Meet the IJNR Staff

 

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Dave Spratt is IJNR’s Chief Executive Officer.
dave@ijnr.org     734-395-1750

For more than 20 years, Dave was a fixture at daily newspapers in Colorado and Michigan, writing and editing sports, features and news, nurturing young writers and staring longingly out the window where the real action was. Dave left inky fingers behind in 2009, when he took a buyout from the Detroit News to freelance and carry coolers for IJNR until being named CEO in January 2013. Dave is a lifelong lover of the outdoors and frequent end user of clean air, clear water and healthy habitat — human and otherwise. Easily distracted by wildlife, Dave lives just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he is known to hunt, gather and rescue the occasional raptor in need. Dave has a B.A. in Journalism from Michigan State University and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Eastern Michigan University.

 

Adam Hinterthuer is IJNR’s Director of Programs.
adam@ijnr.org     608-630-5737

Adam is largely responsible for IJNR’s programs, which means he spends several months carefully researching topics, scouting locations and lining up speakers, and then several days herding journalists, finding coffee and putting out (mostly) figurative fires during our Institutes and workshops. Adam also serves as the outreach and communications specialist for the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Limnology (the study of lakes, more or less). Adam lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, Carrie, their daughters, Brynn and Maggie, and a neurotic dog, two young cats and ever-growing assemblage of aquatic snails. Adam received his master's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and has a bachelor's degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. While he undoubtedly peaked in his writing career before he had kids, he hasn't completely given it up and sometimes succumbs to lapses in judgement, taking freelancing gigs for various science and environmental publications.

 
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Melissa Mylchreest is IJNR’s Director of Communications.
melissa@ijnr.org     406-493-8230

Melissa has worn a lot of hats at IJNR: She’s currently in charge of communications, but in the past worked on programming and development as well. Melissa lives in Missoula, Montana, and in addition to working for IJNR is an intermittent freelance writer. She received a B.A. in creative writing from Connecticut College, and an M.S. in environmental studies as well as an M.F.A. in creative writing, both from the University of Montana. Prior to joining IJNR in 2008 she worked some other jobs, including professor, cook, DNRC lackey, and barn-dismantler, among others. When she’s not working she’s in the pottery studio, and when her hands aren’t covered in clay, she can be found gardening, cooking, and spending as much time as possible outside with her husband, daughter, and dog.

 

Carrie Hinterthuer is IJNR’s Director of Operations.
carrie@ijnr.org     608-630-5738

In addition to keeping the books for the organization, Carrie is tasked with helping with the myriad things that keep the ship sailing smoothly. Carrie has her master’s degree in public health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and earned her undergraduate degree from Carleton College (where she met a certain IJNR director of programs). Carrie lives with Adam and their two daughters in Madison.

 

Francisco Ramírez Pinedo is IJNR’s Program Associate
francisco@ijnr.org

A lifelong Chicago resident, Francisco began his journalism career at WRTE-Radio Arte's 90.5 FM training program in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood and working briefly with the Sin Papeles broadcast. The work continued at the local South Side Weekly publication during the pandemic, where he became a contributing editor and freelance journalist. He also continued his work through the civic reporting organization City Bureau, where he covered Chicago's guaranteed income pilot program. He is currently attending Harold Washington College and works as program associate with Adam to organize and facilitate IJNR's workshops and institutes.