ProPublica Illinois announced Thursday that Alissandra Calderon is joining its staff as associate director of communications. Calderon will oversee media relations, communication strategy and public events for the Chicago-based newsroom. She starts on June 15.
Calderon was most recently manager of marketing and communications for Chicago’s Saint Anthony Hospital, where she managed communications strategy and media relations. Calderon previously served in communications roles for several Chicago-area nonprofits, including Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the largest social service agency in the Midwest. As assistant director of communications there she managed marketing, social media strategy, and crisis and employee communications, along with serving as editor of the agency’s quarterly donor magazine.
Calderon’s nonprofit work also includes Junior Achievement of Chicago, where she served as senior programs operations manager for Latino outreach. As a former public information officer for the State of Illinois, Calderon served as a spokesperson for various state agencies, managing media relations, internal communications and multiple statewide education and recruitment campaigns.
Calderon began her career at WBBM-TV, Chicago’s CBS station, as a desk assistant, quickly rising to the position of assignment editor. At the station, she made key decisions on breaking news stories and field-produced reports for on-air coverage, including the 2005 World Series, the 2008 U.S.presidential election and the Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“With her broad experience in news, nonprofits and state government, Alissandra is a dynamic addition to our organization,” said ProPublica Illinois Editor-in-Chief Louise Kiernan. “We’re thrilled to have her expertise on our team.”
“ProPublica upholds the highest level of accountability and transparency in telling stories that make a difference,” Calderon said. “I am honored and beyond excited to join an extremely talented team dedicated to work with impact and purpose.”
