Chalkbeat is a non-profit news organization committed to reporting on education issues rooted in local American communities. Greenwich Harbor Partners was retained to partner with Chalkbeat to expand its board of directors. GHP identified and recruited Karen Wishart, EVP of Urban One, and Roberto Yañez, President & GM, Local News New York for Univision.

Karen Wishart is EVP & Chief Administrative Officer of Urban One, the largest distributor of urban content in the country. Urban One's mission is to be the most trusted source in the African-American community that informs, entertains and inspires its audience by providing culturally relevant integrated content through radio, television, and digital platforms. Urban One is the only integrated media company focused on black culture. Urban One's brands include TV One, Radio One, Reach Media, iOne Digital and One Solution. Karen has an MBA from Emory University, a JD from University of Windsor and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from McMaster University.

Roberto Yañez is the President and General Manager of Univision New York’s leading Local Media (TV, Radio and Digital). Roberto is a 34-year multi-media broadcast veteran, serving 24 of those years with Univision the #1 Spanish language media outlet and America’s Hispanic superbrand. As the Hispanic population continues to lead every key financial growth KPI, Roberto’s two decades of brand connection and optimization helps companies emotionally engage with this consumer via relevant cultural awareness aptitudes. Roberto is a graduate of University of Texas, El Paso with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and the UCLA Anderson School of Business Executive MBA program.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. We are mission-driven, in that we believe that every child deserves an excellent education, and that a strong press is vital to making that happen. Yet we are also fiercely independent, in that we do not take a position on the best path for achieving equity.

Because we believe that education is fundamentally a local issue, our coverage is rooted in local communities. To date, we report from and about eight locations: Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Indiana, Newark, New York, Philadelphia and Tennessee. (If you’d like to see Chalkbeat come to your community, let us know.)

As a nonprofit, Chalkbeat’s support comes from a diverse mix of sources, including sponsors who pay for opportunities to share messages with our readers and donors who believe in our mission. As most local news sources shrink, creating more so-called “news deserts,” Chalkbeat is building a sustainable model that is local, substantive, and independent.