Meet the 2018 Women’s Leadership Accelerator

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The following statement was issued today by the Online News Association.

We’re thrilled to announce the participants in the 2018 Women’s Leadership Accelerator, a yearlong intensive program for women innovating in digital journalism. This year, we welcome 25 women representing a range of backgrounds, expertise and newsrooms around the globe that are leading digital innovation.

The 2018 class includes:

    Jeanette Ageson, Chief Revenue Officer, The Tyee

    Liz Bloom, Pittsburgh Pirates Reporter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

    Federica Cherubini, Head of Knowledge Sharing, Condé Nast International

    Nisha Chittal, Engagement Editor, Racked, Vox Media

    Bianca Consunji, Executive Producer, BuzzFeed News

    Joni Deutsch, On-demand Content & Audience Engagement Producer, WFAE 90.7 FM

    Rhonda Elnaggar, News Video Producer, Mic

    Brittany Grant, General Editor, Strategic Analytics, The Undefeated

    Alejandra Gutiérrez Valdizán, Freelance Journalist and Agencia Ocote Coordinator

    Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, Founder and CEO, Lantigua Williams & Co.

    Laura Lee, Content Director and Manager Editor, EducationNC

    Kate Lesniak, Publisher, Bitch Media

    Brooke Minters, Executive Producer, Gizmodo Media Group

    Eulimar Núñez, Health Editor, Univision

    Angela Pacienza, Head of Experience, The Globe and Mail

    Brittany Peterson, Video Journalist, McClatchy

    Julie Shapiro, Deputy Editor, TIME

    Sarah Shenker, Head of Audience Engagement, BBC

    Noelle Swan, Science, Technology and Environment Editor, The Christian Science Monitor

    Jessica Terrell, Podcast and Multimedia Editor, Honolulu Civil Beat

    Neeti Upadhye, Video Journalist, The New York Times

    Elizabeth Whitmire, Director of Social Media, Alabama Media Group

    Emily Withrow, Editor, Quartz Bot Studio, Quartz

    Angela Wong, Product Manager, The Washington Post

    Karen Workman, Deputy Editor, News Desk, The New York Times

The Women’s Leadership Accelerator kicks off with a week of tailored, intensive training, Feb. 25–March 2, at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. In addition to exploring strategies for navigating their leadership path, women in the Accelerator will also work closely with mentors on challenges unique to their careers. The program culminates in a workshop at ONA’s annual conference (ONA18) in Austin, Texas.

Industry leaders who will speak this year include Jennifer Ferro, President, KCRW; Cory Haik, Publisher, Mic.com; Charo Henríquez-Scaia, Senior Editor of Digital Storytelling and Training, The New York Times; Amanda Hess, Critic, The New York Times; and Shazna Nessa, Global Head of Visuals and Deputy Managing Editor, The Wall Street Journal. More speakers and mentors will be announced in the coming weeks.

In 2018, we’re expanding what we offer through the Women’s Leadership Accelerator to reach women outside the intensive program. We’ll bring lessons from the Accelerator to ONA Local meetups, ONA’s annual conference and partnering with other organizations to reach even more women.

The Women’s Leadership Accelerator training is tuition-free thanks to the generous support of our lead funder, the Dow Jones Foundation, and supporting funders Fusion Media Group, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, WordPress.com VIP and the Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau. ONA also is grateful to the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, our host for the Accelerator program.

If you’re interested in partnerships to support the program, please contact Jessica Strelitz at jessica@journalists.org.

Additional information on the 2018 class is available here.