Alison Swain and Anpa'o Locke join NEPM
April 19, 2022, Springfield, Mass. — Alison Swain joins the NEPM development team as major gifts officer. Anpa’o Locke is the marketing team’s new graphic designer and digital assets specialist.
With a wealth of experience in fund raising and development, Alison Swain comes to NEPM from UConn Foundation, Inc., where she was director of alumni relations for the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford. Prior to that, she has helped to advance and sustain a number of nonprofits throughout Connecticut, including Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Hartford Hospital, The Village for Families & Children in Hartford and others.
Swain earned her bachelor's degree in English, journalism and photography at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. She is a founding member of Farmington Valley’s “100 Women Who Can,” a board member of the Farmington chapter of the Italian American civic organization, UNICO, and a volunteer for many other organizations.
"We are thrilled to have Alison join us and share her expansive experience and expertise around revenue generation," said Sarah Tanner, interim senior director of development. “She brings an energy and openness to community engagement that is a perfect complement to the work of NEPM."
Anpa’o Locke earned her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College in 2021 with a major in film studies. She also completed the Five College Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) certificate program and holds a “Design Discovery” certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. At Mount Holyoke she was active at the Zowie Banteah Cultural Center, which promotes visibility and empowerment for Native Americans and communities of Indigenous people, served as a diversity outreach fellow for Mount Holyoke College Admissions, and was a researcher and teacher’s assistant at Hampshire and Amherst Colleges.
Locke’s film, “Representation,” won the Five College Film Festival’s award for best experimental film. The festival highlights films that focus on stories about and representations by, for and/or with Black and Indigenous people, and other people of color.
She has recently served as communications co-director for Earth Guardians in Boulder, Colorado, an organization that seeks to empower youth to be effective leaders in environmental and climate justice. Though she will be working remotely from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she has strong ties to and familiarity with western New England, thanks to her time at Mount Holyoke College. In fact, she names the Botanic Garden of Smith College as her favorite nature area. She is deeply interested in the storytelling and inner workings of public media.
"We are tremendously happy to welcome Anpa’o to our team,” said Vanessa Cerillo, senior director of marketing, communications and events. “She brings impressive skills both in graphic design and video production that will elevate our team’s efforts to share the story of NEPM with our community.”
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
New England Public Media is a community-supported, independent non-profit organization based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Through a deep commitment to independent local journalism, trusted educational content, inspired cultural offerings, and civic engagement, NEPM endeavors to share new voices and inspire new conversations. It provides audiences with a broad array of local and national programs across all media — TV, radio, online, and mobile, including PBS and NPR programs as well as locally produced series, podcasts and specials. Its four digital TV channels, and two radio networks present news, jazz and classical music, documentaries, talk, drama, plus cultural and educational programming.
For more information, visit nepm.org or follow NEPM on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACT
Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
vanessa_cerillo@nepm.org