Quick Facts:
- Tony Elkins starts at Poynter today as our newest faculty member.
- He comes to Poynter from Gannett/USA Today, where he served as product director and senior director of innovation.
- Elkins, a citizen of the Comanche Nation, will initially be responsible for co-directing Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media.
Poynter is pleased to announce the addition of a full-time faculty member who will expand our capacity to teach innovation, design and product thinking, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging: Tony Elkins.
Elkins is a founding member of the News Product Alliance and most recently served as Gannett’s product director, leading the design of solutions-driven products to increase revenue and engagement. He also oversaw Gannett’s innovation ambitions by building tools and storytelling experiences that added value to customers’ lives. Prior to that, he drove change at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as assistant managing editor. Journalists are accustomed to learning from his insights at such events as NPA Summit, the Online News Association convention, SRCCON and Texas Tribune Festival.
“Tony will infuse new energy into Poynter’s teaching. He’s overflowing with ideas and creative ways to approach journalism, and he knows how to appeal to some of our most important audiences for news: local communities,” said Doris Truong, director of training and diversity strategies at Poynter. “He also brings lived perspective that will enrich our trainings around inclusion and belonging.”
Elkins will initially be responsible for co-directing Poynter’s signature Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media. The participants in that program — and numerous other Poynter workshops along with Poynter staffers — will benefit from his longtime experience advocating for more inclusive environments for BIPOC journalists.
Applications for the 2023 Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media are open until Feb. 17. Learn more.
“As a citizen of the Comanche Nation and an Indigenous journalist, it’s important for me to bring others along with me,” said Elkins. “In order to reach people of color, minority communities, rural communities and other underrepresented communities, we have to recruit people from those spaces into ours. But that’s not enough. We also have to give them the right tools to flourish, lead and become decision-makers. To me, that’s the ultimate goal of a DEIB program. I hope I can be a part of elevating the next generation of journalism’s leaders through Poynter.”
Elkins has participated in numerous Poynter programs, crediting the Leadership Academy in 2013 as a turning point in his career.
“I’ve often told people my journalism career can easily be categorized in two parts, before Poynter and after Poynter,” said Elkins.
Beyond his expertise in leadership and equity-related initiatives, Elkins will help expand the audience Poynter serves through our professional development programs.
“People hear ‘journalism’ and think about reporters and editors, but there’s a giant ecosystem of people who contribute in just as important ways,” said Elkins. “I hope to create programs based on human-centered design and focus on how we can better connect with our consumers, revenue partners and collaborators.”
Elkins is based in Asheville, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their dog, Korra. They spend their time enjoying the area’s numerous outdoor activities.
See the rest of Poynter’s teaching team here and explore upcoming training opportunities here.
