The Current

Nonprofit leadership can feel isolating. You're navigating complex challenges like board dynamics, funding pressures, compliance requirements, and staff transitions, often without peer support.

Introducing: The Current

The Current is a peer network, bringing together Virginia nonprofit leaders for meaningful learning and connection. Each session features expert speakers addressing the topics that keep you up at night, from regulatory compliance to succession planning, fundraising innovation to board governance.

You'll connect with fellow leaders who understand the reality of running a nonprofit. Share what's working, learn from what hasn't, and tap into the collective wisdom of others facing the same challenges.

May 21
Who's Telling Your Story?

Local News, Nonprofits, and the Communities that Need You Both

Telling your story is part of the work, but getting those stories told takes more than good intentions.

This session brings journalists and nonprofit leaders into the same room for a candid conversation about how stories get picked up, what makes something newsworthy, and how to build stronger relationships with local media.

Come for the insight, stay for the conversation with people who see this work from both sides.

Betsy Edwards, Virginia Local News Project Executive Director, will lead a panel featuring journalists and nonprofit leaders sharing perspectives on storytelling, visibility, and the role local news plays in strengthening communities.

When: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Time: 3:00-4:30 PM

Where: Libbie Mill Library - 2100 Libbie Lake East St, Henrico, VA 23230

Sponsored by: Virginia Local News Project

Cost: FREE!

The Facilitator

Betsy Edwards, Executive Director, Virginia Press Association & Virginia Local News Project

Betsy Edwards is Executive Director of the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Local News Project. With decades of experience in public affairs, communications, advocacy, and nonprofit leadership in both Virginia and Indiana, she has spent her career at the intersection of journalism, government, and the public interest, exactly the territory this conversation will cover.

The Panel

Tom Lappas, Founder, Publisher & Editor, Henrico Citizen

Tom founded the Henrico Citizen in 2001 and has spent more than two decades proving that hyper-local journalism, without paywalls or clickbait, still matters. A University of Richmond graduate, he knows this region’s stories better than just about anyone.

Erin O’Hare, Neighborhoods Reporter, Charlottesville Tomorrow

Erin covers housing, transportation, homelessness, and local history at Charlottesville Tomorrow, one of Virginia’s hyper-local nonprofit newsrooms. Since joining the newsroom in 2021, her reporting has focused on how growth and change affect Charlottesville-area communities.

Michael Phillips, Founding Editor, The Richmonder

Michael is the founding editor of The Richmonder, a nonprofit newsroom launched in 2024 to provide quality, unbiased reporting that connects the Richmond community. Before launching The Richmonder, he spent 17 years at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where he served in a variety of roles including interim executive editor

Encarnacion Pyle, Executive Editor & Virginia State Editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch

An award-winning investigative journalist, Encarnacion was named Executive Editor and Virginia State Editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2025 after serving as managing editor of The Columbus Dispatch. Her reporting and editorial leadership have focused heavily on health, education, and social justice.

Mary Dunne Stewart, President & CEO, Greater Richmond Fit4Kids

Mary has spent her career advancing children’s health and wellness through policy, advocacy, and nonprofit leadership. Previously, she served as Policy Director at Voices for Virginia’s Children and Associate Director at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. Under her leadership, Greater Richmond Fit4Kids has become a leading voice on childhood health, nutrition, and school-based wellness initiatives across Central Virginia.

Shayla Washington, Executive Director, Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless

Shayla brings more than 15 years of nonprofit and human services leadership experience, along with personal experience navigating housing systems, to her work serving unhoused populations across the Blue Ridge region. As Executive Director of the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, she combines data-driven strategy with a deep commitment to ensuring community voices are heard.

Samantha Willis, Editor-in-Chief, Virginia Mercury

Samantha Willis, a 15-year veteran of digital, print, and broadcast media, is Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Mercury. A native Virginian, she previously served in editorial and leadership roles with VPM News, Richmond Magazine, ABC 8News, and the Mercury itself before becoming editor-in-chief. Her work has earned an Emmy, along with top honors from Virginia AP Broadcasters and the Virginia Press Association.