The Global Press Institute Board of Directors comprises leaders, experts and pioneers in the fields of journalism, new media, social enterprise, development and gender justice.

Dan Austin, Board Treasurer

 Dan Austin is a journalist with extensive media management experience in both U.S. and foreign markets.  He most recently served as Director of the Voice of America, the U.S. government’s civilian international broadcasting arm with a global audience of 124 million, reached through 1,400 hours weekly of original radio, television and web-based programming in 44 languages.  Previously, he was chairman and chief executive officer of the community-news publishing arm of Dow Jones & Co. and, earlier, was vice president and general manager of the Dow Jones flagship, The Wall Street Journal.

  Ryan Blitstein, Board Vice Chairman

  Ryan is the Executive Director of the SCE Fund, a social     investment organization that connects talent and      innovations with market forces to drive social change. A graduate of Stanford University and Columbia University, Ryan is an active member of the Chicago Committee of Human Rights Watch and the One Percent Foundation. He is the recipient of the Utne Independent Press Award, Explanatory Journalism Award, and the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.

Karen Louise Boothe 

Karen is the founder of Prepone Consulting, an international firm that specializes in strategic communications, media relations and journalism for development.Karen has won numerous awards for her work in journalism and public affairs.

David Drimer, Board Chairman/President

Dave Drimer is the national executive director of the Zionist Association of America. Previously, he was the associate publisher of the Forward, the legendary 114-year old newspaper and multiple award-winning Web site. Dave has also worked at LexisNexis, Knight Ridder and the Economist Group. He received an Master of Business Administration in marketing from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Deadline Club.

Cristi Hegranes, Board Executive Committee Member

Cristi Hegranes is an award-winning journalist and a renowned international journalism trainer.

The recent recipient of a Jefferson Award for Public Service and the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism, Cristi believes that journalism is a development tool capable of creating direct and lasting social change. Cristi is also the winner of the SPJ Journalism Innovation Prize, a New Media Web Award, Clarion Award for Investigative Journalism, a Lifestyle Journalism Prize and numerous other honors. She holds a master's degree from New York University, served as a fellow-in-residence at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg and received a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Cristi teaches News Entrepreneurship at San Francisco State University and international media courses at California State University. She resides in the Bay Area with her partner, Patrick.

Jonathan Hegranes

Jonathan is part of the business development team for DISQUS, the largest platform for online commenting and communities.  Prior to moving to New York, Jonathan was the CEO at Workables.com and Director of Strategic Business Development for the World Poker Tour.  Jonathan recently completed his MBA at Thunderbird School of Global Management and completed his undergraduate degree at TCU (Go Horned Frogs).  He is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of San Francisco.

Sibyl Masquelier, Secretary

After a 40-year career in media, from The Miami Herald to owning a talent scouting consulting company specializing in newspapers and online media, Sibyl is currently writing a biography and other nonfiction.  Sibyl is the president of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, serves on the board of Seven Eagles Media Productions, and is a former board member of the Maine Women's Fund.

Jennifer Sutton

Jennifer Sutton is Operations Manager of the Chicago foundation SCE, where she is responsible for office and operational logistics, human resources, and events; and provides administrative support to the Chairman. Prior to joining SCE, Ms. Sutton was Operations Director and later Business Development/Marketing Manager at the Chicago and Dallas offices of architecture firm Perkins + Will. Previously, she was Operations Manager at Dallas-based interior architecture firm Lauckgroup. Ms. Sutton has also held a variety of management, marketing, and investor relations roles in the oil-and-gas and nonprofit sectors.