Cassie Haynes leaves behind a legacy of leadership and collaboration at Resolve Philly
Cassie Haynes recently announced that she is leaving Resolve Philly, the community-focused, collaborative journalism powerhouse that she cofounded with Jean Friedman-Rudovsky back in 2018.
On behalf of the entire team at the Center for Cooperative Media, we want to express our deepest gratitude and admiration for Cassie’s exceptional work as co-founder and co-executive director of Resolve. Her announcement, though bittersweet, has given us a moment to reflect on the tremendous impact she’s made, not only in Philadelphia but also within the broader journalism community.
Cassie’s journey from attorney to journalism innovator is a testament to her passion for pursuing a more equitable, accessible, and community-driven local news environment. Under her and Jean’s leadership, Resolve Philly has become a shining example of collaboration and innovation in the field. Her organization’s commitment to authenticity, radical imagination, and love has inspired us at the Center for Cooperative Media as we continue to work towards similar goals.
We would also be remiss if we forgot to mention the time she used her amazing sketch comedy/video editing skills to create the single best video about Airtable I have ever had the pleasure of watching. That video alone serves as a testament to her creativity, wit, and passion for storytelling.
Cassie’s dedication to building a resilient and sustainable future for Resolve Philly, as well as her unwavering commitment to shared leadership, has left an indelible mark on the journalism landscape. We have no doubt that the talented and capable team she and Jean have assembled will continue to advance the mission and values that she has so passionately championed.
As Cassie embarks on this new chapter in her life, we want to wish her the very best of luck. Her passion for leading, building organizational and community resilience, and developing resources is an inspiration to us all. We are excited to see what the future holds for her, and we eagerly anticipate hearing about her movie-making, book-writing, and radical wealth-redistribution endeavors going forward.
We are sad to see you go, but we can’t wait to see what you do next.
Thanks for your service, Cassie. 😊
Joe Amditis is associate director of products and events at the Center for Cooperative Media. Contact him at amditisj@montclair.edu or on Twitter at @jsamditis.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Local News Lab (a partnership of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Community Foundation of New Jersey), and the Abrams Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
