Lenfest Constellation News Leadership Initiative
The Lenfest Constellation News Leadership Initiative is a program designed to provide career development support to mid-career media professionals of color.
The seven-month fellowship supports mid-career media makers of color in the Greater Philadelphia area with world-class training from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, mentorship from Executive Advisors who have advanced to positions of leadership in news enterprises, and career coaching from Crawford Leadership Strategies, a Black-owned leadership development firm. The program is open to candidates who work in editorial, product, business, or technology at Philadelphia-area news media enterprises.
2021-2022 Constellation News Leadership Initiative class
The 2021-2022 Constellation Fellows and Executive Advisors were chosen through an open application process focused on identifying news leaders of color who have exhibited leadership in Philadelphia’s news organizations, expressed a desire to continue to grow their careers, were recommended strongly by their co-workers, and have a passion for equity. The applications are reviewed by a team of Lenfest Institute staff members and other industry experts.
Fellows:
- David Auguste, Web Producer, WPVI 6abc
- Lisa Bryant, Freelance Journalist, Generocity
- Kerith Gabriel, Digital Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Angelica Irizarry, Director of Events, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Nia King, Editor, WHYY
- Ariel Miller, Producer, WPVI 6abc
- Ezequiel Minaya, Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Melissa Simpson, Audience Engagement Editor, Next City
- Kristal Sotomayor, Co-Founder, ¡Presente! Media and Editorial Board, cinéSPEAK
- Jillian Wilson, Service Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Executive Advisors:
- Maria Archangelo, Chief Revenue Officer, Open Campus
- Anthony Cuffie, Vice President-Local Advertising, Labor, & Advertising Operations, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Cherri Gregg, Host/Anchor, WHYY
- Emma Carew Grovum, Newsroom Consultant, Kimbap Media
- Michael Huang, Managing Editor – Sports, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Richard G. Jones, Managing Editor – Opinion, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Shawana Perry, Executive Producer, WPVI 6abc
- Melony Roy, Director of Digital News, WHYY
- Jameel Rush, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Ernest Owens, President, Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists
Lessons from the inaugural 2020-2021 Constellation News Leadership Initiative class
The inaugural Constellation News Leadership class completed its fellowship in spring 2021. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, 40% of fellows reported a job promotion during the program and 90% reported an expansion of job responsibilities. Every fellow said the fellowship increased their confidence at work. And 70% of the fellows said the program helped raise their profile in the industry, while 90% said they made new connections with fellow journalists and media professionals.
Learn more about the 2020-2021 Constellation News Leadership Initiative and read essays from the first cohort of fellows about what they learned and their vision for the future of local journalism.
The 2020 Fellows and Executive Advisors were:
Fellows:
- Ray Boyd, Deputy Director of Programming & Audience, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Johann Calhoun, Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat Philadelphia
- Heather Chin, Producer, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Jesenia De Moya Correa, Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Aaron Eaton, Digital Coordinator and Video Producer, The Philadelphia Tribune
- Donnell Jackson, Executive Producer, WTXF-TV Fox 29 Philadelphia
- Yvette Ousley, Deputy News Editor/Education Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Karla Ovalle, Analytics Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Nadya Tan, Product Manager, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Daisy Yang, Operations Manager, New Mainstream Press
Executive Advisors:
- Emma Carew Grovum, Newsroom Consultant, Kimbap Media
- Sandra Clark, Vice President for News and Civic Dialogue, WHYY
- Anthony Cuffie, Vice President-Local Advertising, Labor, & Advertising Operations, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Michael Days, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Jos Duncan, Director of Product Management, WURD Radio
- Gabriel Escobar, Editor and Vice President, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Jim Friedlich, CEO and Executive Director, The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
- Ric Harris, President & General Manager, NBC10/Telemundo62
- Danese Kenon, Visuals Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Melony Roy, Director of Digital News, WHYY
- Daniel Tsao, Publisher, New Mainstream Press
The Fellows and Executive Advisors were chosen through an open application process that sought to identify news leaders of color who have exhibited leadership in Philadelphia’s news organizations, expressed a desire to continue to grow their careers, were recommended strongly by their co-workers, and have a passion for equity. The applications were reviewed by a team of Lenfest Institute staff members and other industry experts.
The Lenfest Institute will share key lessons and best practices from the Constellation courses as the program progresses.