Greater Chicago Area
Robert K. Elder is the President & CEO of Outrider Foundation, which supports multimedia storytelling and journalism about climate change and nuclear threats. At Outrider, Elder launched a fellowship program that supports journalists at The New York Times, TIME magazine, The Guardian US, USA Today, Inside Climate News, Vox, Science Friday — and most recently, Hank Green’s Complexly. Outrider also supports The New York Times’ Opinion series “At the Brink: Confronting the Risk of Nuclear War” and a massive project with the Associated Press called “The New Nuclear Landscape.” Under Elder's leadership, Outrider launched multi-million dollar, co-funded projects with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Longview Philanthropy, and others. In 2024, the foundation launched the Outrider Nuclear Reporting Summit, which brings together journalists at the nexus of health, climate, technology, and national security to deepen their understanding of how these issues are interconnected in the new nuclear landscape. Our 2025 conference was held in a former nuclear missile silo outside Little Rock, Arkansas, and our 2026 conference will be held in Los Angeles in October! In May 2026, we’ll host our inaugural Outrider Science Media Forum in conjunction with NASA. Outrider also partners with organizations such as The Pulitzer Center, Harvard University's Belfer Center, Investigative Reports and Editors (IRE), The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), Stanford University’s Existential Risk Initiative, University of Chicago’s Existential Risk Laboratory, and many others. Elder is also the author or editor of 25+ books, and his work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Paris Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Salon.com, and many other publications.
Elder is responsible for the leadership, strategic execution, and overall management of the organization. He spearheads the execution of Outrider’s mission and strategic initiatives in the areas of climate change, nuclear threats, and digital publishing. In his first year, Elder forged partnerships and projects with The New York Times, Associated Press, TIME magazine, Bloomberg Green, public radio's Science Friday, and other media outlets. Executive Leadership • Serves as a visionary to guide and oversee the organization’s mission and principles through partnerships with the Board of Directors. • Maintains a productive relationship with the Board and works with Board members to set the enterprise’s strategic direction and policies, enabling the enterprise to adapt to a constantly changing external environment. • Serves as a broker of ideas that engage and energize Outrider staff, volunteers, board members in shaping the Foundation’s future. • Ensures transparency and communicates regularly with the Board around all key governance issues, including financial oversight and board recruitment and development. • Promotes a culture of strong integrity, high performance, meaningful collaboration, and continuous improvement that values learning and commitment to quality.
Odd Hours Media, LLC, is a media company specializing in TV production, publishing, multimedia projects and consulting. Former clients include Will Ferrell's and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions, Tower's Productions and American City Business Journals (ACBJ).
Robert K. Elder has written for the New York Times on cultural and civic issues, including the wrongful execution of the Dakota Native American called "Chaska." That piece was called "Execution 150 Years Ago Spurs Calls for Pardon" and can be found here: http://nyti.ms/v9W1HD In 2022, Elder wrote about the largest collection of Hemingway artifacts discovered in 60 years. In 2017, he reported on Hemingway's first short story, recently found in Key West (links below). Elder also writes for the New York Times Upfront, the company's collaboration with Scholastic, which publishes a news magazine for high school teens. For that publication, he written about the anti-Nazi movement within Germany in the 1940s, the WWII bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Freedom Riders and the 1970 shootings at Kent State University.
As Chief Digital Officer, he formulated, led and executed the Bulletin’s digital marketing and lead generation efforts including strategy, execution and optimization of performance across all digital outlets. He also co-edited a book, "The Doomsday Clock at 75," while with the Bulletin. Elder opened up new revenue streams with an online store, a modernized advertising kit and digital subscriptions. Elder led the launch of the Bulletin's three mobile apps, SEO strategy and the revamp of its digital magazine. The Bulletin, which turned 75 in 2020, is the nonprofit behind the iconic Doomsday Clock. Contributors to the Bulletin have included Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Bertrand Russell and other cultural luminaries. The Bulletin focuses on three main areas: nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies. What connects these topics is a driving belief that because humans created them, we can control them. The Bulletin was founded in 1945 by Manhattan Project scientists who “could not remain aloof to the consequences of their work.” The organization’s early years chronicled the dawn of the nuclear age and the birth of the scientists’ movement, as told by the men and women who built the atomic bomb and then lobbied with both technical and humanist arguments for its abolition. Elder oversees areas such as user experience, SEO, SEM, email marketing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), social media channels and the Bulletin's website. He is in charge of vendor management, acceptance testing, budget and growth forecasting, as well as advertising strategies and other business processes. Elder develops and implements engagement strategies to promote awareness of the Bulletin’s first-rate content as well as drive audience to our website and social media channels. Elder also helped launch the Bulletin's virtual reality tour of the Doomsday Clock and its history: https://thebulletin.org/virtual-tour/
Blockchain News is an independent, must-read daily resource for information and commentary about blockchain technology, crypto assets and digital currency platforms such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Blockchain News focuses on the most urgent blockchain industry developments of the day, delivering everything from granular tech pieces to expansive culture profiles that are important to industry leaders, investors and data analysts. As president, Elder: Led redesign, relaunch and brand growth efforts Spearheaded multiple digital product development projects Recruited staff, designers and blockchain developers Served as industry speaker at blockchain events worldwide Led revenue push, strategy and growth plans Updated advertiser messaging and cryptocurrency pipeline Revitalized lead generation and customer insights programs Initiated blockchain and cryptocurrency education outreach