Dear Bridge Alliance Community,

I'm writing to let you know that in September, Kristina Becvar will be stepping down as Executive Director of the Bridge Alliance. 

Kristina first came to the Bridge Alliance in 2022 and has served as Executive Director since September of 2023. During her tenure, her leadership has been instrumental in expanding our impact and helping us scale the vital work we do.

As co-publisher of The Fulcrum, Kristina played a central role in our dramatic growth. This spring, we reached a major milestone: over 950,000 combined views across our site and platforms like MSN, SmartNews, Newsbreak, and Apple News. Many of our articles are now picked up by local newspapers nationwide, further broadening our reach. More than ever, we are fulfilling our mission to be a powerful daily news publication where insiders and outsiders to politics can meet, talk, and act to repair our democracy—and make it live and work in our everyday lives.

Beyond publishing, Kristina has worked closely with a wide range of Bridge Alliance members, partners, and allies. She has cultivated relationships across our diverse community, helping organizations tell their stories more effectively, strengthen their data practices and strategy, and connect their work to the larger healthy democracy ecosystem. Her commitment to amplifying voices across ideological, generational, and geographic divides has helped the Bridge Alliance deepen its role as a connector in the field.

Earlier this year, the Bridge Alliance issued a letter to our members and broader community, expressing deep concern about the escalating threats to democracy in the United States. We committed to evolving our mission in response to this urgent challenge.

Kristina led a four-month process of deep collaboration and dialogue with a diverse group of practitioners across the ideological spectrum. These conversations surfaced candid insights into the successes and shortcomings of the democracy movement and identified key areas where our collective efforts must grow stronger. The process culminated in a comprehensive survey of respected field leaders, capturing their perspectives on the path forward.

This work could not have happened without Kristina’s leadership. Her efforts are now helping shape the strategic direction of the Bridge Alliance for 2026 and beyond. We are pleased to share that Kristina will remain engaged with the organization as a Fellow in the new Bridge Alliance Strategic Fellows Collective (described below).

I’d be remiss if I didn’t add a personal note about the relationship Kristina and I have built over the past few years. Effective management isn’t just about strategy decks and spreadsheets. It’s a profoundly human endeavor, shaped by trust, empathy, and shared purpose. The bond Kristina and I developed was grounded in deep listening, honest collaboration, and mutual respect. That personal connection has been an important force behind our success. Kristina brought not only professional excellence, but also emotional intelligence and integrity to every conversation, every challenge, and every breakthrough. I am deeply grateful for her partnership, and I will carry the lessons of our work together into the next chapter of the Bridge Alliance.

LOOKING AHEAD: THE FUTURE OF THE BRIDGE ALLIANCE 

We will continue to champion signature initiatives like The Fulcrum and the Engaged Athlete Fellowship, and we remain committed to partnering with other impactful projects like the Healthy Democracy Project with the National Civic League, News Ambassadors, the Election Overtime Project with Election Reformers Network, and more.

Building on insights from our “Path Forward” white paper, the Bridge Alliance is launching a bold new initiative: 

Bridge Alliance Strategic Fellows Collective—a coordinated effort to harness sector expertise in service of strengthening democracy.

In this time of democratic flux, siloed efforts are no longer sufficient. The Strategic Fellows Collective reimagines leadership within the Bridge Alliance. Scheduled to launch in January 2026, this agile, sector-based model replaces traditional top-down governance with distributed expertise, collaborative strategy, and public-facing storytelling.

We envision a cohort of seasoned civic leaders, each stewarding a vital pillar of the democratic ecosystem—from electoral reform and civic engagement to pluralism, media integrity, and the arts. Fellows will serve as strategic advisors, conveners, connectors, and catalysts—coordinating sector intelligence, amplifying field insights, and shaping the narrative of democratic renewal.

Through monthly convenings, shared tools, and integration with The Fulcrum’s powerful storytelling platform, the Collective will ensure movement-wide coordination grounded in lived expertise and responsive to emerging challenges. Fellows will publish field scans, liaise with funders and coalitions, and elevate sector voices to the national stage.

This is more than a governance model—it’s a leadership ecosystem that reflects the complexity of our civic landscape, distributes power and responsibility, and builds resilience through collaboration.

Together, the Bridge Alliance Strategic Fellows Collective will forge a new path for the Bridge Alliance and for democracy—rooted in trust, expertise, and shared purpose.

As we finalize the details, we will be reaching out to many of you to co-create this transformative program.

Despite our many accomplishments over nearly a decade, the Bridge Alliance will not rest on its laurels—especially at a time when our nation urgently needs citizen engagement and empowerment. We must redouble our efforts to welcome and support organizations in a co-created movement for a thriving, just, and healthy democratic republic.

As Chairman of the Board, I am committed to seeing this vision through. I will be providing substantial funding to ensure that the Bridge Alliance has the resources and talent needed to serve as a hub for the healthy self-governance movement.

Your input is invaluable. We welcome your advice and counsel. While this letter aims to clearly communicate our vision, we recognize that clarity is not guaranteed by intention alone. For us to succeed, and to scale the plan outlined above, it is essential that BAEF communicates and engages effectively with all stakeholders, grantees, donors, and members of the broader community.



By doing so, we aim to strengthen our role as the connective tissue between local, regional, and national efforts to renew our republic.

Warm regards,

David L. Nevins

Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board

Bridge Alliance Education Fund