ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 6, 2025) –Poynter, a global leader in journalism, is pleased to announce five new members to its National Advisory Board. This board provides guidance and innovative ideas to help Poynter fulfill its mission of strengthening democracy by inspiring and advocating for the future of journalism while advancing trust and the pursuit of truth.
The new members are:
- Dana Coester, professor, West Virginia University School of Journalism and creative director for the Media Innovation Center
- Noreen Gillespie, journalism director, Microsoft
- Moana Ramirez, vice president and regional news director for Televisa Univision in San Antonio and Austin
- Sonal Shah, chief executive officer, The Texas Tribune
- Hollis Towns, vice president of content and executive editor of Alabama Media Group
“These accomplished journalists and executives offer fresh insights, a range of perspectives and a deep understanding of the key forces shaping our industry today. They will help Poynter develop programming, training and partnerships to meet the needs of journalists, serve news consumers and help our mission to strengthen journalism, truth and democracy,” said Neil Brown, Poynter’s president.
Poynter’s National Advisory Board, including its newest members, will join the Poynter Board of Trustees in convening in St. Petersburg on Feb. 10 and 11 to discuss important issues and trends affecting journalism, including artificial intelligence, the growth of independent content creators and threats to press freedoms.
A closer look at the new members:
Dana Coester
Dana Coester, professor, West Virginia University School of Journalism and creative director for the Media Innovation Center
Dana Coester is a professor at West Virginia University School of Journalism and Communications and creative director for the Media Innovation Center. Coester also serves as editor in chief for the digital media outlet 100 Days in Appalachia, which received a national Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage on extremism and political violence. She is passionate about community media and the preservation of local press freedoms, and founded the Rural Digital Resilience Project to address the unique issues that America’s rural communities and local journalists face on and offline.
Most recently Coester received a 2023-24 JustFilms award for her documentary film Raised by Wolves, was named a Benedum Distinguished Scholar and received a Media Democracy Fund “Unicorn” award. Coester serves in a leadership role for the IWMF Coalition Against Online Violence, and has been an invited speaker at the Aspen Festival of Ideas, Newsgeist North America, the Council on Foreign Relations, among others, and has led work cited in testimonies before two congressional committees.
Noreen Gillespie
Noreen Gillespie, journalism director, Microsoft
Noreen Gillespie is a veteran news leader working at the intersection of journalism and technology. As director of journalism for Microsoft, she oversees partnerships with journalism support organizations, universities and newsrooms to expand AI adoption in the news industry and help journalists build skills with new AI tools. She oversaw national news, sports and business and technology coverage in her two decades as a senior editor at The Associated Press, and began her journalism career as a statehouse reporter in Hartford, Connecticut. Outside of work, you can usually find her on a basketball court, softball field or at a soccer game with her husband and three kids.
Moana Ramirez
Moana Ramirez, vice president and regional news director for Televisa Univision in San Antonio and Austin
Moana Ramírez is currently the vice president and regional news director for Televisa Univision in San Antonio and Austin. She previously worked eight years as executive producer for the morning news in Los Angeles KMEX Ch. 34.
She began as an intern at the age of 20 and has been with Televisa Univision for 25 years. After watching Univision in her East LA two-bedroom apartment during her teenage years, it was then that she decided she wanted to be a part of Univision. It was her mission to make certain that each story was engaging, made a difference and provided coverage with resources and tools for her Latino community to succeed.
As a role-model in the newsroom her goal is to empower her staff to become ethical creative storytellers.
Sonal Shah
Sonal Shah, chief executive officer, The Texas Tribune
Sonal Shah is a transformative leader with more than 25 years of experience driving innovation and creating sustainable social impact across academia, government and the private and philanthropic sectors. As the CEO of The Texas Tribune, she is steering one of the nation’s most prominent nonprofit news organizations into a new era of growth, cultural engagement and public service. Previously, Sonal served as interim executive vice president at United Way Worldwide, where she guided one of the world’s largest nonprofits through a pivotal period of strategic realignment.
Sonal founded The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) in Houston and founded and led Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. Her background in government and policy includes leading the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation in the Obama administration, serving as an international economist at the Department of the Treasury, and as policy director for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. In the private sector, Sonal brought her vision for sustainability and impact to major corporations. Sonal led Goldman Sachs’ environmental strategy and Google’s global technology and impact investment initiatives.
A proud Houston native, Sonal earned her B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in economics from Duke University. She is widely recognized for her ability to align mission with strategy, foster innovation and guide organizations through transformative change to meet the demands of an ever-evolving world.
Hollis Towns
Hollis Towns, vice president of content and executive editor of Alabama Media Group
Hollis R. Towns is vice president of content and executive editor of Alabama Media Group, one of the country’s most innovative local media companies. The group operates AL.com, the AL Education Lab, This is Alabama, People of Alabama, and the electronic daily editions of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and Mobile’s Press-Register.
Hollis grew up in middle Georgia and graduated from Fort Valley State University. With more than 37 years of journalism experience, he is nationally recognized as a leading media strategist and a vocal advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Hollis spent 18 years at Gannett beginning as executive editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer and finally as vice president of local nNews.
His first journalism job was at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. where he covered race relations, public housing and the1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He landed exclusive interviews with icons like President Jimmy Carter, Coretta Scott King, Minister Louis Farrakhan, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and others.
His teams have won numerous awards including the Goldsmith Prize, regional Emmy Awards, and recognition as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Towns has judged numerous contests, including the Pulitzer Prize, the Poynter Journalism Prizes and APME, among many others.
Hollis has mentored numerous early-career professionals now succeeding at places like CNN, Mashable, USA Today, and NPR. He is married and has four young adult children.
Media Contact
Jennifer Orsi
Vice President, Publishing and Local News Initiatives
Jorsi@poynter.org
About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute is a global nonprofit working to address society’s most pressing issues by teaching journalists and journalism, covering the media and the complexities facing the industry, convening and community building, improving the capacity and sustainability of news organizations and fostering trust and reliability of information. The Institute is a gold standard in journalistic excellence and dedicated to the preservation and advancement of press freedom in democracies worldwide. Through Poynter, journalists, newsrooms, businesses, big tech corporations and citizens convene to find solutions that promote trust and transparency in news and stoke meaningful public discourse. The world’s top journalists and emerging media leaders rely on the Institute to learn new skills, adopt best practices, better serve audiences, scale operations and improve the quality of the universally shared information ecosystem.
