A Community-Based Philanthropic Approach to Supporting News and Information
Local news is a cornerstone of healthy communities- but across Florida and the country, it is disappearing, fragmenting, or failing to meet community needs. As newsrooms shrink and trusted local information becomes harder to find, communities lose a shared understanding of what's happening around them and how to engage in civic life.
This session explores the current state of local news and why it matters for community connection, trust, and participation. Participants will be introduced to Press Forward, a national effort to strengthen local news as essential community infrastructure, and to the case for building locally led Press Forward chapters.
We'll cover what it takes to get started, why local collaboration is critical, and what Press Forward aims to accomplish: stronger newsroom, more equitable access to information, and communities better equipped to navigate daily life and shape their future.
Workshop Speakers
Moderator
Nikisha Williams
Vice-President, Collective Impact, The Miami Foundation
Nikisha Williams, a Miami-native, currently serves as Vice President of Collective Impact at The Miami Foundation. In this role she is responsible for leading large-scale change through cross-sector collaboration by bringing together government, philanthropy, nonprofits, and corporations together to solve major community challenges in bold ways that couldn’t be accomplished without collective action. Her portfolio includes economic resilience, climate/disaster resilience, arts education access and civic engagement/ access to news and information.
Nikisha’s career spans the public sector and communications, where she most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation, where she was responsible for leading the operations of the organization, including human resources, marketing, fund development, as it expanded its placemaking, workforce development, health and arts/culture initiatives in the community. Prior to that, Nikisha served as the Director of Employee Communications and Change at C&W Communications, a telecommunications company with operations with more than 7,500 employees in 30 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Prior to her role at C&W Communications, she managed communications for c-suite executives at AT&T in both New York and Dallas.
Panelists
Katie Shultz, EdD,
Vice President, Communications, Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
Dr. Katie Shultz is a nonprofit and philanthropic executive with nearly 20 years of experience in community foundations, grantmaking, and organizational leadership. She currently serves as Vice President of Strategic Communications at Community Foundation Tampa Bay, where she leads enterprise-wide communications and works with the executive team to strengthen alignment, brand strategy, and community engagement.
Previously, Dr. Shultz served as Senior Director of Community Investments at the Foundation and led grant development efforts at St. Petersburg College, where she oversaw a grants portfolio exceeding $100 million. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of New England, a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Rutgers University, and a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Eastern University.
Registration
Member - Complimentary
