/photo courtesy Laurie Cirivello
After nearly eight years at the helm, Laurie Cirivello, Executive Director of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center (CMC) and Founding Publisher of The Rapidian, serves her final day with the organization this Friday, November 1. In September, Laurie informed the CMC Board of Directors that after long consideration, she has accepted a position with Priority Health and will therefore be leaving her position at CMC.
“It has been a very rewarding personal and professional experience working with outstanding staff, volunteers and board to leverage media to benefit community,” Cirivello says. “I am delighted to witness the continued evolution of community media in West Michigan and am excited to now participate as a community member.”
“Laurie has been an incredible leader and a visionary champion of community media," says Board president Janay Brower. “She shepherded the development and launch of The Rapidian as our community’s hyperlocal news source as a nationally recognized model in new media. She helped lead the greening of Wealthy Theatre, helped usher the use of new community-building technology platforms and brought together all of the diverse parts of this amazing organization.”
In addition to the CMC’s community-building efforts through The Rapidian and Wealthy Theatre, it also operates GRTV cable access channel 25, 88.1 FM WYCE radio, myriad education-based resources as well as IT and web-building functions for nonprofit customers.
Brower assures that the CMC will carry forward its intentionally inclusive approach to community media with a clear focus on access for area nonprofits and residents to an array of media and community building tools and resources.
Effective immediately, Kayem Dunn is the organization's interim executive director. Dunn comes to the organization with extensive experience as an interim, transitional leader. She has been appointed to oversee the critical day-to-day functions of the organization until a new permanent ED is hired.
The CMC board has retained the services of a professional search firm to assist with the effort to find and hire new leadership. A job description will be posted and circulated in the coming days, and a new director is expected to be in place in early 2014.
The Rapidian, a program of the 501(c)3 nonprofit Community Media Center, relies on the community’s support to help cover the cost of training reporters and publishing content.
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