Wisconsin Watch co-founders set to depart

The following excerpt was sent out from wnanews.com:

Andy and Dee J. Hall, the investigative journalists who co-founded Wisconsin Watch in their family basement, are leaving after building one of the nation’s most successful nonprofit news and training organizations.

The Wisconsin Watch board of directors announced the planned departures as part of a succession plan that will ensure stable leadership. Four veteran staff leaders will continue to guide the editorial and business operations under interim executive director Barbara Johnson, a longtime journalism executive and Wisconsin Watch volunteer. The board will begin a search for a new CEO immediately.

“The institution Andy and Dee brought into reality through their inspired and courageous leadership remains a vital resource for the people of Wisconsin and one of the jewels of this nation’s nonprofit news ecosystem,” said Michael Louis Vinson, chair of the Wisconsin Watch board of directors. “Their remarkable legacy will be evident for years to come through the ongoing work of this organization, which is well-positioned to lean even more fully into its mission and to serve audiences in new and imaginative ways.”

 

Andy Hall, 64, who as executive director has overseen news and business operations since becoming Wisconsin Watch’s first employee in January 2009, is moving June 30 to a role as co-founder at large. He will assist the board and staff through Dec. 31, when he will retire from Wisconsin Watch after completing 15 years with the organization. During his tenure, Wisconsin Watch has grown from an initial budget of $160,000 to a nearly $2 million operation employing two dozen people.

 

 

Dee J. Hall, 62, who as a volunteer managed interns for six summers before becoming managing editor in 2015, plans to leave the organization on June 30. Dee has run the daily news operations, serving as editor and reporter on more than 70 award-winning projects recognized in state, regional and national contests. She also taught a popular University of Wisconsin-Madison investigative reporting class that collaborated with Wisconsin Watch on high-impact projects. Dee plans to take some time off while assisting the news team in a smooth transition.