PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 7, 2026) — The Poynter Institute today announced the newest cohort of its Essential Skills leadership program, bringing together journalists and newsroom leaders from around the world for an intensive training experience focused on leadership, strategy and communication.
The Essential Skills program is designed for emerging and established leaders navigating the rapidly evolving demands of today’s newsrooms. Through hands-on sessions, participants build critical skills in decision-making, team leadership and organizational impact.
This program is designed to give you the skills to be a stellar leader,” said Tony Elkins. “Participants will leave with the tools to make stronger decisions, understand their own strengths and how to communicate more effectively – whether it’s giving praise or having difficult conversations with their teams.”
The 2026 cohort brings together journalists from leading news organizations across the U.S. and around the world.
Members of the 2026 Essential Skills cohort include:
Alejandra Armstrong, audience engagement editor, Cityside Journalism Initiative
Liliana Colantuoni, duopoly executive producer, NBC/Telemundo
Vishakha Darbha, audio producer, The New York Times
Leah Dunn, executive producer, special projects, WSBTV
Sidni Espinosa, social content and strategy manager, Democracy Docket
Justin Glowacki, reporter and team leader, Roy Howard Community Journalism Center
Sarah Gonzalez, editor-in-chief, Agri-Pulse Communications
Melissa Hart, editor, Adirondack Explorer
Brittany Kaufman, senior editor, University of Notre Dame
Lauren Lee, digital content producer, Hearst Television
Lauren Leibowitz, copy chief, opinion, The New York Times
Taylor Liberti, content desk manager, WHEV-TV
Hannah Loredo, membership manager, City Cast
Zeke Miller, deputy Washington bureau chief, The Associated Press
Megan Pacer, digital audience producer, Anchorage Daily News
La Shawn Pagán, reporter, Charlottesville Tomorrow
Krutika Pathi, UK and Ireland news director, The Associated Press
Astrid Randrup, editor, DR News
Laura Santhanam, health editor, Mississippi Today
Chelsea Sheasley, deputy national news editor, The Christian Science Monitor
Jadriena Solomon, journalist and senior editor, The Shade Room
Erik von Ancken, manager of content and coverage, WKMG-TV (CBS) Orlando News 6
Amanda Yeager, managing editor, Baltimore Business Journal
Curtis Yee, head of live blogs, The Associated Press
Participants will engage with Poynter faculty and industry experts in sessions that emphasize practical application, peer learning and real-world newsroom challenges.
The Essential Skills program is part of Poynter’s broader commitment to strengthening journalism through training, leadership development and innovation.
To learn more about Poynter’s leadership programs, visit poynter.org.
Media Contact
Jennifer Orsi
Vice President, Publishing and Local News Initiatives
Jorsi@poynter.org
About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute is a global nonprofit working to address society’s most pressing issues by teaching journalists and journalism, covering the media and the complexities facing the industry, convening and community building, improving the capacity and sustainability of news organizations and fostering trust and reliability of information. The Institute is a gold standard in journalistic excellence and dedicated to the preservation and advancement of press freedom in democracies worldwide. Through Poynter, journalists, newsrooms, businesses, big tech corporations and citizens convene to find solutions that promote trust and transparency in news and stoke meaningful public discourse. The world’s top journalists and emerging media leaders rely on the Institute to learn new skills, adopt best practices, better serve audiences, scale operations and improve the quality of the universally shared information ecosystem.
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