Board of Directors
Randy Lovely
President
Randy Lovely is president of the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Randy retired in 2019 after more than three decades of working in the news business, starting as a reporter, and ultimately overseeing all local news for the nation’s largest publishing company, Gannett. From 2000 to 2002, he was executive editor of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. He moved to Phoenix where he led The Arizona Republic for 14 years. The Republic was a finalist twice for the Pulitzer Prize under his leadership.
Randy wrapped up his professional career as vice president for local news for Gannett. He supervised editors at the company’s 109 local news organizations and created the USA TODAY Network to unify more than 5,000 local journalists with USA TODAY’s national reporters.
Since retiring to Palm Springs, Randy has remained an avid news consumer. He subscribes to six newspapers and joined the CVJF board to support an industry he cares about passionately.
Ricardo Loretta
Co-founder and former President
Ricardo Loretta is co-founder of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Ricardo is a Past Rotary District Governor and currently an active member of the Palm Desert Rotary and Executive Director of the Dr. Carreón Foundation. He previously worked for Ford Motor and Clark Equipment companies in Michigan, completing his corporate career as CEO of International for Clark.
He has served on advisory boards at the University of California San Diego and the Institute of the Americas and is currently on the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board of California State University/San Bernardino – Palm Desert Campus.
Joe Wallace
Co-founder and Secretary/Treasurer
Joe Wallace is co-founder of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation. He serves as Secretary/Treasurer.
Joe is CEO of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership. He came to the valley to start the Palm Springs iHub. With degrees or credentials from Stanford, Harvard, the University of Indiana/Evansville, and MIT, plus a dozen startups under his belt, Joe values common-sense business solutions that are rooted in scientific analysis.
He is the author of the book “Living Outside the Box.”
Cary Brazeman
Board Member
Cary Brazeman is a member of the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Cary has a deep-seated commitment to community journalism. He has been writing letters to the editor since he was a kid. He believes a strong “Fourth Estate” is critical to keep an eye on government and ensure public trust. He credits The Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs for, among other things, investigating corruption at City Hall that led to the indictment of the former mayor, and reporting on “racist trees” that segregated a historically Black neighborhood from the rest of the city.
In his day job, Cary runs a marketing agency that specializes in professional services and software-as-a-service.
Julie Makinen
Board Member
Julie Makinen is a member of the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Julie is a veteran writer, editor, and foreign correspondent. She is editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Standard, a digital news startup in the Bay Area, and she is vice chair of the California News Publishers Association.
From 2018 to 2023, Julie was executive editor of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. Before that, she was Beijing Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times and deputy business editor for Asia at the International New York Times in Hong Kong. Julie began her journalism career at The Washington Post, working in the metro and foreign sections.
She is a graduate of Stanford University and UCLA and is a part-time desert resident.
Media Advisors
The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation is guided by an advisory group comprised of leaders from local media organizations. This group meets regularly for “media summits” to discuss the state of media and the issues most pressing in their newsrooms. These discussions inform the priorities of the CVJF. We are grateful for the generosity of their time and for their collaborative spirit.
Steven Biller, Editorial Director, Palm Springs Life
Jimmy Boegle, Founding Editor and Publisher, Coachella Valley Independent
Emily Chavous Foster, Editor-in-chief, Palm Springs Life
Kate Franco, Executive Editor, The Desert Sun
Rebecca Johnson, News Director, KESQ
Mark Talkington, Editor and Founder, The Palm Springs Post
Board of Directors
Randy Lovely
President
Randy Lovely is president of the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Randy retired in 2019 after more than three decades of working in the news business, starting as a reporter, and ultimately overseeing all local news for the nation’s largest publishing company, Gannett. From 2000 to 2002, he was executive editor of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. He moved to Phoenix where he led The Arizona Republic for 14 years. The Republic was a finalist twice for the Pulitzer Prize under his leadership.
Randy wrapped up his professional career as vice president for local news for Gannett. He supervised editors at the company’s 109 local news organizations and created the USA TODAY Network to unify more than 5,000 local journalists with USA TODAY’s national reporters.
Since retiring to Palm Springs, Randy has remained an avid news consumer. He subscribes to six newspapers and joined the CVJF board to support an industry he cares about passionately.
Ricardo Loretta
Co-founder and former President
Ricardo Loretta is co-founder of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Ricardo is a Past Rotary District Governor and currently an active member of the Palm Desert Rotary and Executive Director of the Dr. Carreón Foundation. He previously worked for Ford Motor and Clark Equipment companies in Michigan, completing his corporate career as CEO of International for Clark.
He has served on advisory boards at the University of California San Diego and the Institute of the Americas and is currently on the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board of California State University/San Bernardino – Palm Desert Campus.
Joe Wallace
Co-founder and Secretary/Treasurer
Joe Wallace is co-founder of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation. He serves as Secretary/Treasurer.
Joe is CEO of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership. He came to the valley to start the Palm Springs iHub. With degrees or credentials from Stanford, Harvard, the University of Indiana/Evansville, and MIT, plus a dozen startups under his belt, Joe values common-sense business solutions that are rooted in scientific analysis.
He is the author of the book “Living Outside the Box.”
Cary Brazeman
Board Member
Cary Brazeman is a member of the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Cary has a deep-seated commitment to community journalism. He has been writing letters to the editor since he was a kid. He believes a strong “Fourth Estate” is critical to keep an eye on government and ensure public trust. He credits The Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs for, among other things, investigating corruption at City Hall that led to the indictment of the former mayor, and reporting on “racist trees” that segregated a historically Black neighborhood from the rest of the city.
In his day job, Cary runs a marketing agency that specializes in professional services and software-as-a-service.
Julie Makinen
Board Member
Julie Makinen is a member of the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
Julie is a veteran writer, editor, and foreign correspondent. She is editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Standard, a digital news startup in the Bay Area, and she is vice chair of the California News Publishers Association.
From 2018 to 2023, Julie was executive editor of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. Before that, she was Beijing Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times and deputy business editor for Asia at the International New York Times in Hong Kong. Julie began her journalism career at The Washington Post, working in the metro and foreign sections.
She is a graduate of Stanford University and UCLA and is a part-time desert resident.
Media Advisors
The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation is guided by an advisory group comprised of leaders from local media organizations. This group meets regularly for “media summits” to discuss the state of media and the issues most pressing in their newsrooms. These discussions inform the priorities of the CVJF. We are grateful for the generosity of their time and for their collaborative spirit.
Steven Biller, Editorial Director
Palm Springs Life
Jimmy Boegle, Founding Editor and
Publisher
Coachella Valley Independent
Emily Chavous Foster, Editor-in-chief
Palm Springs Life
Kate Franco, Executive Editor
The Desert Sun
Rebecca Johnson, News Director
KESQ
Mark Talkington, Editor and Founder
The Palm Springs Post