The National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) is pleased to welcome Christine Fernando as our new Communications & Creative Coordinator.

Christine joins NIFI with a deep commitment to democratic resilience and a powerful track record of translating complex, high-stakes public issues into clear, human-centered stories. Most recently, she served as a national democracy reporter for the Associated Press, where her reporting spanned civil rights and the evolving challenges facing democratic institutions.

Christine’s path to journalism—and now to NIFI—has been shaped by lived experience. Growing up amid political upheaval connected to her family’s roots in Sri Lanka, she learned early that democracy is both fragile and precious. That formative understanding has guided her career as a reporter covering moments when public trust, civic voice, and democratic norms are most under strain.

Across her career at the Associated Press, USA TODAY, and other national and local outlets, Christine has been known for her versatility, clarity under pressure, and ability to build trust across differences. Her reporting has brought national attention to the lived experiences of communities navigating contested public issues, while helping readers make sense of complexity without reducing it to easy answers.

“Christine brings exactly the blend of rigor, creativity, and care that this moment calls for,” said Cristin Brawner, Executive Director of the National Issues Forums Institute. “Her ability to hold complexity, center lived experience, and communicate with integrity will strengthen how we connect our work to communities, partners, and the broader public.”

Beyond her reporting, Christine brings a creative storyteller’s eye to communications work. She is deeply attuned to how people encounter information—visually, emotionally, and contextually—and how design, narrative, and tone work together to invite curiosity. Her experience across digital platforms, newsletters, and visual storytelling strengthens NIFI’s ability to communicate complexity with clarity, elevate voices from the field, and share stories that feel both grounded and human.

As Communications & Creative Coordinator, Christine will help shape how NIFI tells its story—amplifying deliberative practices, elevating community voices, and translating complex civic work into accessible, compelling narratives as we move toward America’s 250th anniversary and the launch of What’s Next, America?

“It’s an honor to join this mission-driven, deeply committed team at such a consequential moment for our democracy,” Christine said. “I’m excited to help amplify the stories and practices that empower people to build civic efficacy and see themselves as active participants in shaping our shared future. This moment calls for strengthening people’s confidence and capacity to take civic action at the community level—helping people see that democracy isn’t abstract or distant, but something they shape every day. That is exactly the work the NIFI team does: creating space for people to wrestle with complexity, deliberate across differences, and discover their own voice in the democratic process.”

We are thrilled to welcome Christine to the NIFI team and look forward to the insight, imagination, and thoughtfulness she will bring to our communications and creative work.