Phuong Ly is founder of Gateway California, a nonprofit that helps journalists connect to immigrants. The project was developed during her recent year as a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University.

Gateway California will feature an online platform with forums and databases of sources. Offline, Gateway will host media access workshops and networking events. The first workshop, coordinated with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, was held in November. Supporters include the Knight Foundation’s Silicon Valley office, the Chinese American Community Foundation of San Francisco and the Institute for Justice and Journalism.

In May, Phuong gave a talk about Gateway during the Knight Fellowship showcase.

In both its vision and execution, Gateway California revolves around the idea of pulling people together. Mentors and advisers have generously offered advice and resources. Gateway California’s advisory board includes:

  • Dawn Garcia, deputy director of the Knight fellowships. Garcia was a reporter and editor at California newspapers for 18 years, including the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle. She is a past president of the Journalism & Women Symposium.
  • Harry Lin, is executive-in-residence at Idealab, a southern California company that creates and operates pioneering technology businesses. Previously, he was CEO of three different venture capital-backed tech startups. He also has been the senior vice president-general manager of Evite and vice president of ABC.com. His “first life” was as a reporter and anchor at KQED-FM in San Francisco.
  • Daranee Petsod, executive director of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, based in Sebastapol, Calif. Before GCIR, she worked as a consultant with foundations and nonprofits. She has held leadership positions at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Field Foundation of Illinois.
  • Geneva Overholser, journalism school director at the University of Southern California. Previously, she was a chaired professor at the Missouri School of Journalism. For seven years, she was editor-in-chief of The Des Moines Register, where she led the paper to a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
  • Carol Whiteside, founder and president emeritus of the Great Valley Center, a nonprofit that supports organizations and activities that promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of the Central Valley. She has held positions on the staff of Governor Pete Wilson and was mayor of Modesto.