MCF Member Briefing: Press Forward Minnesota

Join the Minnesota Council on Foundations, the McKnight Foundation, and Press Forward National, for a member briefing on Press Forward Minnesota - an initiative to reshape the local news landscape in Minnesota, and re-center local journalism as a force for community cohesion, civic participation, and government accountability, with a focus on racial equity. We will share an overview of Press Forward Minnesota goals, engagement opportunities, and more. There will also be time for member discussion with speakers.

Speakers

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Dale R. Anglin serves as the inaugural director of Press Forward, the growing coalition of 50+ local and national funders committed to investing more than $500 million to strengthen communities, democracy, and local news. Most recently, Anglin served as Vice President for Grantmaking at the Cleveland Foundation, managing a $60 million budget. At the Foundation, Anglin helped create Documenters Cleveland and Signal, the statewide nonprofit newsroom, launch a new system of integrated physical health and mental wellness in Cleveland schools, and led the region’s COVID-19 Fund.

Anglin also served as associate director for programs at the Victoria Foundation in Newark, NJ, and, executive director of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management in Washington, D.C. Originally from Chicago, Anglin has a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

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Christina Shih is the associate director of Press Forward, where she works closely with Press Forward local chapters. Previously, Shih served as the senior vice president of revenue at the News Revenue Hub, where she was instrumental in helping the organization grow from a pilot project into a multimillion-dollar mission driven operation that has helped newsrooms across the country launch membership programs. From 2017 to 2022, she served as a lead partner on NewsMatch by helping to develop trainings, campaign toolkits and coach individual newsrooms on fundraising strategies.

Shih is a San Diego native and holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Washington and an executive M.B.A. from the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego. She is a member of the Asian American Journalism Association and a graduate of its Executive Leadership Program.

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Mukhtar M. Ibrahim is the founder and CEO of Sahan Journal, a nonprofit news organization that covers Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. He previously worked as a staff writer for the Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio News. Mukhtar is passionate about using journalism to empower communities and build a more equitable, informed, and engaged society.

A recognized leader in the media industry, Mukhtar is known for his innovative work in promoting sustainable business models for journalism. His leadership has earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrant Award, a spot on the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list, and a Bush Foundation leadership fellowship. In 2024, he was selected as one of 140 rising leaders from the United States to participate in the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School. Mukhtar holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.