Grist makes the story of a better world so irresistible, you want it right now. We are an independent, nonprofit media organization devoted to eye-opening environmental journalism that explores solutions, exposes injustice, and emboldens readers to act. We go beyond the page to foster an unlikely network of leaders to bring about a sustainable world that works for everyone.
Founded and headquartered in Seattle, we’re now spread across the country, reporting from the frontlines on the threats that face our world and the fixers working to … well, fix them. Here’s how to reach us or pitch our editors.
Leadership
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Bekah Cardwell
Numbers speak louder than words. Graduate of Evergreen State College, a.k.a. “Greener.” Like a Geoduck, you’ll find me in the Pacific Northwest.
FOUNDER
Chip Giller STORIES | FOLLOW
Founded Grist in 1999 to lighten up a movement known for taking itself too seriously. Heinz Award for media innovation, TIME magazine “Hero of the Environment,” Brown grad, and obsessive Red Sox fan. When he isn’t pondering the future of environmental journalism, he likes to spend time with his wonderful wife and two kids at home on Vashon Island, near Seattle.
DIRECTOR OF NETWORKS
Kate Jackson FOLLOW
Grassroots organizer turned business strategist, with pottery making and yoga teaching on the side. Degrees from Harvard and Kellogg. Can be found bike commuting, hiking, and cooking feasts for friends in Washington, D.C.
NETWORKS, EVENTS, PARTNERSHIPS
ACTING DIRECTOR OF CONTENT
Andrew Simon STORIES
Previously: Rolling Stone, VIBE, Complex Media, ESPN, Fast Company. Jersey raised me, Brooklyn made me, somehow in Seattle.
GRIST 50, FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Nikhil Swaminathan STORIES | FOLLOW
Failed chemical engineer-turned-science journalist. Resume includes: Scientific American, Al Jazeera America, GOOD. ATLien who was in Brooklyn, then the Bay. Now, happily, back home.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
CEO
Brady Piñero Walkinshaw FOLLOW
Former Washington State Lawmaker. Fulbright Scholar in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Previously at the Gates Foundation. Passionate advocate for a better, more just future that works for all of us.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
OPEN!
Learn more
Editorial
SR. MANAGING EDITOR
Darby Minow Smith STORIES | FOLLOW
Vegetarian and journalist by day; Montana rancher and steak fan by night.
SENIOR EDITOR
Matt Craft STORIES
Coffee-powered wordplayer and enthusiastic pedestrian. Formerly of New Orleans and brownstone Brooklyn. Now back in native Seattle.
CLIMATE, COMMUNITIES, NEW ECONOMY
NEWS EDITOR
Kate Yoder STORIES | FOLLOW
Best described as crossword diva, worst described as professional athlete. I make the news happen, and also lots of artisan sourdough bread.
NEWS
STAFF WRITER
Nathanael Johnson STORIES | FOLLOW
Whitewater guide now chained to an inconveniently sinky desk. Writer of books. Father of daughters. Shanker of frisbees. Based in the Bay Area.
FOOD, ENERGY, CALIFORNIA
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Eve Andrews STORIES | FOLLOW
Once fired after one night as a restaurant hostess, now frequent host of Grist’s videos. Write advice on taking control in out-of-control times. Too many opinions about Pittsburgh, pop music, and the patriarchy.
ASK UMBRA, VIDEO
STAFF WRITER
Eric Holthaus STORIES | FOLLOW
Writing about the weather on a rapidly changing planet. Once called “America’s weather-predicting boyfriend,” a title I will never relinquish. Based in the Twin Cities.
CLIMATE
VIDEO PRODUCER
Daniel Penner STORIES | FOLLOW
Used to run an illegal sandwich shop in Northern Indiana. Worried I’ve peaked.
GRAPHIC ARTIST
Amelia Bates STORIES | FOLLOW
Artist, Sconnie, and volunteer farmer. Ten tattoos and counting. Would like to someday be the old lady who lives in the middle of nowhere who everyone thinks is a witch. Based in Wisconsin.
ASSOC. VIDEO PRODUCER
Jesse Nichols STORIES | FOLLOW
Enjoys stories, science, and prefers Premiere to Final Cut. Born and raised in Washington State.
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Zoya Teirstein STORIES | FOLLOW
New Yorker-turned-Seattleite. Social media whiz and wannabe banjo player. Previously at Food Tank and The Verge.
STAFF WRITER
Justine Calma STORIES | FOLLOW
Born in the Philippines, raised in California, learning to love NYC. Reporting on environmental justice and health from all the places I call home. Alumna of Columbia’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and the Ida B. Wells Fellowship with The Investigative Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
NEWS FELLOW
Greta Jochem STORIES | FOLLOW
Outdoor-loving Wisconsinite now living in D.C. Enjoys writing about all things science. When not working, can usually be found biking, listening to a podcast, or dreaming about adopting a very large and fluffy dog.
Digital
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT
Nathan Letsinger
When not doing product whiz-bangery and obsessing over user experience, interests include open-source coding in the pursuit of happiness.
ART DIRECTOR
Mignon Khargie FOLLOW
Maker of things, mostly useful, sometimes not. Former newspaper artist, co-founder of Salon.com. Teaching myself to write speculative fiction for middle-graders. Black cake enthusiast. Based in Southern California.
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Annelise McGough FOLLOW
My cat, Iggy, and I are avid Paul Simon fans. Should I go on?
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Brian Troyer FOLLOW
Proud Ohioan and Ohio State alum. Former Seattleite. Avid Buckeye fan, golfer, and chicken wing connoisseur.
ADVERTISING
SALESFORCE/PARDOT ADMINISTRATOR
Jeff Giza-Martin
Tech whiz, EDM fan, and beer lover who will do everything Grist needs from him except write his own bio.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Greg Smith
Worker bee on special projects across Grist. Worked at BCG before switching over to the nonprofit world. From Seattle and glad to be back.
Development
ACTING DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Patrick Schmitt
Recovering archaeologist who left his trowel for the livelier world of nonprofit fundraising. Wisconsin native, now based in the Twin Cities.
FOUNDATION RELATIONS MANAGER
Rosalyn Claret
Formerly of California, Minnesota, and Texas (thanks to: birth, Carleton College, and KLRU/Austin City Limits, respectively). Now a newbie Seattlite. Occasionally capable of discussing non-cat-related subjects. (Ask me about the musical saw!)
MEMBERSHIP OFFICER
Jess Alvarado-Lepine
Bay Area transplant turned Seattleite after tracking Sasquatch into the North Cascades. Career-ending injury crushed her dreams of being America’s Next Top Hand Model. Spends free time on the trails or snowboarding with her husband, son, and dog.
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT
Alexandra Comer
I’m a transplanted New Yorker who loves news (used to work at KUOW). I’ve got two outstanding jaywalking tickets, and I was once prevented from boarding a plane — I’ve got some stories …
Finance & Admin
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Anne Lapora
Visited Seattle many years ago and never left. Worked in retail for far too long before coming to her senses and deciding to use “skills” for good, not evil, landing in nonprofit world.
Board of Directors
CHAIR
Rachel Morello-Frosch
Rachel Morello-Frosch is a professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Rachel’s research examines race and class determinants of environmental health among diverse communities in the United States. Previously, she held a joint appointment between the Department of Community Health at Brown Medical School and the Center for Environmental Studies. Rachel completed her bachelor’s degree in development studies, a master of public health degree in epidemiology and biostatistics, and her Ph.D. in environmental health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Rachel is a co-founder and former board chair of the Environmental Leadership Program and sits on the scientific advisory board of Breast Cancer Action.
TREASURER
John Alderman
John Alderman is the COO of SocialCode, a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company that provides social-media marketing solutions for leading consumer brands. Previously he was general manager of The Slate Group and publisher of Slate, the award-winning online magazine. He also served as vice president of business development for the Washington Post Company’s digital properties Washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.com. John has run business development for Away.com, a travel website that was sold to Orbitz in 2005, and served in a variety of editorial and business roles at Outside magazine. He has a bachelor’s degree in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia University.
CLERK
Benjamin Strauss FOLLOW
Benjamin Strauss serves as chief scientist of Climate Central. He has published multiple scientific papers on sea level rise, testified before the U.S. Senate, and led development of the SurgingSeas.org suite of coastal flood risk tools. His research and tools have been featured in hundreds of stories including in The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and national news programming on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, and NPR.
Gino Borland FOLLOW
Gino Borland was the founder of Gino Borland, Inc., an internet company that makes personalized e-marketing software. Since selling his company, he has focused his time on environmental interests, including the climate crisis and potential clean-energy solutions. Apart from Grist, he is also involved in Social Venture Partners in Seattle, Washington.
Michelle DePass FOLLOW
Michelle DePass is dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at the New School for Public Engagement in New York City. Michelle joins Milano from the Environmental Protection Agency, where since 2009 she had served as assistant administrator for international and tribal affairs. Prior to joining EPA, Michelle was a program officer at the Ford Foundation. She also served as founding executive director of the New York Environmental Justice Alliance, senior policy advisor to the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and environmental manager for the City of San Jose.
Chip Giller STORIES | FOLLOW
Chip Giller founded Grist in 1999, intent on using a new type of journalism to engage the next generation on environmental issues. Grist, which publishes online, now has an audience of more than 3 million, and has been especially successful reaching readers in their 20s and 30s. Readers follow Grist.org for information, inspiration, and conversation—as well as an injection of much-needed humor. Giller has been honored with a Heinz Award for launching the country’s most influential green media platform, and been named a TIME magazine “Hero of the Environment.” He has been featured for his work in such outlets as Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and Outside, and appeared on broadcast programs including NBC’s Today show. Before launching Grist, Giller was editor of Greenwire, the first environmental news daily. He and his family live on Vashon Island, outside of Seattle.
Kristen Grimm FOLLOW
Kristen Grimm is the founder and president of Spitfire Strategies, one of the country’s leading public relations firms dedicated to working exclusively with nonprofits and foundations to create positive social change. She has developed numerous resources for the field including Smart Chart 3.0, Discovering the Activation Point, Just Enough Planning Guide, and Big Ideas to Big Change. Prior to launching Spitfire, Kristen worked as a fellow at the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. And she was the president and chief operating officer of Fenton Communications, where she wrote NOW HEAR THIS: The Nine Laws of Successful Advocacy Communications. Kristen has a B.A. from Smith College. She serves on the boards of the National Academy for State Health Policy and Alaska Wilderness League.
Elise Hu FOLLOW
Elise Hu covers technology and culture for NPR’s on-air and online platforms. She joined NPR in 2011 to head up the digital and editorial launch of StateImpact, a DuPont award winning public policy reporting network. Previously, she was a founding journalist at the nonprofit digital news startup, The Texas Tribune. While working as a political reporter, she also oversaw the Tribune’s social and multimedia journalism and statewide television partnerships. Elise’s work has earned a Gannett Foundation Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism and a National Edward R. Murrow award for best online video. She’s an advisor to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and serves as a panelist for the Knight News Challenge.
Susan L. Kaufman
Susan L. Kaufman is a health care consultant working on health care system transformation in Massachusetts. She has held senior and executive level positions in government, health care delivery organizations and business. Kaufman founded and was a principal of Benova, Inc., a company that provided business process outsourcing services to health and human services agencies. She is also on the Board of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. She has a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Bill McKibben FOLLOW
Bill McKibben writes regularly for The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, Harper’s, Orion Magazine, Mother Jones, The Atlantic Monthly, Outside, and many other publications. His first book, The End of Nature, was published in 1989 after being excerpted in The New Yorker; it was a national bestseller and appeared in 20 foreign editions. His other books include Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, Enough, The Age of Missing Information, and The Bill McKibben Reader. Bill is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and led the organizing for StepItUp, which coordinated 2,000 climate change demonstrations in all 50 states. He’s now at work on 350.org, the first attempt at a global grassroots climate change movement.
Eugene Mirman FOLLOW
Eugene Mirman is a comedian who voices “Gene” on Fox’s hit animated series Bob’s Burgers. He has been a regular on Flight of the Conchords and Adult Swim’s Delocated, has two Comedy Central Specials to his name, and is a frequent comedic co-host of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s science radio show and podcast, Star Talk Radio. Eugene was named Best New York City Comedian by the Village Voice, and one of the 10 best comedians of the last decade by Paste Magazine. He’s released three comedy albums and an incredibly funny parody-ish self-help book, The Will to Whatevs. Named by Rolling Stone as a “Hot Twitterer,” Eugene keeps his 330k+ followers entertained daily. He attended Hampshire College and designed his own major of Comedy, doing a one-hour standup act as his thesis — for which he was made fun of, don’t worry.
Matt Mullenweg FOLLOW
Matt Mullenweg is the founding developer of WordPress, the blogging software he guided from a handful of users to the most widely used open source blog tool. WordPress is now used by more than 200 million websites worldwide. After moving from his native Houston to San Francisco to work at CNET Networks, Matt left in late 2005 to found Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, as well as Akismet.com, Gravatar, and other enterprises. He has been named one of PC World’s Top 50 People on the Web, Inc.com’s 30 under 30, and Business Week’s 25 Most Influential People on the Web.
Shivika Sahdev
Shivika Sahdev is an Associate Partner at McKinsey’s New York office, where she is part of the Sustainability and Resource Productivity and Public Sector practices. Prior to McKinsey, she was a project leader at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, where she worked with foundations, U.N. agencies, governments, and nonprofit entities.
John Vechey FOLLOW
John Vechey is the co-founder of PopCap, a pioneer in the world’s gaming industry, with popular titles like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies. Since PopCap’s beginnings in 2000, John has served in several roles, including interim CEO and VP of Corporate Strategy and Development, and has led the company’s forays into social and mobile product lines. In 2011, Electronic Arts, the leading publisher of video games, bought PopCap in the largest acquisition it has ever made.
Brady Piñero Walkinshaw FOLLOW
Former Washington State Lawmaker. Fulbright Scholar in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Previously at the Gates Foundation. Passionate advocate for a better, more just future that works for all of us.
