Brendan Kinney, who has spent more than 15 years in leadership roles in Vermont public media, rising to become one of the state’s most admired and respected media veterans, has been named the new chief executive officer of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the parent organization that publishes VTDigger. VTDigger is a trusted source of people-powered, independent journalism serving readers throughout Vermont.
Kinney, who was chosen unanimously by the trust’s board after a competitive national search this spring, currently serves as the chief operating officer of Vermont Public, the state’s public television and public radio broadcaster. He has spent 16 years at the merged organization and its predecessor Vermont Public Radio, including serving as senior vice president of development and interim CEO.
“I can’t possibly overstate how excited the board is to welcome Brendan to lead the Vermont Journalism Trust,” said Gaye Symington, president of the trust. “Brendan has impressed us as a people-focused leader, who brings out the best in the people who work with and for him and builds trusting relationships with audiences throughout Vermont and beyond, as well as donors and community leaders. We are confident that as CEO, Brendan will strengthen not just VTDigger’s service to its readers, but also the broader news ecosystem of Vermont.”
As CEO, Kinney will have authority over the business and operations of VTDigger, including finance, human resources, technology, marketing and business strategy. The CEO also represents the work of the Vermont Journalism Trust to readers, donors, government and civic institutions throughout the state, as well as on the national stage.
“VTDigger has accomplished something remarkable: building a trusted and indispensable statewide news service,” Kinney said. “I have watched that growth with genuine admiration, both as a reader and as a practitioner who understands the particular challenges of nonprofit media. I look forward to building upon that success to ensure that Vermont has a thriving and healthy media ecosystem throughout the state that provides coverage on issues vital to every Vermonter. VTDigger is essential to the health of Vermont’s democracy and civic life.”
Kinney grew up in central Vermont and holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, where he also began his career before working in the Office of Institutional Advancement at SUNY Plattsburgh. He joined Vermont Public Radio in 2010 as vice president for development and marketing and later helped manage the merger with Vermont Public Television in 2021. He served as interim CEO of Vermont Public for a year in 2023-2024. He lives with his family in Essex.
Kinney takes the reins of VTDigger from Sky Barsch, who has led VTDigger for three years during which it has evolved from its groundbreaking founder-led startup chapter. Barsch’s tenure includes major progress on growth and balancing the organization’s budget, as well as successfully negotiating and signing a new four-year agreement this spring with the union that represents parts of the VTDigger newsroom.
VTDigger was founded by Anne Galloway in 2009 as a one-woman newsroom and today employs around 30 people, including about two dozen journalists and eight operations, fundraising and technology staff members.
Rob Woolmington, co-vice-chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust board, said, “The Vermont Journalism Trust is able to produce daily and investigative journalism today because of the initiative and doggedness of its founder, Anne Galloway, and because of the care, tenacity and disciplined leadership of Sky Barsch, who fostered a culture of respect within the organization and initiated collaborations with other news organizations, both within Vermont and nationally.”
Kinney will take over as CEO in mid-June and will be joined in leading the organization by interim Editor-in-Chief Susan Allen, who has spent more than three decades in Vermont journalism.
