The Online News Association (ONA) is excited to announce Niketa Patel as its new Executive Director/CEO, effective March 31. Niketa is an accomplished digital journalist and widely respected expert in audience engagement, strategic partnerships and product development. She brings more than two decades of experience enabling digital innovation through local and national newsrooms, the technology sector and executive education programs.
Niketa Patel
Niketa joins ONA at a pivotal moment for the journalism community. The list of challenges is long and growing: government attacks on press freedom, risks in the mainstreaming of AI tools, the complexities of climate reporting and financial sustainability, to name a few. The time to cultivate innovation-minded leadership and strong collaborations across the industry is now. As Executive Director/CEO, Niketa will champion ONA’s mission to convene and support changemakers in journalism, serving a diverse membership that represents all news functions and expertise—from reporters to product specialists, newsroom managers, and independent creators. With a focus on strategy and program excellence, she will lead the team to build on ONA’s 25-year history as the home for digital news pioneers and strengthen partnerships to amplify its impact.
Charo Henríquez, ONA Board President and Editor, Newsroom Development and Support, at The New York Times said:
“The Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome Niketa Patel as ONA’s new Executive Director/CEO. Niketa’s impressive professional journey in news, tech platforms and academia, her deep ties and long term commitment to ONA and her unwavering support of our community make her the ideal person to lead our organization into this next chapter.”
“For over 25 years ONA has been the place and community where news and technology innovators gather to work together on solutions to the challenges our industry faces and will face. We see and find opportunities to carry on the core mission and values of journalism into the future and Niketa embodies that ethos. Her leadership will be instrumental in guiding the organization.”
Niketa Patel, incoming ONA Executive Director/CEO, shared:
“To say that I’m ecstatic to lead ONA at such a crucial time in journalism is an understatement! As a member of our vibrant community for over 20 years and board member for the past 6 years, ONA has been quintessential to my career. This organization has been foundational to me through the countless convenings I have attended in-person and online by broadening my knowledge and skills, and for helping my network to flourish. I’m so excited and deeply honored to serve our incredible community, alongside our powerhouse team and Board of Directors.”
A look at some of the work ONA will focus on in 2025 under Niketa’s leadership:
- Gather 2,000 community members in person to explore three areas that will impact every role in journalism: artificial intelligence, climate change, and resilience.
- Host regular virtual training and community conversations to advance collaboration around emerging issues and trends.
- Convene a leadership summit focused on AI and culture change in newsrooms.
- Deliver training for all levels of experience with AI, from beginner to advanced, and for all journalism industry roles.
- Roll out ONA’s 2030 strategic plan, a vision and roadmap to meet the evolving needs of ONA members and the journalism field.
Niketa comes to ONA from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. As Senior Director of Leadership Programs, she led the school’s flagship Executive Program in News Innovation & Leadership and other initiatives aimed at training journalists and newsroom managers to drive change. Before that, Niketa spearheaded editorial partnerships at The 19th and was the driving force for Twitter’s partnerships with print and digital news organizations in the U.S. She started her career as a digital journalist in local news and national outlets, including Florida Times-Union, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CBS News, ABC News and CNN.
Niketa is a longtime member of ONA and served on the Board of Directors for six years, including as Secretary and most recently Vice President. She has stepped down from her board position to assume the role as ONA’s Executive Director/CEO.
The ONA board appointed Niketa following a nationwide search. She succeeds LaSharah S. Bunting, ONA’s most recent Executive Director/CEO and now Vice President for the nonprofit newsroom The 19th. Hanaa Rifaey, who served as ONA’s interim leader, is transitioning back to her role as Head of Strategic Partnerships.
There will be many opportunities to connect with Niketa online and in person in the coming weeks and months, including at next week’s International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ), happening March 27-28 in Austin, Texas. For regular updates about upcoming events with ONA, subscribe to the ONA Weekly newsletter and join the ONA Community Slack.
For media queries, contact ONA Director of Communications Karolle Rabarison at karolle@journalists.org.