Season 1, Episode 6: Erin O' Mara

Erin believes in the power and promise of journalism to connect communities and provide people with information to improve their lives. She’s a visionary and strategic leader with skills rooted curiosity and hands-on experience. Reading and writing taught her to uncover connections, and she developed critical thinking skills. When Erin landed her first job in marketing, she discovered numbers tell a story — the story of a company’s lifeline. She learned how to read them, honed her skills, and expanded her understanding of market forces. As president of The Nation, Erin spearheaded a corporate restructure, spinning off educational programs seeded by The Nation into a new non-profit, The Nation Fund for Independent Journalism. This shift gave important educational initiatives the light and air they need to thrive. And like all change, it created opportunities. She developed and launched the Fellowship for the Future of Journalism, a groundbreaking, paid two-year program designed to widen and deepen the educational funnel, paving the path to a career in journalism for students from historically underserved communities. Erin writes a monthly column, Never Not Amazed, for her local paper, the Harpswell Anchor and she’s the co-editor and a contributor to an anthology of essays, Alive to This, published by Littoral Books. She puts her values into action every day, working to ensure journalism remains a force for public good. Erin is founding a new non-profit to support and sustain local journalism throughout New England. She can’t wait to share news of the launch! Follow Erin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-omara1/ Download a copy of our FREE Book List, which includes books written by and recommended by our speakers: kdwinchenbach.com/leadfearlessly.