Aspen journalist and award-winning photographer Kelsey Brunner has been named news director at Aspen Public Radio by the station’s executive director, Breeze Richardson. She starts in the position this week.
Brunner, an experienced journalist with a passion for multimedia storytelling and local news, brings a wealth of journalistic experience to the role having worked as a photographer, writer, and editor, to cover a wide range of subjects and stories.
She has lived in Aspen since 2019, and most recently served as a freelance photographer after working as the Chief Photographer of The Aspen Times for three years. Before moving to the Roaring Fork Valley, Brunner worked as a photographer at The Denver Post, The Colorado Springs Gazette, and the Greeley Tribune, as well as serving as visuals editor at WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio.
“As a dedicated advocate for community journalism, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to Aspen Public Radio's mission of serving the local community,” said Brunner. “However, with such an established news team at the station, I hope to learn from them as much as I can help them grow.”
Brunner continued, “As the next news director at Aspen Public Radio, my goal is to focus on growing the station’s digital platforms, support professional development efforts, and to build on the key initiatives the station has outlined for the year ahead.”
“I am a strong believer in multimedia journalism, and see a wonderful opportunity to expand the station’s storytelling practices, deepen our production of long-form investigative pieces, and listen to the coverage requests of our community to grow Aspen Public Radio’s reporting from the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys in an impactful way.”
Breeze Richardson, who took the helm of Aspen Public Radio in June 2021, said bringing Brunner onboard allows for the station to make significant advances on its vision to become a centering institution for the community, utilizing both broadcast and digital programming, with the ability to put complex issues into context, facilitate enlightening conversations, and generate high-quality news content that is community-driven and impactful.
“We are really excited to have Kelsey joining our local newsroom at Aspen Public Radio,” Richardson said. “There has been significant growth and momentum at the station over the past year, and by bringing her onboard at this critical juncture, we have an opportunity to deepen our digital strategy during this important election year, grow our character-driven storytelling with new visual capacity, and expand our coverage of important news and information throughout the region.”
Brunner holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder as well as Master of Arts in Photography from Ohio University.
She will oversee Aspen Public Radio’s award-winning news team, which includes Morning Edition host and reporter Eleanor Bennett, All Things Considered host and reporter Halle Zander, Edlis Neeson Arts & Culture reporter Kaya Williams, and reporter Caroline Llanes.
You can contact Kelsey directly at kelsey.brunner@aspenpublicradio.org.