Executive Women Leaders Salon

ONA hosted a three-part conversation series in 2023 designed to open space for women in executive digital journalism leadership. At these events, they networked and developed their skills around cultivating organizational resilience and finding creative ways to support the professional development and growth of their teams. Participants learned from external experts as well as each other and worked through their unique and often overlapping challenges and opportunities for development and success.

Applications closed April 25. Please stay tuned for future programming.

• Setting organizational culture intentionally from the top (April 25 at 3-4 p.m. ET / 12-1 p.m. PT / 7-8 p.m. UTC on Zoom)
• Career moves in executive leadership (June 15 at 3-4 p.m. ET / 12-1 p.m. PT / 7-8 p.m. UTC on Zoom)
• Building, retaining and leading innovative teams (Aug. 23 at 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET at the 2023 Online News Association Conference in Philadelphia)

Q: What was the deadline to apply?
A: Applications closed April 25.

Q: Who is this series for?
A: To keep the group to a manageable size and ensure that participants in this off-the-record salon conversation series have a shared experience from which to draw, we restricted participants to executive leadership — meaning you’re in the top tier of your organizational structure. Applications were open to women and nonbinary people who are:

• At the management head of your organization (e.g., President, Publisher, Executive Director)
• A member of the C-suite (e.g., CEO, Chief Content Officer, Chief Operating Officer)
• The top editor in your newsroom (e.g., Executive Editor, Editor in Chief)
• A Vice President or Senior VP in your organization (e.g., Senior Vice President of Digital, VP of News)
• Expecting an imminent move into one of these roles (you’re currently being recruited or looking at a promotion into one of these roles in the next six months)

Q: I’m an executive woman leader; why should I attend? What will I learn or do?
A: It can be lonely at the top. You’ve worked hard to build your career and now find yourself facing a whole new set of challenges: high-level personnel decisions, responsibility for departmental and organizational budgets, fundraising, managing people managers, navigating large-scale organizational change, management of senior leaders and/or boards, and more. And often, you’re doing this as one of a few women — or maybe the only woman — at your level in your organization, and with limited support programs and peer networks to turn to for support.

The three events in this series are meant to create the trustworthy space needed for those connections to grow. Expect to leave with advice and inspiration from other women who have been in a similar position and faced similar challenges, plus a group of other executive women who you can trust now and in whatever comes next in your career. Participants will also have access to an exclusive Slack channel for program participants to keep the conversation going between and after sessions, and we’ll explore offering other virtual ways to keep attendees connected.

Q: Can I participate if I am a nonbinary person?
A: Yes! We understand that gender identity and gender expression are personal and wide-ranging. If you are a nonbinary person and are interested in attending the Executive Women Leaders Salon, we welcome you. We are also available to talk more about the program if additional information about the dynamic of the series is helpful as you consider whether to attend. Email any questions to ONA Program Director Meghan Murphy at support@journalists.org.

Q: What did the application process involve?
A: We asked brief screening questions to determine applicants’ eligibility for the events based on their job title and seniority. Then, we sent qualified applicants a link to register and pay for the series.

Q: How does pricing work for this series?
A: Attendees should plan to be available for the entire three-part series – including the in-person conference in Philadelphia – when they apply; the events are not standalone meetups. While all executive women leaders are welcome, ONA members can sign up for the series early and at a discounted rate. For all attendees, the cost of registration includes an ONA23 conference badge. This gives attendees access to the full range of exciting programming at ONA23.

Q: What other career development events or opportunities at ONA might I be interested in?
A: At ONA23, we hosted a first-time managers workshop on Aug. 23. In fact, the focus of that entire day of the conference was career development!

You can also browse our resources archive for past sessions about career development. There’s also our Career Center, ONA’s online job board, which is open to the entire digital journalism community and offers access to hundreds of career opportunities, including fellowships and academic advancement.

Also, watch for the next round of Women’s Leadership Accelerator applications to open. This yearlong intensive program supercharges the leadership and management skills of women who are pushing digital innovation.

Q: Who can I reach out to with questions about the series?
A: Reach out to Director of Programs Meghan Murphy at support@journalists.org.

 

Founding support for this program comes from the Inasmuch Foundation. ONA is seeking additional support for this important series. To learn more about opportunities, contact Hanaa Rifaey, Head of Strategic Partnerships, at hanaa@journalists.org.