AMHERST — An executive committee and board of directors reflecting Amherst’s racial and ethnic diversity is now overseeing Amherst Media, which provides public, education and government access to the community.
Vira Douangmany Cage, who was born in Laos and came to the United States from a refugee camp in Thailand in 1980, is the new Amherst Media president, replacing Artie McCollum. McCollum will continue on the board as vice president.
Demetria Shabazz, another past president, will serve as treasurer and oversee the capital campaign that is raising money for a new building planned for a lot at the corner of Main and Gray streets. Amherst Media currently operates from space it is renting in a University Drive building.
The other member of the executive committee is Justin Beatty, a multi-disciplinary artist of Native American, Ojibwe and Saponi, and African American descent. Beatty joined the board in December as secretary.
Cage said in a statement she appreciates the diversity of the executive committee and other board members.
“Amherst Media is strengthened by the volunteers who serve on our board, reflecting closer the true demographics of our community,” Cage said. “After all, we are community media, and we should include the broad diversity of our community, in our staff, in our programming and on our board,”
Among goals she has as president are increasing the number of members and interns who will be trained as producers to meet an increasing demand for coverage of government meetings and public events. Amherst Media is also looking to have its building ready by its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Following a recent board and staff retreat, Beatty said in a statement that he was inspired to carry out community engagement and advocacy for the institution.
“We are the hope and the light for government transparency, and we lift every voice,” Beatty said. “We take these responsibilities seriously and we thank the community for their trust and support.”
Other board members are Margaret Sawyer, Razvan Sibii, Marita Banda, Manpreet Kaur, Brianna Sunryd, Ruth Bass Green, Ben Herrington and Jamahl Jackson.
Amherst Media’s executive director is Jim Lescault and other employees are Alexis Reed, director of production and intern coordinator, and Yanna Ok, director of media and digital content.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
