Three leaders participate in prestigious programs with AAJA funding support
The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is thrilled to announce the first cohort of its Simon and June Li Leadership Transformation Fellowship, a unique program that supports the best and the brightest Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) journalists to accelerate their media leadership and entrepreneurial journeys.
With the support of AAJA, three leaders, Barbara Chai, AAJA ELP alum, Jin Ding, AAJA’s former vice president of finance and Convention Programming Committee chair, and Vandana Kumar, 2024 AAJA Community Awardee, will participate in leading media programs and develop innovative ways to help shape the future of journalism.
Barbara Chai and Vandana Kumar are participating in the Media Transformation Challenge at the Poynter Institute, a yearlong leadership program designed to help media executives create meaningful change in their organizations. Jin Ding is participating in Columbia University’s Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program, a five-month program that equips leaders with the tools to develop and implement strategic solutions in their newsrooms.
“I am so grateful and honored to be one of the inaugural recipients. With this support, I will be a fellow in the intensive, yearlong Media Transformation Challenge at Poynter Institute,” Chai said. “I look forward to applying the rich experience to my work at The New York Times, and to my membership in AAJA.”
Fellows join a tight-knit community of AAPI journalism leaders, taking the next steps in their careers to create meaningful change in the industry and advance diverse storytelling and voices.
“The Simon and June Li Leadership Transformation Fellowship is a force multiplier, not only supporting newsroom leaders’ growth, but making real-time impact in real-life newsroom challenges. AAJA is thankful to the Lis for their investment in newsroom leaders,” said AAJA Executive Director Naomi Tacuyan Underwood. “We are so excited to be able to uplift Barbara, Jin, and Vandana in their leadership journeys, as they work towards meaningful and innovative solutions for newsrooms and the audiences their newsrooms serve.”
Fellows will be joined by other cohort members as AAJA continues to accept applications to the 2025 Simon and June Li Leadership Transformation Fellowship. The Fellowship also provides funding to support participants in our Executive Leadership Program (ELP). Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
