Robert K. Elder

Robert K. Elder is the President and CEO of Outrider. He previously served as Chief Digital Officer at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Elder has deep roots in the digital media and innovation spaces, having served as the Executive Director of Digital Product Development & Innovation for Crain Communications and Vice President of Content for Sun-Times Media Local. He has been a mentor at startup incubators such as 1871 Chicago and Northwestern University’s The Garage. Elder is also the award-winning author of 12 books, including Last Words of the Executed and Hidden Hemingway.

Elder’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, Salon.com and many other publications. Elder has held leadership positions at Blockchain News, AOL Huffington Post Media Group’s Patch.com and the Chicago Sun-Times. For almost a decade, Elder served as a staff writer at the Chicago Tribune.

In 2019, Elder co-founded Token.Agency, a consulting firm focused on emerging technology and blockchain projects. Currently, Elder serves as the president of the Chicago Headline Club, the largest chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in the nation.

A Montana native and graduate of the University of Oregon, Elder lives and works in Chicagoland.