OUR TEAM
Experienced advisors with deep roots in the media industry
PRESIDENT
Sara April
Sara April brings two decades of experience to her role as president. Since joining the firm in 2006, she has been a driving force behind the growth of the firm, becoming a partner in 2018 and assuming her current role in 2024. Sara’s foundation in the industry is both academic and personal: she holds a journalism degree from George Washington University and grew up immersed in her family’s printing business in Massachusetts. This “ink-in-the-blood” background informs her empathetic approach to both sell-side and buy-side representation, ensuring that the legacy of independent and family-owned newspapers is preserved. She balances her deep industry knowledge with a genuine, approachable leadership style that recognizes the people behind every deal.
Partner
Francis Wick
Francis Wick joined the firm as a partner in late 2025, bringing a legacy of media stewardship as the youngest member of the third generation of the Wick family to lead their family-owned newspaper company. Prior to joining DV&A, he served for nearly a decade as CEO of Wick Communications, overseeing more than a dozen strategic acquisitions and divestitures. Under his leadership, the company also received multiple Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge awards. A fourth-generation Arizonan with an MBA from the University of Arizona, Francis has dedicated his career to the sustainability of local journalism, including helping develop the Local Journalism Sustainability Act to support community news organizations. Despite his high-level executive experience, Francis remains deeply grounded in the human element of the industry.
Advisor
Owen Van Essen
Owen joined the firm in 1986 after several years as a newspaper executive. He began his career working in the advertising and business departments of the Worthington (MN) Daily Globe and acquired a 25% stake before the sale of the paper, during which he met Lee E. Dirks. He joined Lee at what was then Dirks & Associates in 1986 and became president of the firm in 1998. Owen stepped back form day-to-day operations in 2024 and continues to serves as an advisor.
Senior Associate
Kelli Bultena
Kelli Bultena joined DV&A in 2024, following a distinguished 25-year career that spanned every facet of the newspaper business. Her journey from reporter and editor to advertising manager, and ultimately to co-owner and publisher of two community weeklies, provides her with a rare, 360-degree perspective on what makes a publication valuable. Kelli’s leadership was recognized statewide during her tenure as president of the South Dakota News Media Association (2017–2018). Having navigated the sale of her own company in 2022, Kelli possesses a firsthand understanding of the emotional and operational complexities sellers face. Her colleagues often cite her innate ability to multitask under pressure with a trademark optimism that puts clients at ease.