少女福利

In high school, Brendan Kinney 鈥�93 M 鈥�06 swore he would not go to Saint Michael鈥檚 College, wary of following in the footsteps of his grandparents, uncle, and other family members who had attended.

Brendan Kinney ’93, photographed at Saint Michael’s College in summer 2026. (Photo by Rylee Anderson ’27)

Now, three decades after his graduation from St. Mike鈥檚, he is grateful he chose to follow the purple-and-gold path of his family members and for the people who helped him get to where he is today.

鈥淚 remember it just like yesterday,鈥� Kinney said, reminiscing on his college decision. 鈥淲e were on the 300s field in the fall and there was a soccer game. The beautiful fall colors were out, it was kind of a chilly day, and somebody had put a giant speaker in their window, and they were blasting U2鈥檚 鈥榃here the Streets Have No Name.鈥� I just knew in that moment that I was going to St. Mike鈥檚. I fought tooth and nail not to come here and then it ended up having this huge impact.鈥�

Kinney graduated in 1993 with an English degree, and even came back to earn his master鈥檚 in 2006. He has spent the majority of his career working in nonprofit media, dedicating 16 years to Vermont Public and serving in various leadership positions, including interim CEO and COO.

Recently, he was named CEO of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the nonprofit parent organization of VTDigger, an investigative nonprofit online news organization.

鈥業n my blood鈥�

While the trajectory of one鈥檚 career isn鈥檛 always a straight shot, Kinney can see the path he set for himself when he looks back on his life.

鈥淢y first job as a teenager was actually working in the printing press of the White River Valley Herald in Randolph, Vermont,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚t was kind of in my blood from the very beginning and that鈥檚 continued today.鈥�

During his time at Randolph Union High School, Kinney started an independent newspaper, 鈥淭he Advocate,鈥� with one of his good friends, publishing and distributing copies around central Vermont for two years.聽

Leaders of the Devil’s Advocate alternative publication, as shown in the 1992 edition of The Hilltop yearbook. Brendan Kinney ’93 is shown in the middle. (Saint Michael’s College Archives)

When Kinney arrived at St. Mike鈥檚 in the fall of 1989, he found he had already made his mark without knowing it. His classmate, Pete Booth, had started 鈥淭he Devil鈥檚 Advocate,鈥� St. Mike鈥檚 own alternative newspaper, inspired by none other than 鈥淭he Advocate鈥� which Booth had happened to discover and pick up in Montpelier.

鈥淚t was this weird full-circle moment where something I had started and loved doing in high school was now happening at St. Mike鈥檚 in a similar way,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚t was obviously a different publication but similar in spirit. Very irreverent but covered issues like politics and pop culture.鈥�

Kinney became involved in the alternative newspaper, even serving as editor for a time.聽

鈥淭hat was a very formative experience, having to organize the staff of writers, design the issues, get them printed and distribute them,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚t was a great learning experience for what it takes to produce a publication like that.鈥�

鈥淭he Devil鈥檚 Advocate鈥� was not Kinney鈥檚 only work with campus media either. His work-study job was with what was then the College鈥檚 Office of Public Relations, working with the office鈥檚 director, Buff Lindau, who became an important mentor.

鈥淓ven though it was work-study, it felt to me more like an internship,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚 was allowed to do more than a work-study student. I wrote articles for Founders Hall, the Saint Michael鈥檚 magazine at that point. I got to write press releases. It was just a way to have some extra pocket money, but my interests in doing that kind of work grew out of that experience.鈥�

The value of the liberal arts

Lindau wasn鈥檛 his only mentor, either. Kinney has a long list of opportunities and names from St. Mike鈥檚 that he remains grateful for to this day.

鈥淥bviously, my parents set the stage for me, but I think when I got to St. Mike鈥檚, I started to sharpen my focus,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚 think about the influence of the people and the place constantly.鈥�

The cover of one of the 1992 editions of The Devil’s Advocate, the alternative publication at Saint Michael’s College. (Saint Michael’s College Archives)

Dr. Dorothy Williams, then-head of the Office of Multicultural Affairs; Diane Lynch, then-head of the Journalism department; English professors like Carrie Kaplan, Lorrie Smith, and Nick Clary; and Edmundite priests like Fr. Ray Doherty and Fr. Mike Cronogue are just a few of the folks who influenced Kinney鈥檚 journey.

鈥淚 came here half formed, and I didn鈥檛 quite leave fully formed, but I definitely left more well-rounded than I came in,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淭he liberal arts education creates a space for people to come in and make mistakes, to try things out in a lower stakes environment, to meet different kinds of people that you would never meet otherwise, and be shaped by people who end up being really important mentors.鈥�

St. Mike鈥檚 allowed Kinney to explore, and despite not majoring in journalism, he found a passion for media and communications and formed his own path into the field.

鈥淚鈥檓 a good communicator, but I definitely was not trained to be a reporter,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚 did find out that I was good at was raising money. Even if I wasn鈥檛 doing the work myself, I could go raise the money to allow the journalists to do the work.鈥�

Post-grad, Kinney worked in Institutional Advancement at Saint Michael鈥檚 and at SUNY Plattsburgh, putting that knack for fundraising to good use. He then moved on to Vermont Public in 2010, another job where raising money was crucial, especially when federal funding was cut in 2025.

鈥淲hen I was at Vermont Public last year, we lost our federal funding, which we had gotten for almost 60 years,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚t set us back. We suddenly had a $2 million hole in our budget. The only reason we were able to weather that storm is because our audience rose up and filled that hole. That reminded me that the passion of our audience and the generosity of our supporters is what will get us through.鈥�

A new journey on a familiar path

Now, in summer 2026, Kinney is embarking on another new professional adventure.聽

鈥淭hree weeks ago, I started as the CEO of VTDigger,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all relatively new to me, but looking back I can now see the path.鈥�

Working in media for the past few decades, Kinney has recognized the numerous 鈥渆xistential threats鈥� journalism faces, from the federal funding cuts he experienced at Vermont Public to the questions surrounding the use of artificial intelligence. He鈥檚 not shying away from them, though, and instead faces them head-on, leaning on the trust between VTDigger and its audience to traverse new territories.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in this sort of precarious moment where the freedom of the press is really being attacked,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e protected, in a sense, because Vermont is a place where people value and celebrate freedom of the press and our ability to communicate freely with one another and to tackle tough issues. That is what gives me hope. As I look around, there are so many people that value the work that we do on a daily basis, and they鈥檙e also willing to give us money for it.鈥�

Nonprofit media, Kinney believes, is the only viable option for journalism because of the relationship it builds with audiences.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the power of the people,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e only accountable to your audience, not to a corporate interest or some billionaire. You鈥檙e accountable to a community of people that have put up their hard-earned money to make this service possible. That鈥檚 a big responsibility, but it also grants you a huge amount of freedom as an organization to do the right thing.鈥�

Defining 鈥渢he right thing鈥� is another can of worms, especially with complex issues like AI, a problem Kinney already finds himself discussing in his new position. While it can save time and effort, he has to ask whether it鈥檚 worth the cost.

鈥淲e talk about AI all the time in the newsroom at Vermont Digger because there鈥檚 a ton of ethical questions that go into using the tool when your job is all about informing people with facts,鈥� Kinney said. 鈥淥ne of the things we鈥檙e working on is an outward-facing policy so that we can be very transparent with our readers about how or if we use the technology.鈥�

While Kinney is new to his CEO position, the ethical dilemmas he faces are not. But Kinney, through his time at St. Mike鈥檚 and his work in media and fundraising, has come to understand that people coming together to solve them is what鈥檚 most important.

鈥淥ne of the things that the Edmundites taught me was the importance of hospitality: having an open door, welcoming all, and making space for everybody,鈥� Kinney said, referencing the society of priests and brothers who founded Saint Michael鈥檚 College. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our killer feature when you think about AI as a potential competitor: we can deal with people on a human level. I see one of our biggest roles 鈥� besides news gathering and providing factual information and reporting 鈥� is convening important conversations and bringing people together.鈥�

He added, 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 quite given up on the idea that we can exist in a world and a country where people can have disagreements, but they can still sit down and break bread together.鈥�