Now in its fifth year, the Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media is returning to Poynter’s campus in St. Petersburg, Florida.
This highly competitive and transformative program focuses on the skills and knowledge needed to rise to the highest levels of digital media leadership. Sessions will cover how to develop effective management styles, handle difficult conversations, manage burnout, master negotiation tactics and find newsroom allies. We will host three women’s academies in 2019, in Winter, Spring and Fall, each open to 30 participants.
The dates for the 2019 Leadership Academies for Women in Digital Media are:
- Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2019
- Mar. 31-Apr. 5, 2019
- Oct. 20-25, 2019
These programs are structured to encourage open, candid discussion and mentoring. Participants will walk away with strong leadership skills, structured feedback from their colleagues, individualized career plans and a built-in support system of peers.
Cost
Tuition for the academy is $1,000. Lunches, snacks and some dinners are included in the program cost. Participants (or their employers) are responsible for travel costs.
Scholarships will be available to help defray the cost of the tuition and/or travel for those who need assistance.
What Will I Learn?
Each of Poynter’s three women’s leadership academies will be unique, with different instructors, new sessions and a diverse mix of participants from all over the world. Key themes will include:
- Leveraging your leadership style
- Negotiation strategies for women
- Planning your career
- Building better work-life chemistry
- Tackling difficult conversations, including #MeToo situations
- Assessing your workplace culture
- Approaches to change management
Who Should Attend?
Women working in the digital space with leadership responsibilities or demonstrated leadership potential. This program is designed to benefit women at multiple stages of their careers.
Applications for the 2019 programs are open from Nov. 1-30, 2018. Required application materials include work experience, a letter of recommendation and an example of a digital project. English-speaking international applicants are welcome to apply.
Poynter directly impacts your career
We launched our first Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media in 2014. Applications grew exponentially, with the 2018 program attracting more than 600 applicants for 28 seats. Why? The Poynter women’s leadership training alters careers and changes lives. In a 2018 survey of graduates from our first three years of the program, we learned:
- 81% got promoted or have more job responsibilities
- 83% make more money, with half making substantially more money
- 76% have a clearer vision of what’s important in their career
“I didn’t realize magic was happening when I was in the class,” said Dhiya Kuriakose, women’s leadership academy alumna and instructor and senior director of development strategy and syndication at Condé Nast Entertainment. “I realized it two weeks later. And I’m realizing it every day two years later. Those five days are not when your life changes. It’s the experience of those five days that end up changing your life after you’re very far from St. Petersburg.”
The success and demand for this program prompted us to expand our programming in 2018 and 2019, offering three academies each year.
Schedule
Below is a tentative schedule for the 2019 program. Sessions and instructors are subject to change.
Application Opens: Nov. 1, 2018
Application Closes: Nov. 30, 2018
Participant Confirmation: Jan. 23, 2019
Instructors
As in past years, the academies will be led by Katie Hawkins-Gaar, founder of The Cohort and the Digital Women Leaders coaching initiative. She’ll be joined by prominent Poynter faculty.
Guest instructors for 2019 will be announced closer to the seminar dates.
Katie Hawkins-Gaar
Lead Faculty
Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media
Cheryl Carpenter
Leadership Faculty
The Poynter Institute
Kelly McBride
Senior Vice President
The Poynter Institute
Doris Truong
Director of Training and Diversity
The Poynter Institute
Past instructors include:
Kainaz Amaria
Visuals Editor
Vox
Jennifer Brandel
CEO and Co-Founder
Hearken
Megan Greenwell
Editor-in-Chief
Deadspin
S. Mitra Kalita
Senior Vice President for News, Opinion and Programming
CNN Digital
Áine Kerr
Co-Founder and COO
Kinzen
Swati Sharma
Deputy Editor
TheAtlantic.com
Millie Tran
Global Growth Editor
The New York Times
Elite Truong
Strategic Initiatives
The Washington Post
Carla Zanoni
Audience & Analytics Editor
Wall Street Journal
Manoush Zomorodi
Host, WNYC’s Note to Self
WNYC
Kari Cobham
Senior Manager of Digital Content
Cox Media Group
Samantha Ragland
Director, Digital Content Strategy
GateHouse Media
Questions?
Here are some frequently asked questions. If you still need assistance, email us at seminars@poynter.org.