Haines, editor-at-large of The 19^th*, is the third addition to the Institute’s Board in the past year, following DiverseForce CEO Sulaiman Rahman and Amanda Bennett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Errin Haines, editor-at-large and co-founder of The 19^th*, a nonprofit, digital news site focused on the intersection of women, politics and policy, is joining the Board of Managers of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism.

Haines, who lives in Philadelphia, was unanimously elected to the Board Thursday. Before joining The 19^th* a year ago, she was a national writer on race and ethnicity for The Associated Press. She is also a regular contributor on MSNBC, and previously worked at The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Orlando Sentinel.

“We are delighted to welcome a person of Errin’s experience, talent, and perspective to our team,” said David Boardman, chair of the Lenfest Institute Board and dean of the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. “In particular, Errin’s understanding of the opportunities and challenges of digital journalism, and her experience reporting on racial-justice and gender issues and communities of color, will be huge assets for the Institute.”

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism is a nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to develop and support sustainable business models for great local journalism. The Institute is the parent organization of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“As someone who has benefitted firsthand from the vision and leadership of The Lenfest Institute, I could not be more thrilled to help this organization tell its story and to help further shape the work of creating more equitable newsrooms that more honestly and accurately reflect the communities they cover,” Haines said. “Lenfest’s mission feels more urgent and necessary than ever and I look forward to collaborating to meet the moment our industry and our democracy demand.” 

Haines is the third addition to the Institute Board in the past year, following the election of DiverseForce CEO and Founder Sulaiman Rahman and Amanda Bennett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, investigative journalist, and editor. 

Rahman is the Chief Executive of DiverseForce, a strategic human capital solutions firm that specializes in cultivating diverse leadership pipelines and inclusive ecosystems. Under Rahman’s leadership, DiverseForce partnered with the University of Pennsylvania to create DiverseForce On Boards, an innovative leadership development program that trains mid-to-senior level professionals of color from the public and private sectors to serve more effectively on nonprofit boards in the region.

Bennett was most recently Director of Voice of America. From 2013 to 2016, she was Executive Editor, Bloomberg News, where she created and ran a global team of investigative reporters and editors. She was also co-founder of Bloomberg News’ Women’s project. She was editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer from June 2003 to November 2006, and prior to that was editor of the Herald-Leader in Lexington, Kentucky and spent 23 years at the Wall Street Journal, including as China bureau chief.

“The Lenfest staff and I are honored to work with Board members like Errin, Amanda, and Sulaiman,” said Jim Friedlich, executive director and CEO of The Lenfest Institute. “The Institute believes that diverse newsrooms, news sources, and news audiences form the basis for equitable and sustainable local news. We are pleased that the spirit and the composition of our Board reflect these top priorities.”