Women’s Leadership Accelerator 2018

The Women’s Leadership Accelerator is an intensive program that supercharges the leadership and management skills of women who are pushing digital innovation. The tuition-free program kicks off with a week of tailored, immersive programming for 25 promising women leaders at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. ONA provides support and coaching to participants throughout the year; the program culminates with a workshop at ONA’s annual conference.

These 25 women leaders were selected from a pool of nearly more than 400 applicants to attend the 2018 Women’s Leadership Accelerator. Throughout the year, they worked with some of the top minds in digital media to tackle challenges specific to their careers.

The Accelerator was held Feb. 25-March 2, 2018 at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Freelance journalist, Coordinator of Agencia Ocote
Agencia Ocote
Executive Editor
The Globe and Mail
Product Manager
The Washington Post
APAC Editorial Manager, Product Writing
Netflix
General Editor, Strategic Analytics
ESPN's The Undefeated
Video Journalist
McClatchy
Executive Producer of Video
POLITICO
Senior Director of Audience
Alabama Media Group
Director, Quartz Bot Studio
Quartz
Editorial Manager
Telemundo/ NBC Universal
Head of Leadership Development
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Chief Revenue Officer
The Tyee
Podcast and Multimedia Editor
Honolulu Civil Beat
Vice President of Podcasting
The Podglomerate
Founder/CEO
LWC Studios
Senior Enterprise Editor
NBC News Digital
Deputy Editor, News Desk
The New York Times
Senior Manager, HubSpot for Nonprofits
Hubspot
Managing Editor/Content Director
EducationNC
Pittsburgh Pirates Reporter
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Video Journalist
The New York Times
Director of Audience
Vox
Science Editor
The Christian Science Monitor
News Video Producer
Mic Network
Head of Audience Engagement
BBC

The Women’s Leadership Accelerator provided:

  • A week of 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; inspiring visits to digital media organizations; and one-on-one mentoring from some of the top women leaders in digital journalism, Feb. 25-March 2, 2018 at USC Annenberg.
  • A year of check-ins and practical, targeted guidance and personal coaching on individual challenges.
  • Registration, travel and accommodations for the Online News Association Conference in Washington, D.C.
  • Workshops tailored to the needs of the cohort, including a half-day workshop for women in the program during ONA18.
  • The opportunity to be a part of a cohort of peers to serve as a strong career-long support system.

2018 Speakers and Mentors

The 2018 Accelerator connected the cohort to a range of prominent speakers and mentors, including:

Thanks to the generous support of lead funder, the Dow Jones Foundation, and supporting funders Knight Foundation, Google, Facebook, WordPress.com VIP, the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau, the Women’s Leadership Accelerator training is tuition-free. ONA also is grateful to the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, our host for the Accelerator program.