Sahan Journal names Vanan Murugesan as next executive director

Sahan Journal’s board of directors has named Vanan Murugesan as the organization’s next executive director, bringing new leadership to Minnesota’s largest newsroom dedicated to covering immigrants and people of color.

Vanan becomes the nonprofit’s second leader, succeeding founder and CEO Mukhtar M. Ibrahim .

Since August of 2019, Sahan Journal has emerged as a local and national leader for its exceptional coverage of diverse communities in Minnesota, and for its success as an innovative nonprofit newsroom led by people of color. Vanan arrives with a charge to guide the organization’s revenue growth, expand its unique reporting on issues that matter to people of color, and develop its equitable organizational culture.

“I am deeply honored and excited to step into this role at Sahan Journal,” Vanan said. “I greatly admire the incredible work Mukhtar and his team have done to build a strong foundation, and I am determined to build on their success and lead Sahan Journal into its next phase of growth.”

In late October, Mukhtar announced his plan for a leadership transition ; Sahan soon empaneled a search committee comprising board members, Sahan leadership-team members, philanthropic supporters, and veteran nonprofit news executives. Over several months of engaging with candidates and multiple rounds of interviews, the search committee and Sahan’s board unanimously endorsed Vanan to become Sahan’s next executive director.

Laura Yuen, who participated on the search committee and serves as the president of the board of directors, expressed satisfaction with the search process and the new hire.

“Our national search led us to the right person for this role, in our own backyard,” Yuen said. “Vanan already reflects the best attributes of Sahan: thoughtful, curious and dedicated to serving Minnesota’s communities of color.

In his previous role, Vanan served as head of transformation at Pillsbury United Communities : a multifaceted nonprofit with a $16 million budget and 120 employees that serves Minneapolis with programs in education, health, arts, workforce development, and community resources. Over his nine years at Pillsbury United, Vanan developed extensive experience in strategic growth and organizational change.

He co-founded North Market , the largest nonprofit grocery store in Minnesota, and piloted Career Pathways, www.careerpathwayspuc.or g, a holistic workforce development program for diverse youth. In the public media space, Vanan steered Pillsbury’s business plans for North News , a vibrant community newspaper, and KRSM , a low-powered FM station. As interim chief financial officer during 2020-2021, Vanan oversaw a budget of $15 million and improved financial practices.

In taking on this new role, Vanan describes a personal affinity for Sahan’s mission.

“Growing up in Malaysia, a multi-racial society, I learned the importance of understanding others’ stories—where they come from, their journeys, and what matters to them, and most importantly, where they want to go,” he said.

That perspective, Vanan added, “not only enriches our lives but also fosters a deeper sense of empathy and connection. This belief in the power of storytelling and mutual understanding is what drives my commitment to Sahan Journal.”

Vanan moved to the United States in 1997 to study mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also holds an MBA from Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Vanan will succeed Sahan’s founder Mukhtar M. Ibrahim, who created Sahan Journal to address the absence of diverse voices in Minnesota’s legacy media. Since August 2019, Sahan’s newsroom has grown from one reporter — Mukhtar himself — to a staff of 23, with dedicated reporting on education, housing, business, policing and justice, health, immigration, community and culture, and more.

Over the past five years, Sahan has introduced a robust advertising program, while attracting more than 1,700 members who support Sahan’s mission. Sahan’s successes have attracted national awards, such as the Community Impact Award from the Asian American Journalism Association, and the prestigious Rising Star award from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

“Over the past five years, we’ve built something truly special at Sahan,” Mukhtar said. “Thanks to the incredible support of our members, funders, and advertisers, we’ve become an indispensable voice in Minnesota news. Above all, it’s been incredibly rewarding to hear from readers about how Sahan’s news coverage has helped change the news narratives for so many communities of color, like mine.”

Mukhtar added, “I want to thank all the Sahan staff who joined me to do this important work together. They’re the ones who’ve helped make this vision a real, thriving newsroom. I’m so excited to see Vanan lead that team into its next chapter.”

After the leadership transition, Mukhtar plans to offer strategy and leadership consulting for executives and organizations.

In selecting Vanan, Yuen said, the board looked to build on Sahan’s strong track record of public service.

“He’s the perfect successor to Mukhtar’s leadership and keenly understands Sahan’s role in uplifting and strengthening communities and holding the powerful to account,” Yuen said. “We couldn’t be more excited about the future of the organization.”

Vanan will start at Sahan on September 3, 2024.

The post Sahan Journal names Vanan Murugesan as next executive director appeared first on Sahan Journal .