Robin Sparkman, Listening is an Act of Love: Lessons from StoryCorps
Listening is an Act of Love: Lessons from StoryCorps. Wellesley alumna and StoryCorps CEO Robin Sparkman explains how the oral history nonprofit brings people together to have the most meaningful conversations of their lives. Sparkman will play excerpts from StoryCorps' NPR broadcasts and Emmy-award winning animations and talk about the power of storytelling to create empathy and bridge divides.
Robin Sparkman joined StoryCorps as its first CEO in January 2014. The national nonprofit’s fundraising, programs, marketing, finance, and digital teams report to her. During her tenure she has focused on creating and developing StoryCorps’ first app; growing and expanding its national board; bringing in an experienced senior management team; creating the organization’s strategic plan; re-energizing its earned income business, and helping StoryCorps grow its creative offerings.
Before coming to StoryCorps, Robin spent 20 years as a journalist. Most recently, she was the editor in chief of The American Lawyer, where she oversaw several of the company’s print and digital national publications and led the team that uncovered the fraud at the former law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf. Under her leadership, The American Lawyer won six Jesse Neal awards for journalism. Before joining The American Lawyer Robin spent five years as an editor for the business and opinion sections of MSNBC.com. She was one of the founding members of the site. Robin is also a former reporter for Newsweek, covering terrorism, the United Nations, and politics.
She is a magna cum laude graduate of Wellesley College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Robin sits on the board of the Union Settlement Association of East Harlem (finance and development committees) and serves on the Wellesley Business Leadership Council. She lives in New York City with her family.