ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sept. 14, 2023) – The Poynter Institute is proud to announce the 30 BIPOC journalists selected for the seventh annual Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media, a prestigious, weeklong seminar that connects and empowers diverse leaders to be self-aware managers, visionary leaders and change agents.
“As a Poynter program alumni, I’m beyond excited to bring together these incredible leaders. Poynter changed the trajectory of my career and I can’t wait to see how this cohort grows as managers and journalists,” said Tony Elkins, Poynter faculty and co-director of the 2023 academy. “As our industry rapidly changes, we continue to evolve our curriculum, focusing even more on burnout, empathy and other critical issues our newsrooms are facing.”
Those selected for the academy represent a cross section of innovative newsrooms across the country — from public media to new nonprofits, legacy newspapers to niche digital outlets — and bring valuable digital media expertise to the alumni community of more than 200 leaders.
“Through their applications and references, we were impressed with the kind, intelligent, supportive and creative natures of this year’s participants,” said Kathy Lu, Poynter adjunct faculty and other co-director of this year’s academy. “By attending the academy, they will gain confidence by learning techniques to handle complicated situations, get feedback on their leadership styles, and expand their network of support through the cohort. We hope they will leave the program better prepared to face the challenges ahead and to nurture the next wave of journalists.”
Meet the 2023 cohort
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:
- Amina Al-Sadi, Supervising Producer, Vox Media
- Vanessa A. Alvarez, U.S. Video Producer and Subeditor, The Associated Press
- Johanna Bejarano Barragan, Multiplatform Bilingual Reporter, Northwest Public Broadcasting
- Jason Boyer, Executive Producer, Atlanta News First
- Cindy Chang, Deputy Metro Editor, Los Angeles Times
- Nicole Chavez, Race & Equality Writer, CNN
- Rachel Chen, Senior Manager, Audience, Indiegraf
- Nicole Clark, Culture Editor, Polygon (Vox Media)
- Harry Colbert, Jr., Managing Editor, MinnPost
- Matthew DiMera, Editor-in-Chief, The Resolve
- Darius Dixon, Deputy Managing Editor, Policy, Politico
- Giselle Greenwood, Former Editor-in-Chief, Houston Business Journal
- Andrea Gutierrez, Producer, NPR
- Subrina Hudson, Money Editor, Chicago Sun-Times
- Ashleigh Joplin, Newsroom Manager, Baltimore Witness
- Anjuli Sastry Krbechek, Senior Producer, LAist Studios
- Suevon Lee, Assistant Managing Editor, Education Desk, WBUR
- Qina Liu, Senior News Producer, The Seattle Times
- Andrea López-Cruzado, Senior Editor, Futuro Media Group
- Jeneé Osterheldt, Deputy Managing Editor of Talent, Culture, and Development, The Boston Globe
- Flora Peir, News Editor, The 19th
- Vishal Persaud, Senior Editor, Venture Capital & Startups, Insider
- Dawn Rhodes, Senior Editor, Block Club Chicago
- Kamaria Roberts, Deputy Director of Local News Transformation, American Press Institute
- Micaela Rodriguez, Managing Producer, Podcasts, KERA
- Lisa Snowden-McCray, Editor-in-Chief, Baltimore Beat
- Miriam Valverde, Deputy Editor, PolitiFact
- Lisa Vernon-Sparks, Race, Culture and Community Engagement Editor, The Charlotte Observer
- Dalton Walker, Managing Editor, ICT
- Deloris Washington, Assistant News Director, WTVM-TV
2023 schedule
The 2023 academy begins with a keynote from Cynthia DuBose, McClatchy’s Senior Vice President, Product & Experience. She has more than 20 years of experience envisioning how local news organizations can leverage digital products and platforms. She most recently created and launched McClatchy’s artificial intelligence strategy. In conversation with Lu, DuBose will discuss what she sees for the future of journalism.
Every year, Poynter reviews industry trends and designs the academy based on the participants’ needs. This year, managing stress and burnout was among the top requested topics, so Elkins and Lu will lead a session on navigating specific challenges participants are facing. Other sessions throughout the week include:
- Negotiation tactics and difficult but fair conversations with Lu
- Intentional delegation, leading with your strengths and using human-centered design to learn empathy with Elkins
- Defeating imposter syndrome with Communications Director at the Tampa Bay Times, Sherri Day
- Pitching stories and powering engagement, with Universal News Desk Editor at The Washington Post, Kenisha Malcolm
- Managing through authenticity with consultant and longtime news editor, Maria Carrillo
During the academy, participants will receive coaching from faculty and instructors, as well as Dalia Colón, reporter and host of The Zest Podcast at WUSF.
The 2023 Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media is made possible thanks to support from the Gill Foundation, Craig Newmark Foundation and Tegna Foundation.
Applications for the 2024 academy will open in January.
