Online News Association announces participants in 2018 Women’s Leadership Accelerator and new events for women in journalism

WASHINGTON, Feb. 01, 2018 -- The Online News Association has selected 25 women to participate in the 2018 Women’s Leadership Accelerator and announced additional programming open to other women looking to advance their careers in digital media. The Accelerator is a yearlong intensive program for women innovating in digital journalism. Participants represent a range of backgrounds, expertise and newsrooms around the globe.

The 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, and concludes at the annual Online News Association Conference (ONA18). 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 2018 Women’s Leadership Accelerator 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, Undefeated
• Alejandra Gutiérrez Valdizán, Freelance Journalist, 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

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.

ONA will adapt lessons from the Accelerator’s one-week intensive to offer opportunities in other venues. The new events will include a series of collaborations with the ONA Local network, with the first event happening on Friday, March 2, in Los Angeles, to connect local journalists with the 2018 class. Over the summer, ONA will host a workshop in Detroit focused on strategies for women to navigate career paths and partner with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists to deliver training at the NAHJ international conference in Miami. ONA also will offer programming at the ONA18 — taking place Sept. 13-15, in Austin, Texas — that is specifically aimed at women in leadership in digital media.

The Women’s Leadership Accelerator training is tuition-free thanks to the generous support of 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. The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism hosts the Accelerator program.

About ONA

The Online News Association is the world’s largest association of digital journalists. ONA’s mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, developers, photographers, educators, students and others who produce news for and support digital delivery systems. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.

Contact: Karolle Rabarison, [email protected]