Meet the 20 news organizations in our 2026 Sustainability 360 program

LION is excited to announce that 20 LION member organizations are receiving customized coaching and HR and finance support this year through our Sustainability 360 program. Thanks to generous support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, we are able to offer this yearlong program to more news leaders who are ready to grow their businesses. 

Sustainability 360 started in 2024 with a pilot of six LION members and continued in 2025 with an expanded cohort of 40 members. The member organizations in this cohort were matched with a strategic coach who can provide them with actionable insights and guidance on their goals. Participants are also working with HR and finance consultants who will complete high-impact deliverables such as creating an employee handbook or updating their financial tracking systems. 

“We’ve learned a lot from each round of this program, from the small but mighty pilot group to the expanded, scaled cohort,” said Chris Krewson, executive director of LION Publishers. “We’re proud to support this newest group of participants, and we look forward to learning even more about how to keep helping them and the field they represent.” 

This new Sustainability 360 cohort runs through December 2026. 

Sustainability 360 Participants

Meet the 20 organizations in Sustainability 360:

• AsAmNews covers Asian American and Pacific Islander communities 
• Asheville Watchdog covers Asheville, North Carolina 
• Atlanta Community Press Collective covers Atlanta, Georgia 
• Broke Ass Stuart covers news, art, and nightlife in San Francisco, California 
• Corner Post covers the Colorado Plateau
• El Tímpano covers the Latino and Mayan community of Oakland and the wider Bay Area in California 
• Excelsior Citizen covers Excelsior Springs, Missouri 
• Henrico Citizen covers Henrico County, Virginia 
• Investigate Midwest covers agribusiness and rural communities in the Midwest 
• Mat-Su Sentinel covers the Mat-Su Valley in Alaska 
• Oregon ArtsWatch covers the arts in Oregon 
• Ottawa News Network covers Ottawa County, Michigan 
• RiverheadLOCAL covers Riverhead, New York 
• Salem Reporter covers Salem, Oregon 
• Se Habla Media covers the Latino community in Washington with Spanish-language news 
• Spotlight Delaware covers local news and information in Delaware 
• The Amarillo Tribune covers Amarillo, Texas 
• The Berkeley Scanner covers crime and safety news in Berkeley, California 
• The New Pine Plains Herald covers the Pine Plains Central School District in New York 
• YubaNet covers Nevada City, California 

Sustainability 360 Coaches

Sustainability 360 coaches are sourced from across the journalism industry and have expertise in a range of strategic topics. 

Sam Gross is a media founder and strategic advisor. Sam operates as a thought-and-execution partner to newsroom leaders, combining deep research and an operator’s perspective to turn vision into concrete growth plans. He was the co-founder and SVP of Content at Stacker, where he built a newswire serving 3,000 local publishers while scaling to $10M in annual revenue and 50 employees. Sam coaches dozens of organizations through LION Publishers, Tiny News Collective, SCORE, and independent consulting projects. He serves as Board Chair of Shasta Scout and is a board member of The Children’s Agenda, West Side YMCA, and Stacker.

Richard E. Brown is a nationally recognized news media executive, strategist, and coach with experience leading audience growth, product development, and revenue strategy at organizations including Gannett, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and The Daily Beast. He is the co-founder of Momentum Lab Pro and founder of RE Media Holdings LLC. He currently serves as Chief Audience and Growth Officer at Wisconsin Watch, where he leads audience growth and earned revenue strategy across Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Rich has coached organizations through programs with LION Publishers, Northwestern Medill, Press Forward, the Lenfest Institute, and News Navigators, helping newsroom leaders strengthen sustainability through audience development, operational strategy, and long-term revenue planning.

Todd Stauffer

Ashley Woods Branch is a startup publisher and coach who helps independent news leaders chase big ideas and build more sustainable organizations. She is the Chief Partnerships + Revenue Officer at Planet Detroit, an RJI Innovation Fellow, and the former founder of Detour, a Detroit-based local news startup she launched in 2017. Her coaching is shaped by experience building mission-driven businesses from the ground up, including her current work in journalism and hospitality. Ashley believes independent publishers are doing vital work in American democracy and is honored to support LION members through the messy, meaningful work of building something that matters. <3

Joe Lanane is an experienced editorial manager and lifelong community journalist with a strong track record of helping independent news organizations establish locally and expand nationally. He coaches founders and CEOs on effective newsroom management, including editorial workflows, audience growth, staff development, and product strategy. He previously served as Community Impact Newspaper executive editor before leading U.S. market expansion for Indiegraf.

HR and Finance Consultants

Participants also receive support on HR and finance from consultants at Dakin Ventures Consulting Group.

Amy Bennett is a mission-driven, client-focused nonprofit accountant with a legal background and 20 years of proven experience successfully managing accounting and finance functions. Amy has significant experience collaborating with chief financial officers (CFOs) in creating new internal controls and interdepartmental protocols to increase accounting department efficiencies. She also has a proven track record of client satisfaction, with progressively increasing responsibility with every single client. Her systems experience includes Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT certification, with advanced Excel skills.

Deborah Brown is a seasoned and well-versed senior HR leader with a dynamic background in employee relations, leadership development, talent acquisition, management coaching, policy development, organizational design, and DEI. She’s a flexible and open-minded leader and strategic business partner who also enjoys writing fiction in her spare time.

Allyson Dubenko is a finance and operations consultant with 13+ years of experience helping nonprofits and small businesses strengthen financial health and streamline internal processes. She specializes in accounting, budgeting and forecasting, reconciliations, and internal controls, with a proven track record of implementing scalable systems that deliver lasting results.

Heather Patterson is a seasoned and versatile senior HR executive with over 15 years of experience across diverse industries, including tech, non-profit, advertising, media, fashion/beauty, and startups. Her expertise spans employee relations, organizational development, HR strategy, talent management, leadership coaching, DEIB, and change management. Known for her thoughtful, human-centered approach, Heather is a trusted advisor and strategic business partner. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, writing, and reading.