Tedda Hughes to be ELi’s Next Executive Director, Award Winning Journalist to Join Reporting Staff and More Exciting Updates

Tedda Hughes has been offered and accepted the position of East Lansing Info executive director, bringing an extensive background of nonprofit management and community involvement to ELi.

“I look forward to doing my part to support the stellar community journalism team at ELi,” Tedda said.

Since 2022, Tedda has served as executive director of the Michigan Prison Doula Initiative, a nonprofit organization that works with the Michigan Department of Corrections to improve conditions for pregnant prisoners. Before that, Tedda worked as the director of policy and community engagement for End Violent Encounters in Lansing, and as project manager for the Mellon Just Futures Grant program at Michigan State University. She has also served on the East Lansing Arts Commission.

Tedda Hughes will serve as ELi’s next executive director.

Tedda was unanimously chosen by ELi’s board of directors on Wednesday, Aug. 13. Current Executive Director Beth Peck will stay with ELi in the short-term to help with onboarding.

“The board was impressed not only with Tedda’s background in law and nonprofit law, but her obvious commitment to the continuation of a free press in East Lansing,” Board President Cody Harrell said. “She laid out a future for ELi in her interview that left us with no choice but to throw our full support behind her. Additionally, her connections in the community and electric energy will take ELi to an even more exciting future. We are so thankful for Beth’s role in this transition and believe Tedda will boldly step forward in these shoes.”

ELi is also very excited about a pair of full-time reporters who will soon join our staff.

Award winning journalist Anna Liz Nichols will join the ELi reporting team in September. Anna has a strong track record of covering the most pressing issues in Michigan, including labor strikes, state government and gender-based violence. Most recently, Anna reported for Michigan Advance where she garnered widespread recognition for her work, earning several Michigan Press Association honors and a runner-up finish for the Richard Milliman Journalist of the Year award in 2024. Her reporting has been featured in national outlets such as The Washington Post, PBS and The Boston Globe. Before starting at Michigan Advance, Anna worked for The Associated Press and The Detroit News.

Award winning journalist Anna Liz Nichols will soon join the ELi reporting staff.

Additionally, former ELi intern and recent MSU graduate Ayah Imran will return as a full time reporter this week. Ayah reported for ELi from spring 2023 to spring 2024, before leaving for a summer internship with The Detroit Free Press. During her first stint with ELi, Ayah reported on the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission, Library Board of Trustees and important community happenings.

Anna and Ayah will join a reporting staff that already has two full-time employees, Managing Editor Luke Day and Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty.

ELi to restart partnership with Impact radio, bring back podcast and radio show.

Next month, ELi will restart a partnership with 89 FM Impact radio to produce a radio show and podcast that will air on Sundays.

Starting next month, ELi and Impact radio will work together to produce a podcast and radio show. (Logo courtesy of Impact radio)

Each episode will be about 30 minutes long and feature the ELi team and other guests talking about our recent reporting, important developments in the city, questions our readers have and more.

We’re very excited to restart this partnership with the talented Impact radio team and deliver our reporting in a new format.