Ilana Lowery

Ilana Lowery, Arizona Director for Common Sense Media, is the former editor-in-chief of the Phoenix Business Journal. She left the Journal in 2018 after 23 years as a key leader at the daily business publication.
As the first director of Common Sense, Ilana is responsible for driving a strategic effort to build the organization’s presence, philanthropic base and strategic partnerships throughout the state. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.
The Chicago native joined the Business Journal as a reporter in 1995. Prior to the Journal, she was an editor for Independent Newspapers Inc., a community newspaper chain based in Scottsdale.
Before moving to the Valley in 1989, she was a reporter and editor for Pulitzer Newspapers in Chicago. An award-winning journalist, she also worked as a scriptwriter and associate producer for the NBC-TV affiliate in Chicago.
A 1986 graduate of the University of Illinois, Ilana earned BA degrees in Mass Communications and English. Ilana has served as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and she recently earned a Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate from ASU and the Marconi Society.
In addition, Ilana serves on the steering committee for the Homeless ID Project, is on the board of AZStrut (Arizona Students Recycling Used Technology), and is a member of the prestigious women’s professional associations Charter 100 and Central Phoenix Women.
Ilana has long advocated for causes involving social issues, education, and children’s well-being and serves on multiple committees for Valley organizations committed to these issues, including the Alliance of Arizona nonprofits, the Arizona Digital Inclusion Network, and the Arizona Broadband Stakeholder Network.