T-Squared: Emily Iazzetti is our new membership manager; Kassie Kelly is our next grants officer

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We have exciting news: Emily Iazzetti has joined The Texas Tribune as our new membership manager, succeeding Kassie Kelly, who has built up our membership program and is transitioning into a new role as grants officer.

Emily brings a wealth of experience and a passion for empowering Texans with the civic information they need to become full participants in our democracy.

A native of Temple, Emily studied broadcast journalism at the University of Missouri. For seven years, she was a journalist and morning anchor at KWTX, the CBS affiliate for Waco, Temple and Killeen. She’s been closely following the Tribune’s work since its inception in 2009, incorporating our political journalism into local newscasts. Emily later taught journalism at Baylor University and served on the nonpartisan board of trustees of the Waco Independent School District. She has been a Tribune member since 2021 and was a volunteer at this year’s Texas Tribune Festival.

With a background spanning journalism, technology and nonprofit sectors, Emily has skills in writing, project planning and building community that will be critical for the Tribune to reach its goals of adding new members and engaging existing ones.

Emily will be building on a strong foundation established by Kassie, who joined the Tribune in 2021 and has spearheaded a significant growth in membership, which for the first time this year accounted for more than $1 million in revenue (out of a total of about $15 million).

Kassie achieved this milestone by relentlessly focusing on the Tribune’s readers and members. She has helped the Tribune get out the message of the impact of our work and connected our journalists with our members to exchange information and ideas. Kassie joined the Tribune after doubling the membership base at the San Antonio Report, an online nonprofit news outlet.

In her new role, Kassie will work with Chief Development Officer Terry Quinn to secure grants from foundations and endowments, which make up about one-quarter of the organization’s revenue. A strong leader who brings empathy and care to work every day, Kassie will continue to represent our journalism and advocate for the resources we need to carry out this essential work. Kassie, a fifth-generation Texan, grew up in San Antonio and attended Trinity University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in music and political science.

We couldn’t be happier to welcome Emily and to congratulate Kassie on her new role.