INMA today announced the 16 professionals selected for the fourth cohort of its North American Emerging Leaders Programme, recognising rising talent poised to help shape the future of the news media industry.

Representing some of North America’s leading news media companies, the 2026 cohort brings together professionals working across audience growth, subscriptions, retention, acquisition, CRM, lifecycle marketing, analytics, and consumer revenue.

Participants were nominated by senior leaders within their organisations and selected by INMA’s North American Board of Directors based on their leadership potential, professional achievements, and commitment to advancing the news media industry.

“The future success of news media depends on the people who will lead our companies through the next decade of transformation,” said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “This programme recognises talented professionals already making an impact today while helping them build the relationships, perspective, and leadership skills that will benefit both their organisations and our industry.”

The North American Emerging Leaders Programme was created to foster a community of rising leaders across INMA member companies. Through peer networking, executive engagement, industry learning, and mentorship opportunities, the programme connects future leaders with colleagues facing similar opportunities and challenges across the media landscape.

A distinguishing feature of the programme is the direct involvement of INMA North American Board members, who lead each cohort and serve as mentors, facilitators, and industry guides throughout the programme. The 2026 consumer revenue cohort is led by Kelli Dakake, vice president of digital subscriptions at Hearst Newspapers, and Laurie Truitt, head of digital subscriptions and growth at Reuters.

Running through October, the programme combines monthly virtual sessions with industry leaders, a private peer community, professional recognition, and access to INMA’s educational resources and global network.

Participants receive complimentary access to an INMA master class, engage in cohort discussions through a dedicated community platform, and connect directly with senior leaders from news media organisations across North America.

The Emerging Leaders Programme has become one of INMA’s signature talent development initiatives. Previous cohorts have focused on consumer revenue, product, and advertising, creating a growing network of emerging leaders who are helping drive innovation and transformation throughout the news media industry.

The 2026 consumer revenue cohort includes:

Advance Local

• Craig Valenz, senior director of e-mail and newsletter marketing.

Bloomberg

• Janey Sherlock, marketing manager, CRM.

• Lily Stern, marketing manager, growth.

• Leonard Scott, senior subscriber marketing manager.

The Boston Globe

• Ryan McVeigh, senior director of consumer revenue.

Hearst

• Evy Camacho, senior manager/engagement and retention.

MediaNews Group

• Stephanie Dill, marketer.

Newsday

• Prachi Tripathi, senior data scientist.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

• Madison Messics, associate manager of revenue generation.

Reuters

• Maggie Anderson, senior manager/subscriptions acquisition.

• Karun Makwana, manager/lifecycle marketing and retention.

Torstar

• Alice Ardal, senior manager/print ePaper and NIE.

• Danielle Gates, senior manager/subscriber engagement and email management.

• Alex Liebold, manager/digital acquisition.

The Washington Post

• Kelsey Burnham, acquisition manager.

• Matthew Fusco, senior manager/marketing operations.

The Emerging Leaders Programme reflects INMA’s commitment to strengthening the leadership pipeline for the news media industry at a time of unprecedented change in audience behaviour, technology, business models, and consumer expectations.

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