Lea Trusty is a Senior Program Associate at Democracy Fund, an independent foundation working to ensure that our political system is able to withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. Lea supports the Public Square Program in its mission to invest in innovations and institutions that focus on creating audience-centered, inclusive, and trusted newsrooms that reflect the diversity of their communities.
Lea supports Democracy Fund’s Engaged Journalism strategy, leading their grants portfolio centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This work focuses on supporting newsrooms led by and serving communities of color; the recruitment, training, and promotion of student and professional journalists from historically marginalized communities; and creating more equitable and inclusive practices in traditionally white-led and centric news organizations. Current investments include the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, the Ida B. Wells Society, and the Maynard Institute.
Lea joined Democracy Fund in summer 2017. Prior to joining the team, Lea was a Newman’s Own Foundation Fellow, a program for recent graduates interested in philanthropy and social impact. She was placed at WSHU Public Radio, an NPR affiliate in Connecticut. She covered a wide breadth of stories, from minority teacher recruitment to the first family suing ICE for detention center abuses.
Lea is a former member of the EPIP DC steering committee. She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where she studied politics and Latin America.