Daily Inspiration: Meet Ilana Lowery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilana Lowery.

Hi Ilana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am the Director of School Partnerships & Policies and Arizona Director for Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to helping kids, families, and educators navigate media and technology wisely. In my role, I lead Common Sense’s efforts across Arizona to expand digital literacy, well-being, and equitable access to technology.

In 2018, I helped launch and now oversee a statewide digital well-being initiative in partnership with the Arizona Community Foundation, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, and the Phoenix IDA. I also work to grow Common Sense’s reach and partnerships across the state—building connections with schools, policymakers, and community leaders to ensure that our digital citizenship resources are deeply integrated into classrooms and family programs.

Before joining Common Sense, I spent over two decades in journalism, most recently serving as editor-in-chief of the Phoenix Business Journal, where I held various roles for 23 years, including reporter, managing editor, and editor. My reporting and editorial work spanned a range of topics, including economic development, education, nonprofits, travel, and aviation.

Earlier in my career, I worked as an editor for Independent Newspapers Inc. in Scottsdale and as a reporter and editor for Pulitzer Newspapers in Chicago. I also served as an associate producer for NBC-TV in Chicago before moving to Arizona in 1989. A proud 1986 graduate of the University of Illinois, I hold degrees in Mass Communications and English. I’ve served as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, teaching courses on writing and media.

In addition to my work at Common Sense, I serve on the Arizona Digital Inclusion Network board and currently as a trustee for Independent Newspapers, where I got my first job when I arrived in Arizona! I am also a member of the advisory board at AT Still University’s School of Health Sciences. I previously served on the board of the Homeless ID Project and Gabriel’s Angels. I’m also a long-time member of Charter 100 and Central Phoenix Women, two respected professional organizations for women leaders.

Over the years, I’ve been honored to receive several recognitions for my work and leadership. Earlier this year, I received a Community Media Award as a Community Champion from the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network for my work with Common Sense. Other honors include my 2015 induction into the Valley of the Sun Society of Professional Journalists’ Order of the Silver Key for over 25 years of dedication to the field of journalism. Additionally, in 2014, I was named a finalist for the prestigious Athena Award by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s never really a smooth road, now is it? I learned that professional growth doesn’t end with titles or tenure — that curiosity and adaptability are lifelong tools. When I switched careers, I felt like a beginner again in a new field and faced a significant amount of self-doubt about leaving behind a long-established identity as a journalist.

Moving from the fast-paced, competitive world of journalism to the collaborative, mission-driven nonprofit sector required a major mindset shift. I had to learn to navigate philanthropic funding and grant structures after decades of operating in revenue-driven newsrooms. I also needed to adjust from managing journalists and deadlines to managing partnerships, community coalitions, and education systems. The hardest change for me, though, was balancing the immediacy of journalism, with its daily stories and deadlines, with the slower, more systemic nature of advocacy work. This shift taught me patience, systems thinking, and a new kind of storytelling — one focused on impact, not immediacy.

Also, as a longtime newsroom leader — and now a woman directing digital equity work in the tech space — I’ve had to operate in industries historically dominated by men. Breaking through leadership barriers in journalism at a time when few women held top editorial roles, balancing assertiveness and empathy, especially in newsroom cultures that weren’t always inclusive, and continuing to advocate for women and girls in media representation and digital spaces have all proved to be challenging — and rewarding. These experiences strengthened my resolve to mentor other women, advocate for representation, and champion media literacy for girls navigating today’s online world.

Launching Arizona’s digital well-being initiative meant coordinating with multiple stakeholders, including funders, schools, government agencies, and community organizations — each with its own set of priorities. Working to secure long-term funding and alignment among multiple philanthropic partners was perhaps my biggest obstacle when I first joined Common Sense Media. My advocacy role involved navigating Arizona’s challenging and complex political landscape, bureaucracy, and competing agendas within the state’s public education system. Working to overcome digital access gaps in rural and under-resourced areas of Arizona remains a challenging task.

I’ve really had to work at staying grounded by focusing on my purpose, the people, and long-term impacts.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road — but I believe purpose carries you through the storms.

As Director of School Partnerships & Policies and Arizona Director for Common Sense Media, I work to bridge the gaps between state policy, education systems, and community practice — ensuring that digital literacy and well-being are lived realities for kids, families, and schools. I’m the person who helps connect Common Sense with school districts, navigates the policy landscape, and ensures that our high-quality curricula and family-facing tools not only exist but are adopted, implemented, and sustained.

One of the initiatives I’m most proud of is leading our Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) awareness and enrollment campaign in Arizona. Along with my Advocacy Team colleagues, we launched bilingual media, grassroots outreach, and a navigator support model that helped accelerate ACP enrollment to 8,500 households per month (up from 2,900), which was a record high in the state. This work demanded building trust in communities that had long been underserved and helping families understand what “broadband” even meant in their daily lives.

I’m also proud of initially spearheading our 2018 statewide digital well-being initiative when I started at Common Sense. In partnership with the Arizona Community Foundation, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, and the Phoenix IDA, our seed funders, we were able to turn a vision into a multi-year, multi-institutional effort that continues today.

I think what sets me apart is a combination of journalistic rigor, systems-level thinking, and persistent relationship-building. Throughout my journalism career, culminating in my tenure as the longtime editor-in-chief of the Phoenix Business Journal, I learned to ask hard questions, hold business leaders accountable, and communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively. That foundation makes me a strong advocate in policy settings, enabling me to translate research into stories that move decision-makers. At the same time, I bring a collaborative spirit: I don’t just enlist partners; I join ecosystems, listen to local voices, and insist on equity in both process and outcome.

I am also deeply invested in digital equity, not just technology. That means confronting barriers of affordability, skills, and institutional alignment. As Arizona Director, I’ve pushed Common Sense to take on advocacy at the state level, not only delivering resources but shaping policy that supports students, families, and education systems.

If I measure success by impact, what gives me the greatest satisfaction is seeing schools in Arizona and across the country adopt Common Sense Media’s digital literacy and well-being resources, integrating family engagement materials, and sustaining their use over multiple years. I’m proud that our work is at the core of how we help families and kids navigate media and technology. I am passionate about closing the digital divide and ensuring that every child can use technology not just passively, but safely, responsibly, and powerfully.

What matters most to you?
I’ve spent most of my career trying to make sense of the way information shapes people’s lives — first as a journalist, and now as an advocate for digital literacy and well-being. It’s my belief that change starts with trust, and that real progress happens when we make technology work for people, not the other way around. So, what matters most to me about the work I do is ensuring that every child — regardless of their location, family income, or school resources — has the tools, access, and confidence to thrive in a digital world. I want technology to be an equalizer, not a divider. And if my work can help close that gap, build a little more trust, and empower one more teacher, student, or parent — then I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

Pricing:

• All of Common Sense resources are free.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.commonsense.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/commonsenseorg
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commonsensemedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/common-sense-media/posts/?feedView=all
• Twitter: https://x.com/commonsense
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonSenseForFamilies
• Other: www.commonsense.org/education