Ken Herts

Former Chief Operating Officer and Director of Operations

Ken Herts was Chief Operating Officer of The Lenfest Institute from its founding in 2016 until his “retirement” in December 2025.  In this role, he advised on the launch of several local news organizations, including THE CITY, Spotlight PA, the Baltimore Banner, Spotlight Delaware, Chicago Public Media’s acquisition of The Chicago Sun-Times, and other local news startups, acquisitions, and print-to-digital conversions. Formerly as VP Finance of The Wall Street Journal, as Publisher of The WSJ/Europe and as General Manager of Dow Jones Newswires, Ken has planned and executed successful product launches and business growth strategies through his 40+ years in the news business.  

As a member of the Lenfest Expert Network, Ken will focus on revenue growth strategies, on business and financial planning, and organizational structures.