Sitara Nieves

Sitara Nieves is the Vice President of Teaching and Organizational Strategy at Poynter, where she sets strategy and oversees programs to train thousands of journalists and newsroom leaders each year across leadership, management, craft, innovation, emerging technology like AI, and newsroom sustainability. Dedicated to advancing excellence in journalism in service of democracy, Nieves leads transformative training and professional development initiatives for newsrooms across the United States and around the world. 

Nieves is a sought-after trainer, consultant and facilitator. As co-lead of Poynter’s Digital Transformation Program, Nieves worked directly with more than 150 CEOs and public media stations on organizational strategy, revenue diversification, and sustainable business models. She also co-led the Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative, working with newsroom managers and leaders on editorial standards, organizational structure, and leadership development.

Nieves regularly coaches and consults with media organizations on organizational strategy, conflict resolution and sustainability efforts. She facilitated the revision of PBS’s editorial standards, adopted in 2025, leading a PBS Board Committee and outside experts in an 18-month process. Her approach combines strategic analysis with practical implementation support, drawing on her experience implementing strategies rather than just recommending them.

An award-winning journalist, Nieves previously served as Executive Director of On Demand for Marketplace/American Public Media, where she significantly expanded Marketplace’s digital audience and revenue through innovative podcasts, newsletters, and on-demand audio and video products. Nieves’ prior roles at Marketplace included leading Marketplace’s newsroom, and serving as executive producer of Marketplace’s broadcast shows. While at Marketplace, Nieves managed multiple partnerships, including with the BBC, New York Times, ProPublica, and an Emmy award-winning collaboration with FRONTLINE.

Before joining Marketplace, Nieves spent four years at WNYC, focusing on radio and digital strategy while managing key partnerships with the BBC and the New York Times. She also worked for The Economist, where she wrote, launched podcasts, and developed video series. Nieves taught audio storytelling to graduate students at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, drawing on her early career experience as a reporter and photographer.

Nieves served as the Chair of the Pulitzer Prize jury in Audio Reporting in 2022 and was a 2018 Fellow at Columbia University’s Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program, later housed at Poynter as the Media Transformation Challenge. She is a certified workplace mediator and trainer in conflict resolution, and a certified leadership and performance coach. Nieves also serves on the Selection Board for the Poynter Prizes for Excellence in Journalism. She lives in Los Angeles with her family, though can be often found at Poynter in St. Petersburg.