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 more years than he’d like to count (officially since 1995). He held top editorial and business positions at The New York Times, NPR and USA TODAY. Kinsey is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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.

Tracy is on leave and will return ready to take on the world in early September.

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.

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.

Margaret is passionate about making the lives of writers and editors better. She has worked in or adjacent to newsrooms her entire career, serving as a managing editor in city and regional publications, editing books and alt-weeklies, and launching several startup publications. At Newspack, Margaret ensures the platform’s publisher education and demos are easily understandable, with up-to-date, accessible, unbiased resources. Margaret is based in New York City.

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.

Ken’s background in journalism includes writing and editing for Computerworld, the Boston Herald, and TechHive, as well as being the publisher of Juiced.GS, the longest-running print publication dedicated to the Apple II computer. Ken is also a fan of engaging audiences directly: He has taught at Emerson College and Harvard University in Boston, is an award-winning storyteller at The Moth, and has launched and hosted a half-dozen podcasts, including Polygamer and Transporter Lock. 

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.

Ally is currently on parental leave, soaking in every minute with her family and newest addition.

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 Eure, North Carolina.

Catherine is a Technical Account Manager with more than ten years of experience in project management and web design. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts and History from Illinois Wesleyan University and certificates in Web Design from Seattle Central College and Project Management from University of Washington. She’s been a company member of Annex Theatre since 2012, wearing many hats, including Artistic Director (2016-2019) and Marketing Director for their 37th season. Catherine is based in Seattle, WA.

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.

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.

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.

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 product strategist, Kim thrives on serving the mission of journalism and discovering innovative approaches. In her role as the Head of Audience Product Strategy at Newspack, she’s focused on audience engagement and experience, empowering publishers to cultivate meaningful relationships with their readers and unlock revenue opportunities. Kim is based in Long Beach, California.

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 Colorado.

Adam is currently on parental leave, learning the ropes as a first-time dad.

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.

Thomas is currently on parental leave, finding new balance as a family of four.

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.