Philadelphia journalist Sabrina Vourvoulias is joining The Philadelphia Inquirer as the organization’s first Senior Editor, Communities and Engagement. In this role, Vourvoulias will lead The Inquirer’s Community News Desk and will focus on centering the region’s diverse communities in The Inquirer’s journalism. 

Vourvoulias joins The Inquirer from Generocity, where she spent the past three years as editor of the news site that covers Philadelphia’s non-profit and philanthropic community. She also spent five years as Executive Editor and Managing Editor of Al Día and eight years as Managing Editor of the Catholic Standard & Times. 

With deep gratitude to @Generocity & @technicallym for three great years, it’s time to make it official: I’ll be Senior Editor for Communities and Engagement at the @PhillyInquirer as of Nov. 15. I’m thrilled by the impact this new desk can have & honored to be a part of it. pic.twitter.com/I3nrC1Gzd3

— Sabrina Vourvoulias (@followthelede) October 27, 2021

The Community News Desk is dedicated to increasing representation and community visibility in The Inquirer’s reporting. In addition to its own reporting and community engagement, the team will work with Inquirer journalists throughout the newsroom to better connect with communities.

Vourvoulias’ new role and the Community News Desk are supported by a grant from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. 

In her first few months, Vourvoulias plans to meet and listen to community organizations and leaders throughout Philadelphia to learn more about how The Inquirer can better serve them. She’ll also spend time getting to know The Inquirer newsroom and staff. 

“Her goal will be to emerge from this essential incubation period with a framework for how The Inquirer can best meet community coverage and information needs,” Inquirer Editor Gabriel Escobar said. 

The Institute is proud to support this essential work, and we’ll continue to share updates on The Inquirer’s community news coverage in the months ahead. 

This article first appeared in The Lenfest Institute’s newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox.