Kelsey Proud currently serves as ONA’s Interim Head of Programs. She leads the strategic vision and operations of all ONA programs and community engagement, including its signature annual conference, year-round training on emerging technology and leadership development, networking and community resources. She also currently leads ONA’s Women’s Leadership Accelerator program and the organization’s Digital Women Leaders mentorship initiative. Kelsey began her time at ONA as Learning Director.
As her time allows, Kelsey also takes on select projects as an independent editor, trainer, coach and strategic consultant.
Prior to her time at ONA, Kelsey was Managing Editor of Audience at WAMU in D.C. where she led a team of digital journalists, coordinated newsroom training initiatives, and consulted on projects across the organization. Previously, Kelsey spent six years at St. Louis Public Radio in digital and management roles. During her time in St. Louis, the station earned several national awards for digital work including a Peabody-Facebook Futures of Media Award, an Online Journalism Award from the Online News Association and an Edward R. Murrow award.
Mentoring, inclusion and building empathetic teams have been central to Kelsey throughout her career — she has volunteered as an active member of diversity and inclusion committees in her workplaces and as a mentor within the Next Generation Radio and Public Media Women In Journalism programs, among others. Kelsey has been a co-leader and trainer of the Public Media Journalists Association Editor’s Workshop and is a former fellow with the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri. Her writing on the industry has been published by Nieman Journalism Lab, NPR Training and others, and she is a frequent guest speaker to students and other groups.
Kelsey currently lives in Indianapolis with her husband and is excited to talk with you.