Last week, Sahan Journal lost one of our strongest champions, Nancy Cassutt. An accomplished newsroom leader, Cassutt served in senior roles at WCCO-TV News, Minnesota Public Radio News, and Marketplace. She died of glioblastoma at age 64.
Part of Nancy’s legacy in journalism includes her foundational role at Sahan Journal. Far more than just a member of Sahan’s board, she stands as one of the earliest and most unwavering advocates for Sahan’s vision: a newsroom dedicated to telling the stories of immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota.
As Executive Director of News and Programming at MPR, Nancy fielded a bold proposal from one of the newsroom’s young reporters. Mukhtar Ibrahim had just spent a grueling season covering the federal trial of several young Somali American men from Minnesota charged with joining ISIS. Mukhtar wanted to cover stories from communities like his own, but he kept running into roadblocks raised by legacy newsrooms.
Mukhtar told Nancy that he envisioned a different path: a journalism organization that could offer consistent, nuanced, and community-rooted journalism for immigrants and refugees. Nancy saw that vision and backed it. With her encouragement and institutional support from MPR, Sahan Journal was born.
Five years later, when Mukhtar stepped down as founding publisher and CEO of Sahan — now a 23-person organization — Nancy stepped up once again, this time as co-chair of the search committee to select a new executive director. She showed up to support Sahan, over and over, with seemingly endless determination and a clear moral compass.
Nancy made a lasting impression on everyone at Sahan. When she saw the need for change, she refused to let entrenched systems stand in the way of progress. Nancy believed in the power of journalism — and she used that power with humility, generosity, and always a radiant smile.
‘Doing the right thing’
Nancy’s presence shaped Sahan’s newsroom in ways both seen and unseen. Here’s how some of us remember her best:
“Sahan Journal would very likely not have come into being without that first important investment from Nancy Cassutt in her position at MPR News. She understood that Sahan Journal had to develop as an independent entity in order to achieve its mission and thrive as an important new digital news organization serving immigrants and people of color.”
— Kate Moos, founding managing director of Sahan Journal
“Nancy taught me that true allyship isn’t about grand gestures or empty words. It’s about stepping forward when others step back. It’s about doing the right thing, especially when it’s uncomfortable or has never been done before. And Nancy didn’t just step forward. She went all in.”
— Mukhtar M. Ibrahim, founding publisher and CEO, Sahan Journal
“For Sahan, Nancy’s love ran deep. She didn’t just believe in our vision, she enabled it and helped bring it to life.”
— Mayuri Meera, director of finance and operations, Sahan Journal
“I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Nancy for very long, but it didn’t take long to understand how deeply she believed in Sahan Journal. Every interaction I had with her left me feeling supported and trusted. That kind of belief is rare, especially during a leadership transition. It meant a lot to me, and I know it meant a lot to our team.”
— Vanan Murugesan, executive director, Sahan Journal
Sahan’s condolences go to Nancy’s husband, Christopher Ison (a veteran editor and journalism professor); to her two daughters; and to all the friends and colleagues who treasured her.
To honor Nancy’s deep love for mentoring and uplifting emerging journalists, Sahan Journal is developing an internship program in Nancy’s name to support the training of young, diverse journalists. We are grateful to carry on the work Nancy so fiercely believed in, through the next generation of storytellers.
