Founder & Managing Editor, Tiny Spark; Moderator
Amy Costello is the Founder and Managing Editor of Tiny Spark, a nonprofit media company and podcast that investigates and reports on philanthropy, nonprofits and international aid. Tiny Spark stories have included an investigation tracing the $3 billion donated to fight Ebola, exposed the harm caused by medical volunteers in post-quake Haiti, and challenged philanthropy on issues of equity and diversity. A number of news outlets have cited Tiny Spark investigations, including Slate, Newsweek, The Atlantic and Mother Jones.
Prior to launching Tiny Spark, Amy was the Africa Correspondent for PRI’s The World. She produced in-depth radio reports on topics ranging from American anti-terrorism efforts in the Horn of Africa to sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.
Her PBS television story, “Sudan: The Quick and the Terrible” was nominated for an Emmy Award. Her television investigation into the Playpump, a celebrated idea designed to do good, exposed myriad problems with the technology and became the impetus for launching Tiny Spark.
Amy has reported for NPR, Marketplace and the BBC World Service. She has also worked as an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, her alma mater.