive civic institutions in Lexington, Kentucky. CivicLex won Business of the Year at the 2024 LION Sustainability Awards. Judges called the work of CivicLex “(what) should be the future of local journalism: meeting people where they are, delivering information in a fun and accessible way, and making it all actionable to achieve real results in their community.” He is also a founding steering committee member of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange. Since 2014, this work has been featured in Bloomberg, NextCity, New York Times, New America, the Wall Street Journal, and more.

The additions bring LION’s board to 14 of a possible 15 members, per the organization’s bylaws. All three will join LION’s March 2025 Q1 board meeting.

LION board members serve for three-year terms and can serve a total of six consecutive years.