Ariel Van Cleave
Executive Director

Ariel Van Cleave is the founder and executive director of HostCon Fund, the organization that produces the annual HostCon conference, along with other trainings. She started the annual gatherings in 2015 after hearing from colleagues at member stations across the network that they wanted more opportunities to share space, collaborate and brainstorm around best practices for hosting and anchoring. Soon after, the organization became an official nonprofit. Ariel has been able to provide professional development opportunities to hundreds of people since. She is also the Managing Editor of Audio News at WBEZ in Chicago and a public media “lifer.” 

Tim Lambert
Chairperson, Board of Directors

Tim Lambert is the Chairperson of the HostCon Fund Board of Directors. He is the Special Projects Editor at WITF in Harrisburg, PA. Lambert also gets up at “0-dark-30” to help listeners start their day as host of Morning Edition and The Morning Agenda podcast.

He is a six-time recipient of the Radio Television Digital News Association’s (RTDNA) National Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in digital and broadcast journalism and served as one of four national coaches for the Trusting News project. Tim’s reporting has also been honored on the state, regional and national levels.

The Aliquippa native is a graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tim has been working in broadcast journalism since 1993, with stints in Lewistown and Gettysburg.

Mike Horace
Vice Chairperson, Board of Directors

Mike Horace is the Vice Chairperson for HostCon Fund. He is also the Radio Program and Operations Manager at WCMU Public Media in Mount Pleasant, MI. Mike has worked in public media for over 15 years as a reporter, producer, editor and host. He was the local host of WCMU’s Morning Edition from October 2015 until December 2022. He became WCMU’s Radio Program and Operations Manager in 2018 — a role he still holds today.

In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for HostCon Fund, Mike is also president of NABET-CWA Local 54412, and serves on a Communications Workers of America taskforce looking into the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the communications industry.

Kirsten Kendrick
Treasurer, Board of Directors

Kirsten Kendrick is the treasurer and a founding member of the HostCon Fund Board of Directors. A 30-year broadcasting veteran, she has been the Morning Edition host at KNKX in Seattle/Tacoma for the past 17 years, winning several Public Media Journalists Association and Edward R. Murrow awards. She has also worked as a host trainer through PMJA.

Jeff Bossert
Member, Board of Directors

Jeff Bossert has served as Morning Edition Host at WVTF/RadioIQ, based in Roanoke, VA since 2017. A big advocate for professional development, Jeff also served Illinois News Broadcasters Association’s Board of Directors.

His prior work in nearly 30 years of broadcasting includes NPR-member stations Illinois Public Media/WILL in Urbana, Illinois and WKNO in Memphis. Away from the office, Jeff’s an avid Chicago Cubs fan. He’s won a number of Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and Associated Press Awards for his news anchoring.

Love Cross
Member, Board of Directors

Love Cross joined the HostCon Board of Directors in 2022. She is the Morning Edition Host at KLCC in Eugene, OR where she has been since 2017. She began her public radio career as the Morning Edition Host for Boise State Public Radio in the late 1990s. She earned her undergraduate degree in Rhetoric and Communication from University of California at Davis, and her Master’s Degree from Boise State University. In addition to her work in public radio, Love teaches college-level courses in Communication.

Love has received several regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting and newscasts, as well as regional newscast awards from the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA). She earned a national 1st Place newscast honor from PMJA in 2022.

Love enjoys yoga, paddleboarding, going to concerts and sporting events, and any time spent with her husband, their two daughters, and a rambunctious little rescue dog.

Nash Jones
Member, Board of Directors
Nash Jones (they/them) is a reporter and the All Things Considered host at KUNM in Albuquerque, N.M. They previously hosted Morning Edition and Weekend Edition Sunday for the station, starting in 2017. Nash has received national awards from the Public Media Journalists Association for audience engagement, government/democracy reporting and spot news. They’ve also received several regional and statewide awards for their reporting, hosting and editing work. 

Prior to journalism, Nash worked in the fields of strategic communication and professional development. They come to the HostCon board with years of experience in curricula development and training facilitation on LGBTQ responsiveness, mental health and sexual violence prevention, among other topics.