Meet the 2023 Cohort

26 leaders in digital journalism selected by the Women’s Leadership Accelerator review committee for a transformative, yearlong program of leadership training, coaching and support.

Meet the Cohort

The Women’s Leadership Accelerator is a yearlong intensive program that supercharges the leadership and management skills of women who are pushing digital innovation. Each year we welcome a cohort of women representing a range of backgrounds, expertise and newsrooms around the globe.


About the Program

The Women’s Leadership Accelerator offers an intensive program of mentoring, discussion and learning from some of the top minds in digital media. Participants work closely with mentors on challenges unique to their careers and also receive support and coaching from ONA throughout the year.

The 2023 accelerator provides:

  • Virtual hello meeting in March, individual virtual welcome coaching between March and April, and an in-person cohort workshop in April/May; focused on hands-on personal and professional work; candid discussions about leadership, work-life balance and problem-solving in the newsroom; deep dives on developing leadership and management skills; and one-on-one coaching from industry leaders
  • A year of check-ins and practical, targeted guidance and personal coaching on individual challenges
  • Registration to the 2023 Online News Association Conference (#ONA23)
  • Closing workshop for the cohort in August, coinciding with ONA23
  • The opportunity to be a part of a cohort of peers to serve as a strong career-long support system

Timeline:

  • Oct. 21, 2022: Applications open
  • Nov. 10, 2022: Applications close at 11:59 p.m. EST (4:59 UTC)
  • February/March 2023: Cohort announced
  • Week of March 9: Hello Meeting for 2023 cohort (virtual)
  • March/April 2023: Individual welcome coaching (virtual)
  • May 2023: In-person workshop in Chicago
  • Aug. 23, 2023: Closing workshop during ONA23 in Philadelphia

Supporters

The 2023 Women’s Leadership Accelerator is supported by lead funder Dow Jones Foundation, with additional funding from the Inasmuch Foundation, The American Press Institute, The New York Times, Storyful — in honor of Mandy Jenkins, who devoted her life to uplifting and empowering women in journalism — and the Tiffany Shackelford Foundation.
Dow Jones Foundation

We seek funders for each new program and have several opportunities to support this program as well as our other year-round programs for women in digital news leadership. To learn more about supporting the programs, contact Jessica Strelitz, Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer, at jessica@journalists.org.

Past Programs

The Women's Leadership program began in 2015 and has evolved to be a year-long cohort experience. Learn about the past programs, including previous cohorts, speakers, sponsors and programming.

News and Updates

Introducing the 2023 cohort of the Women’s Leadership Accelerator

The Online News Association is excited to announce the 2023 cohort of the Women’s Leadership Accelerator (#ONAWLA). The accelerator is an intensive program of mentoring, discussion and learning from some … Read more.

Introducing the 2022 cohort of the Women’s Leadership Accelerator

The Online News Association (ONA) is honored to introduce the 2022 cohort of the Women’s Leadership Accelerator (#ONAWLA). The accelerator is a yearlong program designed to advance leadership and management skills through … Read more.

Leadership conversations with women in journalism — a special virtual series with the Women’s Leadership Accelerator

We are excited to bring you a new series of leadership conversations inspired by the Women’s Leadership Accelerator. The accelerator is a yearlong, cohort-based program that supercharges the leadership and management … Read more.

Introducing the 2021 Women’s Leadership Accelerator cohort, speakers and mentors

The Online News Association is pleased to introduce the 2021 cohort of the Women’s Leadership Accelerator, plus 16 phenomenal digital media leaders confirmed to serve as speakers and mentors during … Read more.

Past Speakers

The accelerator has featured an array of industry leaders and inspirational voices to shepherd our cohorts through their time in the program.

Editor-in-Chief
Teen Vogue
Chief Program Officer
Solutions Journalism Network
Executive Director
Outlier Media
Editor-In-Chief
The 19th

Learn More

Contact us at accelerator@journalists.org to learn more about opportunities to connect with the Accelerator.

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