Board of Directors

Randy Lovely is president of the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.

Randy retired in 2019 after more than three decades 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. In addition to CVJF, Randy and his husband, John Sallot, support the Cathedral City Senior Center, the Literary Society of the Desert and the LGBTQ Community Center.

Ricardo Loretta is co-founder of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation and now serves as Vice President of the board of directors.

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.

Ricardo and his wife, Jennifer, live in Palm Desert.

Julie Makinen is the secretary/treasurer of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.

Julie is a veteran writer, editor, and foreign correspondent. She is chair of the California News Publishers Association.

Julie has served as the editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Standard and 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.

Julie splits her time between Palm Springs and Mountain Center.

Ken is the director of community and media relations at The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, where he has worked since 2014.

Before moving to the Coachella Valley, Ken worked as a reporter and editor at The Sacramento Bee for 25 years. He covered state and national politics, helped move the paper into the digital era as its first assistant managing editor for interactive media, and left the organization as its senior editor in charge of local news. Ken launched his career through the Los Angeles Times’ METPRO (Minority Editorial Training Program) in 1986 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communication from Stanford University.

A Southern California native, Ken enjoys tennis and lives in Palm Springs with his husband, Randy Bissett.

Lindsay has been in sales and marketing for the past 20 years, and she is currently the chief marketing officer for the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians and Augustine Casino in Coachella. Prior to her current role, Lindsay spent 14 years as a sales executive and sales leader at various local news organizations, including as director of sales at The Desert Sun.

Lindsay serves as the incoming board chair for the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She possesses a deep understanding of the power of local journalism in connecting businesses with the community they serve.

Lindsay and her husband Carl, a yoga instructor, live in Indio and are parents to two children.

Christine worked for more than 30 years as a marketing and communications executive, including vice president roles at Xerox, Novel, the software services company, and Gartner, a research and advisory company, before retiring.

Since 2018, Christine has served on the Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory Foundation board and was chair from 2021-2023. She has chaired the Lincoln Club of Coachella Valley since 2022 and was previously president of the club in 2019. She joined the board of the World Affairs Council of the Desert in 2024. She also is on the executive board of ConservAmerica, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of sound environmental and conservation policy.  

Previously, Christine served on the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) Board of Directors. From 2015 to 2020, she was president of CalWatchdog, a non-profit, non-partisan journalism organization that conducted and produced research for the public on California policy issues.     

Christine was a presidential appointee to the Kennedy Center Advisory Arts Board from 2004 to 2008, a White House appointee to the Navy’s Advisory Subcommittee on Naval History, and a founding trustee for the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley.  

She and her husband, Abe Ostrovsky, are full-time residents of Rancho Mirage.

Erin is the founder and chief executive officer of CV Strategies, a Southern California strategic communications and public engagement firm with corporate, government, and non-profit clients. CV Strategies has offices in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Park City, Utah.

She also serves on the board of directors of FIND Food Bank in the Coachella Valley, the California Club in Los Angeles, and the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, now located in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Previously, Erin worked as an Emmy-winning journalist, leading newsrooms at network television affiliates such as KESQ, KDFX, and KUNA in the Coachella Valley. She also worked for KFWB news radio in Los Angeles, and KROQ-FM. For the past 20 years, Erin’s CV Strategies has led the communications and public affairs support teams for myriad cities, water districts, government agencies, developers, and nonprofit organizations across the state.

Erin is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School for Communication and Journalism, and she has three children, a daughter in Seattle and twin boys who attend college in Southern California.

Erin lives in Bermuda Dunes.

Nicholas Robles is a strategic communications leader with more than two decades of experience in journalism, public relations, marketing and government affairs. As the Public Information Officer for College of the Desert, he has successfully navigated the college through multiple image crises, reinforcing trust and transparency through strategic messaging and public engagement. He also has spearheaded initiatives that have increased overall college enrollment.

Before joining College of the Desert, Nicholas served as Chief of Public Affairs for SunLine Transit Agency, where he led communications, government relations and public outreach. Prior to his work at SunLine, Nicholas managed public information for the California cities of Santa Clarita and Ontario.

Nicholas began his career in broadcast journalism at KNBC in Los Angeles, developing a foundation in storytelling and media relations. He later transitioned to legal public relations, where he consulted with law firms on high-profile cases such as the San Bruno gas explosion, the Tainted Wine lawsuit, and the 2008 Metrolink train crash.

Nicholas is a member of the Hispanic Public Relations Association and California Public Information Officers Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Communications.

Nicholas lives in La Quinta.

Joe Wallace is co-founder of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation. He left the board of directors in 2024, but maintains emeritus status.

Joe retired in 2024 as 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 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.

Joe lives in Palm Desert with his wife, Karen.

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.

Kade Atwood, News Director, KESQ

Steven Biller, Editorial Director, Palm Springs Life

Jimmy Boegle, Founding Editor and Publisher, Coachella Valley Independent

Hector Felix Jr., President, El lnformador Del Valle

Kate Franco, Executive Editor, The Desert Sun

Brad Fuhr, Owner/e-Publisher, GayDesertGuide.com, KGAY and MeTV FM

David Reese, News Director, NBC Palm Springs

Mark Talkington, Editor and Founder, The Palm Springs Post