Poynter Announces 2017 Class for Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Jan. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute, the global leader in journalism, is pleased to announce the 2017 class for the Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media.

The 28 international participants, chosen from a pool of more than 300 applicants, represent need and diversity across ethnicity, geography, technology platforms, organization size and skill sets. Each woman is an emerging leader in digital media who has demonstrated an aptitude and potential for leadership through current projects and references.

"At this critical juncture in media history, we are honored to bring so many talented journalists together from Iowa to Istanbul," said Poynter President Tim Franklin. "With each class, we grow the cohort of women who will provide the leadership to guide our industry globally."

The academy will include guidance on navigating newsroom culture, leadership styles, the business of journalism and entrepreneurship, as well as networking and one-on-one coaching. The 2017 academy builds upon the program developed in a two-year partnership with the Online News Association (ONA). ONA is offering a Women's Leadership Accelerator Feb. 5-10.

This year's class includes:

• Kathryn Westcott, Editor, Special Projects; BBC (London)
• Vera Maria Bergengruen, National Correspondent; McClatchy (Washington, D.C.)
• Mar Cabra, Editor, Data and Research Unit; International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (Madrid, Spain)
• Kayla Castille, Vice President of Content Development; CNHI (Metairie, Louisiana)
• Deblina Chakraborty, Digital Director; KMGH (Denver, Colorado)
• Eva Constantaras, Data Journalism Adviser; Internews (Istanbul)
• Jennifer Ehidiamen, Founder; RuralReporters.com (Chevy Chase, Maryland)
• Gina Falcone-Rupp, Senior Manager, Product; McClatchy (Raleigh, North Carolina)
• Andrea Gompf, Editor-in-Chief; Remezcla (New York)
• Megan Greenwell, Executive Features Editor; Esquire.com (New York)
• Jessica Huff, Social Media Director; McClatchy (Fort Worth, Texas)
• Whitney Johnson, Deputy Director of Photography, National Geographic Partners (Washington, D.C.)
• Sara K. Baranowski, Editor; Times Citizen Communications (Iowa Falls, Iowa)
• Chao Li, Product Manager of Emerging Platforms; Thrillist Media (New York)
• Melonyce McAfee, Senior Producer; CNN Digital (Atlanta)
• Emma Patti Harris, Senior Visuals; The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland)
• Kelsey Proud, Managing Editor of Digital; WAMU (Washington, D.C.)
• Emmanuelle Saliba, Senior Editor, Digital Newsgathering; NBC News (New York)
• Aidée Salinas, Content Managing Editor; Univision (San Antonio, Texas)
• Kelsey Scherer, Senior Designer; Vox Media (New York)
• Ethar El-Katatney, Executive Producer; AJ+ (San Francisco, California)
• Yiqing Shao, Digital Editor; Boston Magazine (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Taylor Shaw, Executive Producer of Digital Media; KSHB-TV (Kansas City, Missouri)
• Shira T. Center, Politics/Assistant Metro Editor; Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Veronica Toney, Digital Editor, Features; The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)
• Millie Tran, Director of Global Adaptation, BuzzFeed (New York)
• Hannah Wise, Manager, Interactives; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Toronto)
• Hannah Wise, Engagement Editor, The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas)

Participants will spend March 19-24 at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. The week will be led by prominent leaders in the startup, tech, media and academic fields, including Melissa Bell, publisher, Vox Media; Michelle Ferrier, founder of Troll-Busters.com and an associate professor at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University; Tracy Grant, deputy managing editor, The Washington Post; Raju Narisetti, CEO, Gizmodo Media Group; and Vivian Schiller, an independent adviser and consultant, formerly head of news at Twitter. Katie Hawkins-Gaar, Poynter's digital innovation faculty member, will direct the program, which will include Poynter's Vice President, Kelly McBride, and Senior Leadership Faculty Butch Ward.

The 2017 Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media is made possible through the generous support of the program's naming sponsor, The McClatchy Foundation, as well as additional funding from Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and craigconnects. Poynter is seeking additional funding from media and technology companies, foundations and academic institutions to enhance this transformative learning experience.

About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, www.newsu.org, offers the world's largest online journalism curriculum in 7 languages, with more than 400 interactive courses and 330,000 registered users in more than 200 countries. The Institute's website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world's top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcast producers, and to build public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and protected discourse that serves democracy and the public good.

Contact: Tina Dyakon
Director of Advertising and Marketing
The Poynter Institute
[email protected]
727-553-4343

SOURCE The Poynter Institute/News University

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