Mark Waddell

Mark Waddell is a professor of history at Michigan State University and faculty advisor to the OutCasting bureau at MSU. Originally from Calgary, Canada, he received his Ph.D. in the history of science and medicine from the Johns Hopkins University in 2006 before accepting a position at MSU, where he has a joint appointment in both the Lyman Briggs College and the Department of History. His first book, Jesuit Science and the End of Nature’s Secrets, was published in 2015, and he is now at work on a second book: The Devil’s Cure: Magical Medicine and the Problem of Plausibility in the Seventeenth Century.

Read more: Mark Waddell

We're seeking new board members

Media for the Public Good, Inc., the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces OutCasting, is working to build a larger board of directors.  Funding is currently the board's major focus, so we are looking for outward-looking candidates who are comfortable in a fundraising role working to secure major donations as well as support from institutions including foundations and businesses.  Ideal candidates will have personal contacts among people in or friendly toward the LGBTQ community.  Although we are based in the NYC area, it is not necessary for you to be physically located here as we hold board meetings by teleconference.

If you're interested, please have a look at this, view this short video, browse some of our press coverage, and contact us.  Thank you!

We're seeking new board members

Media for the Public Good, Inc., the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces OutCasting, is working to expand our board of directors.  We're growing — we've substantially increased both the number of youth participants and our production schedule.  Through OutCasting and its shorter counterpart, OutCasting Overtime, we're working to make our programming more attractive to a larger number of public radio stations; we're also working to establish bureaus elsewhere in the US.  The efforts will enable us to present a greater range of LGBTQ youth perspectives and ideas as well as expand our influence and reach.  We believe in the combined power of traditional public radio and new media.  OutCasting is currently carried on more than 50 public radio stations and OutCasting Overtime is regularly featured on another program heard on more than 200 stations, and we want to become more active in new media.

The board's major focus is to raise funding so that we can continue current operations and support this expansion, so we are seeking candidates who are comfortable in a fundraising role working to secure major donations as well as financial support from institutions, including foundations and LGBTQ-friendly businesses.

All candidates must share our commitment to the movement for LGBTQ equality.  Candidates may have experience and contacts in media, particularly public radio and TV.  Ideal candidates will have previous fundraising experience, preferably on nonprofit boards, and personal contacts among people in or friendly toward the LGBTQ community, including

• • people at foundations and businesses,
  • potential major donors, and
  • people who can introduce us to people at foundations and businesses potential major donors, even if through a few degrees of separation.

Although we are based in the NYC area, we hold board and committee meetings by teleconference, so it's not necessary that you be physically located here.

If you're interested, please view the short video below, feel free to browse this web site,  have a look at some of our press coverage,  and then contact us.

Thank you for your interest!

Chris Bastardi, a Senior Account Supervisor at Edelman, has spent more than a decade in public affairs.  During his career, he has been a Director of Public Affairs and Communications in the New York State Senate, has served on political campaigns, including those for U.S. Senate, Attorney General, and Congress, and has been a part of several public policy actions, including referendums and legislative debates.

Chris has also worked on a number of development projects that involved moving public opinion and the perspectives of stakeholders, regulators, and elected officials, ranging from stadium proposals to development projects in both the New York City metro area and in the Los Angeles area.

He has prior experience at three New York City consulting firms, where he managed public relations efforts for C-Suite executives and celebrities as well as those focused on anti-terrorism causes and the environment.

Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University and a Master’s degree in Political Campaign Management from New York University.