LEADERSHIP

Executive Director

Zach Mullinax

Zach Mullinax was named Executive Director of the World Press Institute in January 2024.

Mr. Mullinax is a globally connected leader with extensive international business and talent management experience. Prior to joining the World Press Institute, Mullinax founded Creative Speakers Worldwide, which has been instrumental in guiding the careers of the world’s most sought-after thought leaders, business executives, military generals, journalists, and politicians. Highlights include producing investigative reporter Bob Woodward’s worldwide public lecture events, as well as representing sold-out engagements for criminal defense attorney Dean Strang & Jerry Buting (featured in Netflix’s “Making a Murderer”), retired DEA agents Steve Murphy & Javier Pena (whose life story was the basis for Netflix series “Narcos”), Michael Smerconish (CNN), Pete Souza (White House Photographer) and many others.

Executive Chair of the WPI Board of Directors

David McDonald

David McDonald was named Executive Director of World Press Institute in January 2008.

McDonald, who with his family served as a host to WPI Fellows since 1983, is also a practicing attorney with the Schaefer Halleen law firm in Minneapolis. Much of his personal and professional life has been devoted to international interests. For nearly 10 years, he made numerous trips to Geneva to represent Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund at meetings of the U.N. focusing on environmental human rights. McDonald has traveled extensively to promote this and other causes, and has contributed Op-Ed pieces to newspapers highlighting issues he addressed in India, Ireland and Brazil, among other places. He frequently visited and worked with former WPI Fellows during his travels.

Communications Consultant

Kate Westlund Tovsen

Kate Westlund Tovsen is a mission-driven communications specialist with extensive experience in the arts, health care, public media, and higher education.

She received her BS in communications with an emphasis in rhetoric from the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University. She is a former journalist and documentarian, having held several roles at Twin Cities PBS before starting her own consulting firm in 2017. She joined WPI as its Communications Director in 2020.

She loves helping other people and organizations tell their stories, whether it’s for the purpose of winning grants, growing an audience, or simply for entertainment purposes.

Webmaster

Ben Harris

Ben Harris has been the World Press Institute Webmaster since 2012. Ben is a service-oriented freelance Drupal and WordPress web developer. He has over 20 years of experience supporting non-profits, educational organizations, and small businesses by building and maintaining enterprise-level applications. He also works at the University of Minnesota Global Programs & Strategy Alliance.
With a BA from Macalester College in Linguistics and French, graduate work in Learning Technologies and Instructional Design, Ben has had a life-long personal interest in journalism and international relations.

Ben lives in Minneapolis with his wife and a few cats and dogs. He spends plenty of time in the kitchen and garden, occasionally getting further away to hike in state parks or canoe in the BWCA.