ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Aug. 26, 2024) — The Poynter Institute is pleased to announce the 22 journalists selected for its 2024 Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media, a prestigious, weeklong, in-person training seminar that connects and empowers diverse leaders.
“It’s a special honor to facilitate this group of journalists,” said Tony Elkins, Poynter faculty and co-director of the 2024 academy. “It’s one of my greatest joys to create a learning environment where diverse journalists can develop the leadership skills that will enable them to build better newsrooms and teams.”
Elkins said that this year, the faculty team is putting an emphasis on working within organizations and with each other.
“This program is focused on how we develop human-centered skills — the ways we connect with each other through the lens of journalism — so we can empower our cohort to transform their own careers, teams and workplaces,” he said. “When people leave our campus, they will have a toolkit to help them manage projects and their time, communicate better with their employees and peers, understand the value of feedback, guide distributed teams, appreciate how important onboarding is, and so much more. And it’s not just those skills they will be taking home – members of our leadership programs foster deep connections with their peer groups they will take with them the rest of their career.”
Those selected for this year’s training represent a cross section of the journalism industry, from legacy newspapers to mainstream network news to online startups.
“I’ve been impressed with how this year’s cohort members are already doing a lot to support new journalists in their organizations — a sign that the future will be OK,” said Kathy Lu, Poynter adjunct faculty and co-director of this year’s academy. “We have members working in newspapers and audio, nationally and internationally. I’m so grateful to their organizations for investing in these wonderful and conscientious journalists at yet another difficult moment in our industry. I look forward to seeing what we will all learn together.”
Applicants are selected with an emphasis on ensuring diversity across race and ethnicity, geography, technology platforms, organization size and skill sets.
Congratulations and welcome to:
- Zainab Akande, editorial manager, Yahoo
- Leslie Allen, deputy editor, Bridge Michigan
- Jennifer Bowman, assistant editor, inewsource
- Xavine Bryan, senior producer, CBC News
- Dawn Burkes, deputy editor, Los Angeles Times
- Christiana Dillard, staff writer and editor, Lead Stories
- Wesley Early, reporter, Alaska Public Media
- Denise Florez, editor, CALÓ News
- Gloria Gonzalez, deputy energy editor, POLITICO
- Eric Goodwin; director of products, mobile apps, messaging and alerts; McClatchy
- Nichole Green, executive producer impacting communities (EPIC), CBS News New York
- Steve Haruch, senior producer, Nashville Banner
- Nicole Hernandez; news editor, digital news audience and engagement team; The Associated Press
- Vaughn Johnson, social platforms editor, Philadelphia Inquirer
- Vidya Kauri, assistant managing editor, Law360
- Gaetane Lewis; audience, SEO strategist; The Associated Press
- Jessika Lewis, managing editor, WTSP/10 Tampa Bay
- Erica Ngao, impact manager, Indiegraf
- Kristene Quan, deputy head of social media, The Economist
- Megan Ryan, assistant business editor, Minnesota Star Tribune
- Angie Wang; news editor, video; The Associated Press
- Yi Yang, director of audio, Initium Media
Every year, Poynter reviews industry trends and designs the academy based on participant needs. This year, many in the cohort said they were interested in learning more about managing emotions and stress/burnout, both of which will be addressed throughout the week.
The kick-off event of this year’s academy, which takes place Sept. 9-13 in St. Petersburg, Florida, will be a Q&A with Elkins and Lu about their career journeys.
Other sessions include:
- Effective techniques for managing people across many differences, including digital language and generational styles, led by Elkins.
- Negotiation tactics and navigating difficult but fair conversations with Lu.
- Intentional delegation, leading with your strengths and using human-centered design to learn empathy with Elkins.
- Ethics in journalism with Kelly McBride, senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at Poynter.
During the academy, participants will receive coaching from experienced journalists, including Poynter faculty member Doris Truong, award-winning editor Maria Carrillo and Dalia Colón, reporter and host of The Zest Podcast at WUSF.
The 2024 Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media is made possible thanks to support from the Tegna Foundation and Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
