Warwick Sabin

Arkansas / Deep South · President and CEO, Deep South Today

Career

Warwick Sabin is the inaugural President and CEO of Deep South Today, the nonprofit regional news network encompassing Mississippi Today, Verite News, The Current, Arkansas Today, and The Garrison Project. He took the role as Deep South Today's first chief executive, building the network from its Mississippi Today foundation into a multi-state organization. His career spans state politics, federal government, international development, journalism publishing, and civil society leadership — a range unusual in the nonprofit news sector and directly relevant to the institutional coalition-building that Deep South Today requires.

Before Deep South Today, Sabin served as Chief Strategy Officer at Interfaith America, a nonprofit focused on religious diversity and civic bridgebuilding, and prior to that as Executive Director of Strategic Engagement at the Aspen Institute. Earlier in his career he was Senior Director of U.S. Programs at Winrock International, an Arkansas-based international development organization, and the founding director of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. He has also worked in the Clinton Foundation's development office, on Capitol Hill, at the White House, at the U.S. Embassy in London, and at Foreign Affairs magazine.

From 2008 to 2013 he served as publisher of the Oxford American magazine — a role that makes him a figure in the history of both organizations now documented in this archive. His tenure at the Oxford American included the period during which the magazine's founder, Marc Smirnoff, was fired amid sexual harassment allegations in July 2012; Sabin, as publisher, became interim editor and managed the transition to Roger Hodge. He was named to the FOLIO:40 list of the 40 most influential people in the national magazine industry in 2009.

From 2013 to 2019 he served three terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives. In 2014 he was among 24 national political leaders awarded the Rodel Fellowship by the Aspen Institute for his ability to work across partisan divisions. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

Prior Roles

Deep South Today

Inaugural President and CEO (current) · Mississippi Today, Verite News, The Current, Arkansas Today, The Garrison Project

Interfaith America

Chief Strategy Officer (prior to Deep South Today)

Aspen Institute

Executive Director of Strategic Engagement (prior role) · Rodel Fellowship recipient (2014)

Arkansas House of Representatives

Member, three terms (2013–2019)

Oxford American magazine

Publisher (2008–2013) · interim editor July–September 2012 following dismissal of founder Marc Smirnoff

Winrock International

Senior Director of U.S. Programs

Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub

Founding Director

Clinton Foundation

Director of Development

Foreign Affairs magazine

Staff (early career)

Recognition

2014

Rodel Fellowship — Aspen Institute

One of 24 national political leaders recognized for outstanding ability to work responsibly across partisan divisions and bring greater civility to public discourse.

2009

FOLIO:40 — 40 most influential people in the national magazine industry

Recognized during his tenure as publisher of the Oxford American.

Education

Marshall Scholar · Truman Scholar

University of Arkansas (BA, valedictorian, student body president) · Oxford University (Marshall Scholar).

Warwick Sabin · President and CEO, Deep South Today

Deep South Today: deepsouthtoday.org · network includes Mississippi Today, Verite News, The Current, Arkansas Today, The Garrison Project

Board: Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation