FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – San Francisco – May 2, 2012 – Joaquin Alvarado will join the Center for Investigative Reporting as the organization’s first chief strategy officer, effective immediately.

 

"Joaquin is a visionary who understands the digital world, its challenges and opportunities," said Phil Bronstein, executive chair of the Center for Investigative Reporting. “He brings skills, experience and ambitious ideas to CIR that we value. He's an exciting and talented addition to our team."

 

In his new role, Alvarado will focus on expanding membership, engaging diverse audiences and increasing CIR’s revenue. He will work across the organization and with collaborators to create innovative opportunities for everything CIR produces, including taking on a leadership role in the new YouTube investigative channel announced earlier this year.

 

Alvarado most recently served as senior vice president for digital innovation at American Public Media, overseeing the organization’s digital portfolio and leading the Public Insight Network, a project that CIR is part of. He also served as a board member of CIR. Previously, Alvarado was senior vice president for diversity and innovation at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He has spearheaded numerous projects, including CoCo Studios, which promotes media collaboration and information sharing for fiber and mobile networks; the Institute for Next Generation Internet at San Francisco State University; and the National Public Lightpath, which advocates for high-speed fiber-optic networks.

 

“When I joined the board of CIR last year, I said that CIR exemplifies a truly networked newsroom with some of the most talented reporters and producers working today,” Alvarado said. “It’s still true – and even more so with the merger with The Bay Citizen. I’m thrilled to join CIR in this new position, working alongside the leadership and newsroom staffs to build a model that proves risk taking and engagement lead to sustainability and success.”

 

 

Founded in 1977, the Center for Investigative Reporting is the nation's oldest nonprofit investigative news organization, producing unique, high-quality reporting that has impact and is relevant to people's lives. The organization’s stories appear in hundreds of news outlets, including NPR News, PBS Frontline, PBS NewsHour, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, Newsweek/The Daily Beast, MinnPost and American Public Media’s Marketplace. CIR stories have received numerous journalism awards, including the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, George Polk Award, Emmy Award, Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, and the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Its reports have sparked state and federal hearings and legislation, United Nations resolutions, public-interest lawsuits and changes in corporate policies. CIR is also the parent organization of California Watch, which now has the largest investigative team in California. In April 2012, CIR merged with The Bay Citizen, a nonprofit, nonpartisan member-supported news organization that provides in-depth original reporting on Bay Area issues. For more information, please visit cironline.org, californiawatch.org and baycitizen.org.

 

Media contact:

Marlene Saritzky

415.713.1241

 

 

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