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.
The application period for the 2023 Women's Leadership Accelerator is now closed. All application materials were due by 11:59 p.m. EST (4:59 UTC) on Thursday, November 10, 2022.
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 (1-2 hours, virtual)
- March/April 2023: Individual welcome coaching (virtual)
- April/May 2023: In-person workshop in Chicago (exact dates to be confirmed)
- Aug. 22, 2023: Closing workshop during ONA23 in Philadelphia
Meet the 2022 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.
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.
Supporters
Events
We created these online sessions based on feedback from hundreds of women who’ve participated in our events and programs. Registration to access the recordings is by a pay-what-you-can model and supports ONA initiatives for women in leadership throughout the year, including the tuition-free accelerator. More talks from our 2020 event series are also available on-demand.
Join us for a conversation about strategies for demonstrating the value and impact of your ideas and your team’s vision. You’ll hear from a panel of women who have led … Read more.
Imposter syndrome is not only an individual feeling many women grapple with, it’s a systemic problem across many industries. Join us for this conversation on how to tackle the challenges … Read more.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In this discussion, you’ll hear from a diverse panel of senior-level women addressing challenges encountered on the path to leadership and how … Read more.
Get inspired by women in journalism who are leading the charge. From launching new businesses to bringing an entrepreneurial mindset to their organizations, these women are energizing the journalism industry, … Read more.
News and Updates
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.
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.
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.
If you are a woman in digital journalism who is looking for career support this year, I hope you apply to the 2021 Women’s Leadership Accelerator. You deserve a network … Read more.
Learning
We’ve heard from women all over the world who are looking for more support and guidance as they move through their careers. Through ONA’s Women’s Leadership Accelerator, we’ve connected women … Learn about this subject.
Motherhood is too often dismissed as a fluffy topic for lifestyle pages, rather than one in dire need of serious reporting on its intersections with healthcare, economics, public policy, gender … Learn about this subject.
Women and communities of color are underserved and underrepresented in digital news, as with every other major institution and field of work. What they need and demand is nothing more … Learn about this subject.
Get tips on managing up, down or just managing yourself, from fellow women digital news leaders. This session will explore tips for women in the newsroom with a candid discussion … Learn about this subject.
Past Speakers
The accelerator has featured an array of industry leaders and inspirational voices to shepherd our cohorts through their time in the program.
Learn More
Contact us at accelerator@journalists.org to learn more about opportunities to connect with the Accelerator.