Columbia Journalism School Announces 2023 Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program Fellows

Columbia Journalism School announced today the 25 Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program fellows for the 2023-24 academic year. The fellows represent leaders at a wide range of news organizations, including media start-ups, nonprofit newsrooms, and large international publications.

The 2023 Sulzberger Fellows are:

• Sumi Aggarwal - Editor in Chief, Start-Up TBD
• Kari Anderson - Senior Vice President for Audience & Community, Vermont Public
• Leonor Ayala Polley - Chief Business Development & Partnerships Officer, URL Media
• Julie Bloom - Editor of the Live Team, The New York Times
• Patrick Boehler - Head of Digital Strategy, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
• Gilbert Cruz - Editor of The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times
• Johanna Derlega - Chief Revenue Officer, The 19th
• Deborah D. Douglas - Co-Editor in Chief, The Emancipator (Google News Initiative Scholarship)
• Jeremy Druker - Executive Director, Transitions
• Taunya English - Senior Editor, Broadcast Innovation, KHN (Google News Initiative Scholarship)
• Joanne Griffith - Chief Content Officer, APM Studios / American Public Media
• Gabrielle Jones - Vice President of Content, Louisville Public Media (Google News Initiative Scholarship)
• Nicole Lewis - Engagement Editor, The Marshall Project (Google News Initiative Scholarship)
• Joseph Lichterman - Communication & Editorial Director, The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
• Amanda Mountain - President and CEO, Rocky Mountain Public Media
• Sarah Muller - Deputy Managing Editor for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Bloomberg
• John Ness - VP of Content, SB Nation / Vox Media
• Rebecca Norris - Executive Director, Audience Insights, The New York Times
• Désirée Pomper - Deputy Editor in Chief (and Editor in Chief designate), 20 Minuten, TX Group
• Monica Richardson - Executive Editor, Miami Herald / El Nuevo Herald & McClatchy Florida Regional Editor, McClatchy Co. (Google News Initiative Scholarship)
• Shigeru Seno - Editor in Chief of Nikkei Americas, NIKKEI
• Alexa Sonnenfeld - Chief of Staff to the Newsroom, Los Angeles Times
• Ki Sung - Managing Editor, Digital News, KQED
• Jordan Vita - Product Lead, Storytelling, The New York Times
• Daniel Waldmeier - Member of the Editorial Board, 20 Minuten, TX Group

Each of these fellows will use the 21 weeks of the program to accelerate a strategic project for their organization. Scroll through the gallery below to learn more about the 2023 Sulzberger Fellows and their projects:

The journey for the 2023 Sulzberger Fellows will begin on January 2 with two intensive weeks at Columbia Journalism School. They will then be supported virtually as they accelerate their projects over 18 weeks back at their organizations before returning for a final week at Columbia on May 22.

“I am excited to assemble such an accomplished group of leaders in journalism and honored to begin this journey with them to implement these strategic projects,” said Director Corey Ford. “I can’t wait to see how the intentional serendipity of bringing together these innovators will impact these leaders, their organizations and the journalism industry as a whole.”

To learn more about how your organization can participate in the next Sulzberger cohort, contact Director Corey Ford at [email protected]. Visit here to learn more.

Established in 2005, the Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program trains leaders of the world’s most respected news organizations and promising media start-ups to lead innovation and solve strategic business challenges in a time of rapid transformation, uncertainty and opportunity.