Kasey Cordell

Kasey understands the power of story to connect people and elevate their ideas. She also knows that every good story begins with listening. So in leading LOR’s communications work, Kasey works across teams and audiences to translate LOR’s boots-on-the-ground learnings in the rural Mountain West into powerful narratives that highlight these special places—places that are central to both our nation’s identity and its prosperity.

A product of the West herself—born in Oregon and shaped by Colorado—Kasey is motivated to ensure the Mountain West isn’t overlooked in national conversations, and she has dedicated much of her career to finding and sharing stories about the region. She joined the LOR Foundation after more than 15 years as a decorated magazine journalist. A National Magazine Award winner, she brings an unwavering commitment to accurate, thorough reporting and sensitive, thoughtful storytelling, and is dedicated to ensuring rural voices influence national dialogues. Her work has been recognized by the American Society of Magazine Editors, the City and Regional Magazine Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists, and has been included in two anthologies. In 2018, she was honored as a Folio: Top Women In Media.

Kasey has a B.A. in psychology from Lewis & Clark College, an MA in Irish studies from Queen’s University Belfast, and an MA in journalism from the University of Colorado. She lives in Denver with her husband and two floppy, black dogs: Rigby (as in Idaho) and Vander (as in Evander Holyfield). And yes, there’s a story there.

An avid traveler and outdoor adventurer, Kasey regularly seeks landscapes with big skies and big horizon lines, where her curiosity leads her just a little farther down the trail or, just as often, into a favorite local coffee shop. She was drawn to LOR’s mission to preserve and enhance these special places and is excited about the chance to support both the foundation and the tightly knit communities with which it works.