(originally posted 5 December 2007 here.)
They couldn't find a typeface that was bold enough to take her...to borrow liberally from one of Jenny's countless clever and intelligent lyrics.
Jenny Toomey, former Simple Machines Records co-founder, former singer/songwriter for Tsunami, former Liquorice whip, former founder and Executive Director of the Future of Music Coalition, former DC punk, is going to the Ford Foundation as Program Officer for Media and Cultural Policy. All this and she's not yet 40. Whew!
The first two descriptors in her bio are "intellectual" and "activist" though I think the one that's missing is "educator," to say nothing of "inspiring." The Mechanics Guide, a book written and distributed via Simple Machines was a how-to primer for musicians about producing and distributing (and getting paid for) their craft. The Future of Music Coalition's web site is a treasure trove of plain-spoken explanations about Congressional rulings, the changing media ownership landscape, music economics, copyright in the digital world and much more.
Far from just being an NPR underwriter, the Ford Foundation has been disbursing grants and loans for more than 50 years to groups and individuals that exemplify the Foundation's mission:
• Strengthen democratic values,
• Reduce poverty and injustice,
• Promote international cooperation and
• Advance human achievement.
At the Foundation, the Media and Cultural Policy division's work "strengthens free and responsible media that address important civic and social issues, and promotes policies and regulations that ensure media and information systems serve the public's diverse constituencies and interests" as well as "increase[s] opportunities for cultural and artistic expression for people of all backgrounds." From her educational, professional and personal experience, she should be phenomenally suited for this role.
Best of luck Jenny and thanks for not being a loadhog all this time.