Why I ‘Chose’ The Media Institute

Career paths can be carefully mapped or unexpectedly presented. In this case, the role called me. Late last year, it became clear that The Media Institute—an organization I admire for its honorable mission and pivotal functions—needed a new leader. At that point, my hand reflexively rose to help steer TMI’s future, alongside an able Board of Trustees, with the respectful goal of preserving its high notes while addressing any shortcomings. To be clear, my aim is to maintain TMI at its current level of effectiveness while recognizing the demands of a changing media environment. The historic time and energy invested in TMI’s triumphs deserve no less. At its core, The Media Institute exemplifies and espouses the revered protections embodied in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Though these protections are constantly challenged through creative reinterpretation or ignorance, the three branches of the U.S. government remain constitutionally limited from encroaching upon the five freedoms—freedoms reserved for the people since the nation’s founding and carried forward throughout modern American society.