Robin Sparkman

Robin Sparkman is president and co-CEO of ProPublica, sharing chief executive duties with editor-in-chief Stephen Engelberg and overseeing the nonprofit newsroom's non-journalism operations, following an earlier career as founding

CEO of StoryCorps and editor-in-chief of The American Lawyer.

Based in New York, NY Org ProPublica Role President & Co-CEO

Notable work and positions

ProPublica — President and Co-CEO (since 2021)
StoryCorps — former Founding Chief Executive Officer (2014–2021)
The American Lawyer — former Editor-in-Chief (2010–2014)
ALM Media (American Lawyer Media) — former Executive Editor and Deputy Editorial Director

Biography

Robin Sparkman holds a bachelor's degree in political science and English from Wellesley College, where she graduated magna cum laude and now serves on the Business Leadership Council, and a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She spent more than two decades as a reporter and editor at ALM Media, formerly American Lawyer Media, rising to executive editor and deputy editorial director of the company before serving as editor-in-chief of its flagship publication, The American Lawyer, from 2010 to 2014.

In 2014, Sparkman became the founding chief executive officer of StoryCorps, the nonprofit oral-history organization, a position she held until 2021; during her tenure, StoryCorps doubled its revenues and added to its financial reserves.

ProPublica's board of directors elected Sparkman president and co-CEO on June 22, 2021, succeeding Richard Tofel, effective September 8, 2021; she shares the chief executive role with editor-in-chief Stephen Engelberg, with Sparkman responsible for the organization's non-journalism operations, including fundraising, communications, legal affairs, finance and budgeting, and human resources. As of a recent speaker biography, ProPublica has grown to 225 employees and an approximately $60 million annual budget under the co-CEO structure, and has won eight Pulitzer Prizes since its founding in 2007. In December 2022, according to a ProPublica staff memo cited by the watchdog group InfluenceWatch, Sparkman and Engelberg announced the organization would return a $1.6 million grant it had received from Building a Stronger Future, the philanthropic vehicle of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, following the collapse of Bankman-Fried's FTX exchange. In April 2024, Sparkman announced a five-year expansion of ProPublica's Local Reporting Network, aiming to add at least 10 new local-news partnerships a year through 2029. She serves on the board of Union Settlement, a social-services organization in East Harlem, New York.

Career highlights

1. President and Co-CEO, ProPublica, since 2021 Shares chief executive responsibilities with editor-in-chief Stephen Engelberg, overseeing all non-journalism operations at the nonprofit newsroom.

2. Founding CEO, StoryCorps, 2014–2021 Led the nonprofit oral-history organization, doubling its revenues during her tenure.

3. Editor-in-Chief, The American Lawyer, 2010–2014 Led the legal-industry trade publication after more than two decades in reporting and editing roles at its parent company, ALM Media.