Candice Fortman

Based at Stanford University, the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships empowers diverse journalism leaders to succeed as effective change agents, sustain democratic communities and defend press freedom around the world. Follow publication What’s next for my return to journalism When I arrived at Stanford as a 2025 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow nine months ago, my head was so full I could barely hear myself think. The to-do lists had become louder than my intentions.

On Monday, June 3, Orlando Bailey officially started at Outlier Media, taking over as the executive director. Orlando was previously at BridgeDetroit, where he spent four years building a successful community engagement strategy. I plan on staying on as executive-at-large until August 9. This marks the beginning of an important transition for our organization, as we work to deepen our local community relationships and continue to increase the sustainability of our newsroom.

I’m writing to share some news with the Outlier Community. After five transformative years — for me and for Outlier — I will be stepping down as executive director and assuming a position on the Outlier Media board of directors later this summer. I share this news with gratitude, optimism and excitement about the future of Outlier and the leader succeeding me. What an incredible journey working to build Outlier has been.