Nevada City, Calif. December 10, 2018 – Nationally acclaimed community radio station, KVMR is thrilled to announce Ali Lightfoot as the new General Manager.  Lightfoot brings over 20 years experience in public and community media, most recently at KVNF Public Radio in Colorado.
”After months of the General Manager Recruitment process that included a nationwide search, hours of interviews with staff, recruitment committees, Board of Directors, and broadcasters, we are very excited to be welcoming Ali Lightfoot as the next General Manager for KVMR,” says former chair and current Vice Chair, Diane McIntire. “The station is experiencing tremendous growth potential with the launching of our two new stations, KVMRx online and The Bridge 105.7 FM, and we believe Ali is the visionary leader to move KVMR into the future so we can better serve our community.”

Lightfoot succeeds Julie Chiarelli who successfully served as KVMR’s general manager for over 3 years.  Ali Lightfoot grew up in community radio where her mother, Marty Durlin, was the General Manager at KGNU in Boulder for 20 years.  After years in New York City studying theater and working in TV and film production,  Lightfoot moved back to Colorado to focus on her family and follow in the footsteps of her mom in community radio. She became Program Director at KVNF in the small town of Paonia, where she created several award-winning youth radio and music programs that had a noticeable impact on her community including Pass the Mic, The KVNF Field Sessions, Handmade Moments Field Session, and Local Motion.  Lightfoot says, “My work in community radio has been endlessly fascinating, educational, challenging and above all – fun.”  In addition to program development, Lightfoot brings years of experience in volunteer and staff management, membership and fund development, collaboration, creativity and vision to KVMR.

Lightfoot emphasizes that what drew her into our KVMR is our community, “I was immediately impressed by how KVMR truly serves their community.  Whether it’s fundraising more than $43,000 for the Camp Fire victims, holding town halls to discuss important regional issues or providing three unique program streams to satisfy the diverse tastes and needs of their listeners – the station goes above and beyond to respond to their community.  It is clear that a lot of thought and creativity goes into everything the station does which is inspiring.  The Bridge Street project is a great example of this and I believe the collaboration with the Nevada Theater will help both organizations fulfill their missions, bring people together and give voice to the community through art, theater, discourse and live music.  What an amazing place to go to work every day and the possibilities for collaboration seem endless!   I appreciate the focus and appreciation for the arts at the station, in the community and in the local schools.  I observed a community that takes care of their neighbors and environment in a meaningful way and the natural beauty of the area is stunning.  I can’t wait to be a part of it all!”

Relocating from Colorado with her family, Lightfoot will officially take on the General Manager position on June 1st, 2019.  However, she will be in attendance at the KVMR volunteer appreciation party on December 11th, Tuesday evening at the Miners Foundry.  In addition, she’ll make several visits to the station as she integrates and gets settled into our community and new position.
In the interim, KVMR is excited to bring on Jeff Pope, former General Manager of Aspen Public Radio and KSJD Public Radio as the interim General Manager.  Pope and Lightfoot are already well connected and will work closely together leading up to June.  He also brings years of community radio experience and is highly regarded by his peers in public media.  “The KVMR Board of Directors and staff see this as a win-win for our radio station,” says Board Member and broadcaster, Elisa Parker.  “While serving as our temporary GM, Pope will also conduct an assessment of the station to ensure that Lightfoot is set up for success.  They both have big shoes to fill following Julie Chiarelli but we’re confident they will both enhance our station to best serve our community at large.  KVMR is seen as a model community radio station across the country.  We’re excited to support Lightfoot and Pope to continue our legacy as one of the best community radio stations in America.”