Our Team
Mariano Avila
Coach & Producer
Mariano is a journalist and former nonprofit executive whose work elevating voices from marginalized communities has earned him Emmy nominations, Associated Press recognitions and a national Public Media Award. Over the course of his career, Mariano has also produced media labs, fellowships and training programs that center the narratives of vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Mariano’s experience in media ranges from Daily Newspapers like the Miami Herald, to Spanish-language weeklies like The Washington Hispanic. His broadcast experience includes PBS stations like Milwaukee PBS and PBS/NPR stations like WGVU in Grand Rapids.
Mariano was born in Mexico City, Mexico, where he learned the value of civic engagement, public discourse and discovered his love for media production. His life and work have taken him from singing for presidents in Taiwan to photographing inmates in Guatemalan prisons, and from connecting Americans peace activists and Palestinian nonviolence movements to documenting Native water protectors at Standing Rock, ND.
Robert Clauser
Producer, Coach, Consultant
Robert Clauser has a passion for and long career in harnessing the power of storytelling tomilluminate and activate communities and causes. His roles have included the CFO of WNET/New York Public Media, the COO of Tina Brown Live Media, Women in the World Media and the American Justice Summit, and his TED Residency, as well as a lead partner for the Media & Entertainment Practice at Accenture. As a producer, distributor, and audience developer, Robert’s creative career spans serving as Executive in Charge of the PBS television series #MeToo, Now What? to providing content for ALL-ARTS to his work in independent film such as Descending the Mountain (2021) and Actions of Nations (wt). He currently serves as the Director of the NYC Media Lab, an exploration of new technologies from AI to VR. In addition, he sits on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Rattlestick Theater, having founded or served on boards from Philanthropy Sharktank, icouldbe, Montage Pictures and StartOut. Clauser holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and a BA, cum laude, from the University of Michigan.
Adriana Loya
Coach & Facilitator
Adriana Loya is a bilingual, Mexican-American journalist, and innovative visual storyteller. Her work amplifying underserved communities, has earned her seven Emmy Awards. She studied at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, where she learned to be a one-woman band. Adriana prides herself as a passionate and creative individual who strives to make every story she tells memorable.
She has also worked and collaborated with Azteca América, Univision Arizona, Univision Kansas, and CBS’s Kansas affiliate station. Adriana has served as a mentor and board adviser for Boston l non-profits.
Originally from Casas Grandes in Mexico’s state of Chihuahua, Adriana studied at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. As the a daughter of immigrants and the first one in her family to go to college, she understands the struggles people face to reach the American Dream. She has covered national stories, ranging from the aftermath of the Uvalde mass school shooting to Super Bowl LVII .
Matt Gruppen
Operations & Production
Matt started his career as a musician running a regional non-profit that formed partnerships between advocates and artists. Eventually he moved into media production and social-impact tech.
Matt has worked on documentary projects, green branding campaigns, and produced Grammy winning artists. With Mariano, Matt runs a stealth startup in its first funding round living in the intersection of democracy and journalism aimed at increasing transparency in an opaque system.
A transplant from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Matt now lives Los Angeles, California and enjoys the pickup soccer scene, the vegan restaurant options, and local music.
Ben Collins
AI and Development
Ben codes stuff
Tim Nafziger
Membership Specialist & Coach
Tim develops open source membership and small donor solutions. His specialty is working with nonprofit outlets like Public Media and small, independent publications that rely on a healthy donor base. Tim has been developing for the web since 1999. He loves finding ways to untangle membership systems and helping teams to engage their supporters. Along with his technical experience, he has six years of nonprofit leadership experience, serving four years as outreach coordinator for Community Peacemaker Teams, and an additional two years as their interim executive director.
Tim is an Indiana transplant to the beautiful Ojai community in Southern California, where he is ever active in protecting the environment and local communities from climate-related issues.
Saundra Thomas
Coach, Speaker & Nonprofit Strategist
Saundra Thomas is a driven professional with 30+ years in media and nonprofit leadership. After a fruitful career as VP of Community Affairs at WABC-TV, Saundra shifted to coaching nonprofit executives, business leaders, and talented individuals. She is also a sought-after speaker, strategic planning facilitator and board member.
As Vice-President of Community Affairs at WABC-TV, Saundra oversaw all on-air public service announcements and led the station’s strategic vision for community engagement, outreach and projects within the tristate.
In 2020, Saundra filled the role of Interim Co-Executive Director at Open House New York at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and is currently the board Vice-Chair.
Saundra is a perennial board member with tenures on Brooklyn Book Festival, Jazz Reach, NY Women in Communications and Prospect Park Alliance, in addition to chairing the boards of Council for Unity, Dancewave, and Global Action Project, respectively.
Saundra is a founding board member of Indigo Arts Alliance, the recipient of an honorary doctorate in humane letters from St. Francis College (Brooklyn), and numerous awards and recognitions for her work.