Rob Small

My journey began as editor of the award-winning Choate School Literary Magazine. I earned my AB from Stanford and a JD in law from the University of Illinois. Along the way, I worked in community journalism, copyedited for United Press International in their London and Paris bureaus, and served as a Pulitzer Juror in the investigative journalism category.

 
      My experience as a trial lawyer in a Navy JAG office honed my persuasive skills, crucial since the odds were usually stacked against my clients. I prevailed by analyzing the background of the judges to determine what arguments would work. I was also on the staff of Chelsea Naval Hospital, where I represented injured sailors by arguing for disability benefits before a skeptical hearing officer.      

     As a newspaper executive, I managed two successful union organizing elections where persuasive arguments under tight legal restrictions were at a premium. 

     Two of the newspapers I managed were voted best in the state in their circulation category on multiple occasions: Rochester, MN, and Kankakee, IL.