KQED president emeritus John Boland, Voice Media Ventures founder Paulette Brown-Hinds, and author and farmer David “Mas” Masumoto have joined CalMatters as the newest board members, the nonprofit media venture announced today.
“We’re honored to have three such experienced and esteemed leaders join our board,” co-founder and Board Chair Simone Coxe said. “They bring geographic reach, deep connections with state policy and politics, experience in digital and multimedia journalism, and skills with audience development and engagement.”
The additions to the board coincide with a tremendous year of growth for CalMatters, which has expanded rapidly since its founding in 2015. At a time when many California media organizations are declining and shrinking, CalMatters has carved out a leadership role preserving and expanding journalism.
Today, with a staff of 31 in Sacramento and Los Angeles, it produces hundreds of stories each year that reach tens of millions of people through CalMatters.org and more than 188 news organizations including all of California’s major newspapers and public radio stations. CalMatters produces a podcast, a daily newsletter, a forum for statewide commentary and a series of public events. It has received several state and national awards for in-depth collaboration and innovative storytelling formats that included video and interactives.
John Boland served as the KQED’s president and chief executive officer from March 2010 through March 2019, leading its transition to a digital first public media station. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the first chief content officer of the national Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Prior to his tenure at PBS, Boland served in several executive positions at KQED for more than a decade, including executive vice president and chief operating officer, and vice president of marketing, development and communications. He also created the role of chief content officer at KQED in 2002 — the first such position in public media.
Paulette Brown-Hinds is the founder of Voice Media Ventures and the second-generation publisher of The Black Voice News. Her multimedia company includes news weekly print and digital editions, websites, film production, and a strategic communications firm specializing in community outreach and engagement. An award-winning columnist and Knight Digital Media Fellow, Paulette has nearly 30 years of experience in media, communications, and community engagement. She also serves on the boards of The James Irvine Foundation and the Community Foundation for the Inland Empire and is the former president of the California News Publishers Association.
David “Mas” Masumoto is an organic peach and grape farmer and the author of 11 books including: Epitaph for a Peach, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Heirlooms, Letters to the Valley, Four Seasons in Five Senses, Harvest Son, Country Voices, and Silent Strength. He, along with his wife, Marcy, and daughter, Nikiko, published a family farm cookbook, The Perfect Peach in 2013. Masumoto is now a columnist for The Fresno Bee and the Sacramento Bee. He was a Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellow from 2006-2008. His writing awards include Commonwealth Club Silver medal, Julia Child Cookbook award, and the James Clavell Literacy Award. He is on the board of the Central Valley Community Foundation and the National Council for the Arts, which is the board of the National Endowment for the Arts. He also served on the James Irvine Foundation board and is the former chair of the California Council for the Humanities board.
The CalMatters board now has 10 members. A full list can be found here. Tony Ridder, former chairman and CEO of Knight Ridder, retired from the board in 2018 after serving three years. Ridder has now joined the CalMatters advisory board.
“Tony’s business acumen and knowledge of the newspaper industry were invaluable to CalMatters as it started up,” Coxe said. “Not to mention the value his network and his reputation brought the fledgling venture. We will be forever grateful for the time he contributed and the difference he made. We look forward to continuing to call upon him in his new role on the advisory board.”