Founder, Oakland Local. Consultant, House of Local.org, Circuit rider, Knight Community Information Challenge. Twitter: @susanmernit, @oaklandlocal Facebook: Follow oaklandlocalSusan Mernit is ED of Center for Media Change, a non-profit that houses Oakland Local, Hack the Hood, and Live Work Oakland, three programs accelerating change and equity in Oakland, CA. A former VP at AOL & Netscape, & a former Yahoo! Senior Director, Mernit has been a circuit rider for The Knight Community Information Challenge since 2009, as well as a consultant to organizations including Salon.com & TechSoup Global, where she led the re-design of their portal. A popular trainer and speaker, Mernit has taught workshops on social media and news and strategy for The Poynter Institute, the Knight Digital Media Center at USC/Annenberg School of Journalism, and for the Knight Foundation. In 2012, she was a Carlos McClatchy Fellow at Stanford University School of Journalism. In addition to her work in Oakland, Mernit maintains a small consulting practice focused on civic engagement and product strategy. She is fascinated by the connections between storytelling, tech, and economic revitalization.