Kristen Reed elected to the ONA Board of Directors; five incumbents re-elected

Ashley Alvarado, Rubina Madan Fillion, Rodney Gibbs, Niketa Patel and Imaeyen Ibanga re-elected

By on October 12, 2022

Members of the Online News Association, the world’s largest membership organization of digital journalists, elected Kristen Reed, Content Director at TEGNA , and re-elected five incumbents to the 2023-24 Board of Directors. Their terms will begin Jan. 1, 2023.

Kristen Reed specializes in content strategies that engage and grow audiences for rich local news. She currently supports a dozen digital directors at TEGNA stations on strategy, best practices, training and inclusion. Her career has been about solid journalism, innovation in both content and newsroom operations and professional development for herself and other journalists. She’s reimagining an industry that nurtures trust between journalists and the communities we serve, and is especially passionate about taking intentional steps at the local level.

The re-elected board members are:

  • Ashley Alvarado, Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Initiatives,  Southern California Public Radio
  • Imaeyen Ibanga, Presenter, Documentarian and Senior Producer, AJ+
  • Niketa Patel, Digital Media Advisor & Executive Coach
  • Rodney Gibbs, Senior Director, Strategy and Innovation, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • Rubina Madan Fillion, Director of Strategy, The New York Times Opinion

The election winners will join board members who are serving their current terms through 2023:

The board will appoint one additional seat by the end of 2022 to meet specific organizational goals.

Candidates in the election were selected by the ONA’s Governance Committee from a pool of nominations submitted by ONA members. The committee reviewed candidacies and nominations based on five criteria, including thought and career leadership in ONA’s focus areas and a history of service to the association. ONA members as of Sept. 8 were eligible to cast ballots during the voting period Sept. 12–Oct. 3. Learn more about the board election results.


The Online News Association was founded in 1999 as a forum for digital news pioneers to collaborate on common challenges and encourage the highest journalistic standards. Become an ONA member or make a donation to sustain our mission to inspire and support innovation and excellence in digital journalism.

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To explore partnerships, promotional opportunities and other ways to invest in ONA’s programs and events, contact Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer Jessica Strelitz at jessica@journalists.org.