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Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media (2022)

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May 15, 2022– December 9, 2022

Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media (2022)

This competitive program has transformed the careers of more than 450 women in news media and tech. It is designed for women who directly manage people and are within their first 1-5 years of formal leadership experience.

Deadline extended! Please apply for this program by Dec. 10, 2021. 

Overview

  • Please note: If accepted into the program, a $1,095 tuition fee will be charged.
  • Travel to Poynter in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, for six days of intensive, transformational learning
  • Deeply connect with your cohort of 30 diverse women and join an alumnae group of more than 450 women leaders
  • Process feedback from your boss, direct reports and peers with a Poynter coach
  • Explore your personal communication styles as a manager
  • Chart your unique, winding career path based on how you define success
  • Accepted applicants will be placed into one of three distinct academies in 2022
  • Deadline extended! Please apply for this program by Dec. 10, 2021.

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SKU: WLEAD-22 Category: Tags: , , ,

Learning Outcomes

Each leadership academy is unique, with different instructors, new workshops and a diverse mix of participants from all over the world. We structure sessions to encourage open and candid discussion and exploration of leadership issues unique to women and gender nonconforming participants. We provide mentoring in group sessions and one on one. Key lessons will be how to:

  • Beat back imposter syndrome
  • Find better work-life chemistry
  • More effectively handle burnout and anxiety
  • Tackle difficult conversations with your boss, your peers and your direct reports
  • Navigate ethical issues in the newsroom
  • Create space for diverse talent
  • Advocate, and negotiate, for yourself and others
  • Manage through trauma and build resiliency on your team

$0.00

Apply Now

Overview

  • Please note: If accepted into the program, a $1,095 tuition fee will be charged.
  • Travel to Poynter in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, for six days of intensive, transformational learning
  • Deeply connect with your cohort of 30 diverse women and join an alumnae group of more than 450 women leaders
  • Process feedback from your boss, direct reports and peers with a Poynter coach
  • Explore your personal communication styles as a manager
  • Chart your unique, winding career path based on how you define success
  • Accepted applicants will be placed into one of three distinct academies in 2022
  • Deadline extended! Please apply for this program by Dec. 10, 2021.

Training five or more people?
Check out our custom training.

Now in its eighth year, the Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media has transformed the careers of more than 450 women in news media and tech. During a week often described as overflowing with “Poynter magic,” each participant learns to manage teams more effectively, hone and communicate their strategic vision and steer their organizations toward success. But perhaps more importantly, graduates of the Poynter Academy and ONA’s partner program, the Women’s Leadership Accelerator, join a global community of support. 

This sisterhood is established during the program through honest, candid and often vulnerable conversations, hands-on activities, formal and informal social activities, and shared experiences. Each participant’s network expands after the program as graduates from different classes network, connect online and in person, and even mentor each other.

We will once again host three women’s leadership academies, each open to 30 participants:

  • Cohort 1: May 15-20, 2022
  • Cohort 2: Sept. 18-23, 2022
  • Cohort 3: Dec 4-9, 2022

We plan to host these programs in-person at Poynter’s campus in St. Petersburg, Florida. However, if public health guidelines require the academy to be offered completely virtually, we are confident the experience will be just as robust. 

Poynter directly impacts your career

The Poynter women’s leadership training propels careers and changes lives. In a 2019 survey of graduates from our first four years of the program, we learned:

  • 73% make more money, with around half of those people making substantially more
  • 83% are tapping into the Leadership Academy cohort for ideas and support
  • 86% have more self-confidence 

Follow #PoynterWomenLeaders or #PoynterSisters to see the first hand experience of past participants.

I didn’t realize magic was happening when I was in the class. I realized it two weeks later. And I’m realizing it every day two years later. Those five days are not when your life changes. It’s the experience of those five days that end up changing your life after you’re very far from St. Petersburg.

— Dhiya Gerber, manager at Microsoft and alumna and instructor

Learn from prominent women leaders

Samantha Ragland, Poynter faculty and an alumna of the 2016 Leadership Academy for Women, directs the women’s leadership program. She specializes in developing journalists as people and professionals, reinventing local news, and advocating for diversity and inclusion. Learn more about Ragland here.

Ragland will be joined by other Poynter faculty (see below). Guest instructors and keynote speakers for 2022 will be announced closer to the seminar dates. Recent keynote speakers include:

  • Millie Tran, vice president of content strategy and growth at Condé Nast, and Stacy-Marie Ishmael, co-host of “Slate Money” and former editorial director at Texas Tribune
  • Danyel Smith, former editor of Billboard and Vibe
  • Korva Coleman, newscaster, NPR
  • Lydia Polgreen, managing director, Gimlet (formerly editor in chief of HuffPost )
  • Charo Henríquez, editor, newsroom development and support, The New York Times

For an idea of the type of guest instructors we might feature in 2022, see all of the instructors and participants from past Poynter programs.

Questions?

Here are some frequently asked questions. Check out lead faculty Samantha Ragland’s checklist for submitting a strong application. And subscribe to Poynter’s newsletter about gender in media, The Cohort. If you need more assistance, email us at info@poynter.org.

We will host three women’s leadership academies in 2022, each open to 30 participants:

  • May 15-20
  • Sept. 18-23
  • Dec. 4-9

We plan to host these programs in-person at Poynter’s campus in St. Petersburg, Florida. However, if public health guidelines require the academy to be offered completely virtually, we are confident the experience will be just as robust.

There is one application to seat all three classes in 2022; Poynter will provide plenty of notice if you are accepted. The application period is Oct. 25, 2021-Nov. 30, 2021. Deadline extended! Please apply for this program by Dec. 10, 2021.

Who should apply

This is one of Poynter’s most competitive programs. It is designed for women who directly manage people and are within their first 1-5 years of formal leadership experience. You can be an early-career journalist stepping into your third year as a manager or you can be a veteran journalist stepping into your first in management — either way, this program was created for you to become a self-aware leader and an effective manager. A cross-discipline understanding of the media landscape is a plus.

The Leadership Academy finally gave me leadership and management training — something I’d never received. And I use it every single day. I think about what I learned, I go back over my notes, I look at my personal development plan … maybe it was more than career-changing. Maybe it was a little bit life-changing too.

— Sara Konrad Baranowski, editor of the Iowa Falls Times-Citizen, alumna and instructor

English-speaking women from journalism, media and technology organizations all over the world are encouraged to apply. If you think you could benefit from this program, you should probably apply! You’ll find details about our scholarship opportunities below.

We value diversity and seek to create a rich mix of personal and professional experience in each class. A positive group dynamic is essential to the success of this program.

Participants are selected after multiple rounds of review with an emphasis on ensuring diversity across race, ethnicity, geography, age, platform/medium, organization size, and expertise. We aim to create a cohort of women from diverse career backgrounds and organizations, including TV, radio, digital-only, journalism-adjacent (such as LinkedIn and the International Women’s Media Foundation) start-ups and nonprofits.

Reviewers include a volunteer committee of program alumnae, Poynter staff and faculty. Poynter coordinates with ONA to ensure acceptance to only one leadership program for women (either Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women in Media or ONA’s Leadership Accelerator).

Review our checklist for submitting a strong application.

Cost

Tuition is $1,095 and covers six days of teaching from prominent faculty, one-on-one coaching and networking, including social activities. Participants receive a facilitated 360-degree review and will work with a certified trainer to review their personality inventory. Tuition also goes toward continued support after the academy as part of The Cohort.

Participants (or their employers) are responsible for travel costs (here’s advice about asking your boss for support).

The Poynter Institute is offering need-based tuition scholarships and travel support for U.S.-based journalists in local news, nonprofits and startups, as well as for women of color. Funding for Poynter’s women’s leadership academy currently does not support international applicants who are still encouraged to apply but, if accepted, must be able to pay tuition and travel expenses.

Please note: If accepted into the program, a $1,095 tuition fee will be charged.

Instructors

Lead Faculty

  • Samantha Ragland
    Faculty
    A Southerner to the core, Samantha Ragland is a Poynter faculty member. Her portfolio includes the Leadership Academy for Women in Media and the Poynter-Koch...
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Guest Faculty

  • Kristen Hare
    Faculty, The Poynter Institute
    Kristen Hare covers and teaches on the transformation of local news for the Poynter Institute. Her work for Poynter has earned her a Mirror Award...
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  • Kelly McBride
    Senior Vice President and Chair of Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership
    Kelly McBride is a writer, teacher and one of the country’s leading voices when it comes to media ethics. She has been on the faculty...
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  • Doris Truong
    Director of Training and Diversity
    Doris Truong is Poynter's director of training and diversity. Her portfolio includes helping newsrooms better cover their communities and providing the resources to recruit, retain...
    Read More

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