Meet the team

Kinsey Wilson is the founder and head of Newspack and the former President of WordPress.com. He has worked at the intersection of journalism and technology for nearly 30 years. He has held top editorial and business positions at The New York Times, NPR and USA TODAY and played a key role in the digital transformation of their businesses. He sits on the boards of the Institute for Nonprofit News, The Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University and the Berkshire Eagle. Kinsey is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

From government contractor to PTA Mom, Tracy has traveled a winding road to the news business. Her passion and savvy for bridging the gap between technology and end users led her to gigs supporting products from Microsoft and Lotus, WordPress and Jetpack, ultimately landing at Newspack. Since then, she’s found commitment and cause in collaborating with news organizations to help them grow and thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Tracy is based in New Market, Maryland.

Scott is an entrepreneur in residence at Newspack, helping publishers on WordPress and other platforms do great election coverage by building and adopting innovative tools and by working together. He was previously at ProPublica and at THE CITY. He’s also on the board of Muckrock. He’s based in Brooklyn.

Claudiu has been with the team since the beginning and has helped architect, develop, launch and scale Newspack. As head of engineering, he navigates our publishers’ complex challenges with finesse, blending technical expertise with innovative thinking. Claudiu is based in Depoe Bay, Oregon.

With a B.S. in agriculture and a master’s in political management, Katie had every intention of living the life of a lobbyist. But when she fell into the role of running advertising for a small magazine for political consultants, she found her knack and never looked back. From leading consumer marketing at The Atlantic, to driving publisher revenue growth strategy at a premier WordPress agency, she’s spent over a decade helping publishers big and small. Katie is based in western Kentucky.

A business correspondent turned news product strategist, Kim thrives on serving the mission of journalism and discovering innovative approaches. She leads Newspack’s Revenue Development Program, which guides publishers towards making the most of the platform to support their business goals. Kim is based in Long Beach, California.

Nate has been supporting news organizations for more than 10 years. With a passion for turning casual users into superfans, Nate uses his background in product management and multimedia journalism to boost mission-driven journalism. As program manager, he’ll advance that work for Newspack publishers — and guide them toward sustainability. He’s based in San Diego, California.

Fernando Diaz brings experience as a reporter, editor, publisher and journalism educator to each conversation he has with organizations that are exploring Newspack. He has led WordPress implementations at Hoy Chicago, The Chicago Reporter and The San Francisco Chronicle. Fernando is based in Chicago, Illinois.

With a background in business development and market research, Nicole brings a future-forward approach to the world of publishing. Prior to joining the Newspack team, she managed public policy research efforts while pursuing a degree in Applied Business Management. Nicole is based in Dallas, Texas.

A self-described accountability junkie and lover of learning anything new, Ada has an incredible knack for keeping projects moving forward. She earned her B.S. in Communications from the University of Northern Colorado, and her passion for organized chaos has taken her on a vocational journey that includes Fanzz, The Buckle, Hach and CodeGeek. Ada is based in Colorado.

Stephanie wanted to be a film star. But, shortly before college graduation, she realized the life of a struggling actress wasn’t for her. So, she followed her love for storytelling to pursue marketing. She brings her experience in publishing and technology to Newspack where she leads content marketing. Stephanie is based in Mill Valley, California.

Steve is a recovering print editor, having worked at newspapers in New Orleans and Atlanta. In 2009, he became editor and publisher of The Lens, a nonprofit, investigative startup newsroom in New Orleans, which he ran for eight years. He then became executive director of the Local Independent Online News Publishers organization. He joined Newspack in 2019 and serves as a conduit between journalists and technologists. Steve is based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Joe is newspaper veteran of 20 years with a passion for local news. He won a Knight News Challenge Grant in 2009 that sparked his pivot into digital publishing. Since then Joe has focused on helping media organizations make the most of WordPress as a Technical Account Manager at Newspack. Joe is based in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

Megan is an experienced Technical Account Manager with a passion for understanding our publishers’ businesses and creating easy-to-use Newspack sites to serve their needs and grow their audiences. Prior to joining Newspack, she spent 10 years building WordPress websites for small and medium businesses throughout the United States, developing creative solutions across multiple industries. Megan is based in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Daniel Brown is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the newspaper and technology industry. Throughout his career, Daniel has excelled as a software engineer, playing a pivotal role in revolutionizing the way newspapers operate in the digital era. His deep understanding of technology and its impact on media has allowed him to develop innovative solutions that streamline operations, enhance user experience, and drive revenue growth. Daniel is based in Hayes, Virginia.

Ally has a decade of WordPress expertise from her time as a resort owner, building websites for local businesses, and working in support at WordPress.com. There, she gained comprehensive knowledge of Automattic products like Jetpack and WooCommerce. She excels at helping clients understand and maximize WordPress technology. Ally is excited to support Newspack’s publishers with her skills. She is based in BC, Canada

Over the last dozen years, Shelby has cultivated her expertise in the WordPress ecosystem. With a mix of technical and communication roles under her belt, Shelby utilizes her technical know-how and relationship-building skills to support the growth of Newspack’s publishers. She is driven by a passion for supporting and optimizing operations, strategy, and communication efforts for our clients, and she’s also a staunch advocate for journalistic integrity, understanding its crucial role in the fabric of our society, because we’re all just stories in the end. Shelby is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Eric has worked in radio, television, print, and online publications for over 25 years. During this time he worked with many online technologies, which eventually led to his introduction to WordPress in 2009 during his time living in Italy for seven years. His experience with WordPress and web design has ranged from owning and operating a successful technology blog, working with a team selling themes and plugins, to leading a customer service team for a successful maintenance and development agency. Eric is based in Murfreesboro, North Carolina.

Andrew is a versatile professional with over 15 years of experience in strategic, creative and technical roles with digital agencies. He holds a B.Comm degree in finance and a masters in marketing and strategic management. He has led many enterprise WordPress projects for global brands across a wide spectrum of industries including award-winning websites for Ivy League colleges. Andrew is proud to bring his experience and serve publishers as a Technical Account Manager with Newspack. Andrew is based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

Kent is a Technical Account Manager with a diverse background as a designer, creative team director, and account manager. He has worked in the publishing industry for over 25 years working at publications such as The Denver Post and 5280 magazine. He is excited to bring his experience to support Newspack’s publishers. When not working, he is an avid cyclist who loves anything outdoors. He’s also incredibly grateful for every moment spent with family. Kent is based in Bend, Oregon.

Ivan is a developer with over 15 years of experience and a great big passion for web technologies and open source. He has a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science and loves crafting innovative solutions at all levels which help our clients and our Team reach their goals. His work experience includes digital advertising, financial sector, IT in electrical engineering and telecommunications, education platforms development, and even IT in fashion industry. Ivan is based in Zagreb, Croatia.

Camilla has been a web programmer for almost 20 years and has worked with media for a Danish newspaper at information.dk, but also TV stations, and magazines. She enjoys writing code for both back end and front end, performance optimizing, and finding efficient ways to do repetitive work. Camilla is based in Copenhagen, Denmark but also likes to work from Mexico in the winter.

Zak is a software engineer who thrives on creating ingenious solutions. With over a decade of experience in web technologies and a passion for open-source development. His remarkable journey includes delving into digital advertising, pioneering anti-piracy systems, and leading the technology department of a cutting-edge tech agency. Zak is based in Doha, Qatar.

Edward is a decade-plus technology veteran who started his software engineering career from the ground up. His career trajectory includes: QA Engineer (root-cause analysis, SQL, automated testing), Product Development (requirements gathering, technical requirements, systems design), and finally Software Engineer (application development and architecture). This background has made him uniquely prepared to handle the responsibility of migrating client data from various different platforms onto the Newspack/Wordpress platform with high levels of data integrity and customer satisfaction. Edward is based in Orlando, Florida.

Georgi is an engineer with 10+ years in the field and a passion for building great products. Specializing in complex app development, he strives to exceed publisher expectations and provide the best possible experience. He has also been a semi-professional dancer for over 25 years. Georgi is located in Varna, Bulgaria

In a past life, Derrick studied journalism, intending to pursue a career in writing and reporting. After landing a job as an editorial production assistant at The New Yorker, he realized he preferred writing code to writing stories, and fell deep into helping that publication build its digital presence. After seven years, he made the leap to ex-New Yorker with a move to sunny Colorado, and to full-time software engineer. More recently, he has found Newspack to be the rare place where he can keep a foot firmly planted in both of these vocations—helping publications do great journalism by building digital products for them. Derrick is based in Broomfield, Colorado.

Laurel has almost 20 years experience designing and building websites, with more than half of that working with WordPress. She originally joined Automattic as a Theme Wrangler for WordPress.com, then switched to Newspack as one of its original members. Within Newspack, Laurel is part of the product engineering team with a focus on themes, site customization, and WordPress’s block editor. Laurel is based in Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

After discovering software as a way to make images interactive, Adam made a leap from art student to programmer and rarely looked back. A decade later he is an experienced web developer, passionate about balancing great user experience and high-quality code. At Newspack, he is responsible for multiple areas of the product, from operational infrastructure to end-user facing interfaces. Adam is based in Warsaw, Poland.

Miguel is a web engineer that throughout most of his career has worked with nonprofits and investigative journalism initiatives. One of his notable areas of expertise lies in working with data visualization and geographic information systems (GIS) for special journalism reports. By harnessing the power of these technologies, he has helped convey complex information in a visually compelling and easily understandable manner, enhancing the impact of investigative journalism for projects in Brazil, Indonesia, Congo, Kenya, South Africa and the Himalayas. Miguel is based in São Paulo, Brazil.

Leo is a software engineer with a Journalism bachelor degree and an open source advocate with a long-time relationship with WordPress. Was the co-founder of a WordPress agency in Brazil where he helped clients, including media outlets, to succeed. He has led the development of several open source projects that have gained a wide usage in cultural and creative industries in Brazil, including a WordPress-based cultural heritage management software adopted by many museums across the country. Leo is based in Brasília, Brazil.

Raz is a web developer dedicating his skills to building and maintaining the Newspack product. With a passion for technology and storytelling, he’s motivated by the mission of amplifying underrepresented voices in the digital space. Beyond coding, Raz finds joy in the company of his beloved cat in Lancaster, PA.

Kevin is a product and brand designer interested in digital publishing and storytelling systems. After starting his career on the product design team at The New York Times, he created and ran Currently Studio, an independent design practice focused on product, brand, and strategy work for editorial clients. Kevin is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Thomas is a product designer with deep expertise in all things WordPress. His skills encompass the art of constructing user-friendly themes, artfully crafting blocks, and providing users with an array of customization tools to enhance their experience. Thomas is based in the United Kingdom.