Polakovic was an accomplished journalist at the Los Angeles Times, writing stories about science, energy, technology, nature and public policy. He was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Metro staff in 2004, and the recipient of the American Institute of Biological Sciences Media Award in 2002. At the L.A. Times, he rose to the rank of assistant editor, leading teams and helping to create a new section that integrated news reporting, long-form storytelling and multimedia.

In leadership roles for nonprofit groups, Polakovic has served as a director on governing boards at the Coalition for Clean Air in California, the California State Parks Foundation and the Society of Environmental Journalists, where he chaired the SEJ’s national conference at UCLA.

Polakovic earned a B.S. degree in communications and environmental science at Cal Poly Pomona, California, and was a recipient of the John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University.