Press Release: Amy Brady Named Executive Director of Orion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Martha Schubert, Board Chair
Email: martha@orionmagazine.org
Phone: (413) 528-4422 x32

Amy Brady Named Executive Director of Orion

Northampton, MA  — Orion is pleased to announce that Amy Brady, a nationally recognized leader in the publishing community, will become the nonprofit’s new Executive Director on April 14, 2021. She joins the respected, ad-free, environmental magazine as it prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a growing audience and a bold vision for the future.

Brady brings a unique set of skills in organizational development and fundraising, as well as a deep bench of publishing experience. Previously the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Pratt Institute, she has also edited and advocated for environmental writing as Deputy Publisher of Guernica, Editor-in-Chief of the Chicago Review of Books, and columnist for LitHub.

“I’m looking forward to working with Orion staff to expand its operations and programming as it continues to connect a new generation of environmental writers with its readers. New audiences deserve to know about this amazing magazine and the rich content it has to share,” said Amy. “I know my experience working with foundations will complement the success Orion has seen since its founding in 1982.”

Sumanth Prabhaker, editor of Orion, added, “Amy is a thought leader in the publishing world, one whom we’ve made a habit of looking to for inspiration in the past few years. Her instincts as a reader, an environmentalist, and a citizen will strengthen our voice and reimagine the stories that inspire and challenge our community to live well with our surroundings.”

“Amy brings an array of experience to Orion that will strengthen and complement the work the editorial and organizational staff are already doing,” stated Martha Schubert, chair of the Orion board of directors. “Orion invites readers into a community of caring for the planet and Amy’s leadership in that respect will enhance our programming.” 

Amy holds a PhD in English from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Her writing has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, McSweeney’s, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, Lit Hub, Oprah Magazine, and other publications. In addition she has made appearances on PBS, NPR and the BBC. Her book House on Fire: Dispatches from a Climate Changed World, is forthcoming from Catapult Press in 2022.

About Orion

Orion is published by the Orion Society, a nonprofit with offices in Northampton and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The editorial impulse of Orion lies at the nexus of ecology and the human experience. The work that appears in Orion distinguishes itself through its depth of inquiry, commitment to interdisciplinary thought, and expansive understanding of how humans engage with the natural world. Prominent Orion writers include Terry Tempest Williams, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and the late Barry Lopez. Advisors to Orion include Wendell Berry, Rebecca Solnit, Sandra Steingraber, and Krista Tippett. Orion receives major funding from the Kalliopeia Foundation, The Myrin Institute, the Kendeda Fund and others.