Chairman & CEO, McClatchy
Sacramento, Ca.
Tony Hunter is Chairman and CEO of McClatchy. He is an accomplished operating executive with extensive experience successfully leading large scale media organizations. He joined the Tribune Company in 1994, rising the ranks to Chief Executive Officer of Tribune Publishing and Publisher of the Chicago Tribune, a role he held from 2008 to 2016.
Publisher, Newsday Media Group, LLC
Melville, NY
Ms. Debby Krenek serves as Publisher at Newsday Media Group. Krenek joined Newsday in 2001 as associate editor for special projects, including the creation of a Newsday website for New York City. She was promoted to managing editor three years later and was named editor-in-chief and executive vice president of digital media in 2009. She had been serving as Co-Publisher since June 2016.
Earlier in her career, Krenek served as managing editor for features and editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News. She directed the News’ coverage of the Abner Louima police brutality case, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. She also worked at the Dallas Times Herald and Corpus Christi Caller-Times, both in her native Texas.
SVP, Chief of Staff to the CEO, The New York Times
New York, NY
Rebecca Grossman-Cohen is the Chief of Staff to Meredith Kopit Levien, CEO of The New York Times. She has been at The Times since 2014 as a leader in the marketing department, helping to build and accelerate the success of the digital subscription business. As Chief of Staff she runs the office of the CEO, and leads relationships and strategic work with big platform partners including Google, Facebook, Apple.
Executive Vice President, General Manager of Magazine Operations, Dotdash Meredith
Des Moines, Ia.
Mike Riggs is Executive Vice President and General Manager of Magazine Operations. He oversees all aspects of print operations for the company’s magazine portfolio, including circulation, production, finance, consumer distribution, and premium publishing. Mike joined Meredith in 2007 as Senior Vice President of Finance, overseeing the financial operations for all of Meredith’s magazine brands, books and integrated marketing operations.
Mike earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from North Dakota State University.
Director, Gannett Co., Inc.
McLean, Va.
Barbara was named Chief Legal Officer in 2015 and also served as interim chief operating officer in 2019. She had served as the company’s Vice President & Senior Associate General Counsel since 2009 and joined the legal staff of Gannett in 1985. Barbara has represented Gannett’s interests on a variety of issues.
President & CEO, Adams Publishing Group
Minneapolis, Minn.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minn., Mark Adams attended the London School of Economics and graduated from Tufts University. He also has an MBA and an MS in communications from Boston University. Following a 20-year stint in a Boston-based private equity firm specializing in media, Adams became a consultant for various publishing businesses regarding sales and marketing management, circulation strategies, finance and restructuring, and content and digital development. In late 2013, with backing from his family, Adams launched APG.
Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Postmedia Network Canada Corp.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ms. Akai joined Postmedia’s predecessor company in 2006 and added corporate secretarial duties to her legal affairs responsibilities in 2010. She was appointed Postmedia’s Chief Administrative Officer in February 2018, adding to her existing role as General Counsel which she has held since November 2016. Ms. Akai is responsible for Postmedia’s legal and regulatory affairs, corporate governance, human resources and risk management.
President and Chief Operating Officer, California Times
Los Angeles, CA
Chris Argentieri is President of California Times, which includes the Los Angeles Times. He was appointed President of California Times in November 2019. He retains the title of COO. Argentieri joined the Los Angeles Times in late 2014 as general manager and has served as Chief Operating Officer since June 2018.
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Trib Total Media and 535media
Pittsburgh, PA
Jennifer Bertetto is the the President and CEO of Trib Total Media and 535media in Pittsburgh, Pa. She also serves as the Chairworman for the Trib’s family of companies.
Under her leadership, the Trib has been named the “Best Overall Newspaper” by the Keystone Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for four of the last five years. The Trib is also a three-time Emmy winner and the recipient of a national Edward R. Murrow award for best feature.
In 2022, she was named “Publisher of the Year” by Editor and Publisher.
She is a 1997 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and holds certificates in Strategic Management and Leadership and Management from The Wharton School.
In addition to her board roles with Trib Total Media, she is the chairwoman of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, vice president of the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, a member of the Board of Trustees for Westminster College, and a board member of WAN-IFRA.
President, Hearst Magazines
New York, NY
Debi Chirichella is senior vice president of Hearst and president of Hearst Magazines, one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, with more than 25 brands in the U.S. and nearly 250 international magazine editions, after serving as executive vice president, chief financial officer and director of global operations for Hearst Magazines. Chirichella is a member of the Hearst board of directors.
Earlier in her career, Chirichella held several high-level planning, finance and operations roles at Primedia, and most recently, she served as CFO/COO at Prometheus Global Media.
Chirichella is a graduate of Princeton University and received her master’s degree in business from Harvard University. She currently resides in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, with her husband and three children.
Chief Operating Officer, McClatchy Company
Sacramento, Cal.
Jeffrey K. Dorsey is Chief Operating Officer for McClatchy Company, a Sacramento CA, based publishing company operating several newspapers and digital based assets. Mr. Dorsey started his employment with McClatchy in September 2020 serving as SVP of Transformation. Prior to starting with McClatchy, Mr. Dorsey was President of Dass Inc, a management/technology consulting and solutions delivery firm.
Chief of Print Operations, The Washington Post Company
Washington, D.C.
Gregg Fernandes is Chief of Print Operations for The Washington Post Company. He has more than 29 years of experience in the newspaper industry and has worked in all capacities of Circulation and Marketing.
Gregg is responsible for all aspects of The Washington Post’s relationship with its customers, including consumer marketing, delivery operations and customer service.
Gregg and his wife, Roslyn have two children: Caitlyn and Michael.
Chairman and CEO, Tampa Bay Times
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Conan Gallaty is CEO of Tampa Bay Times - Times Publishing Co. In this role, he has overall responsibility for the business operations of the company, including advertising, circulation and operations.
Prior to his current role, Conan was Chief Digital Officer for the Tampa Bay Times and Executive Vice President of Times Publishing Company. He oversaw all digital strategy, development and IT infrastructure. Prior to Times Publishing Company, he was President of Digital for WEHCO Media, Inc., directing all internet operations, editorial and sales for WEHCO’s 14 daily newspapers, 11 digital agencies and cable systems across six states.
Deputy CFO – Gannett
McLean, Va.
Trisha is currently the Deputy CFO of Gannett, the largest newspaper company in the U.S. and one of the country’s largest media companies. Trisha has over 20 years of experience in finance, currently overseeing the data, investor relations, financial planning and analysis and strategy of the company. She partners with senior leaders to drive the growth, innovation, and sustainability of Gannett’s diverse portfolio of brands, products, and services.
CEO and Publisher, Star Tribune Media Company, LLC
Minneapolis, Minn.
Steve Grove is CEO and Publisher of Star Tribune. Previously, he was Gov. Tim Walz’s commissioner of employment and economic development, where he led the administration’s efforts to grow and protect the Minnesota economy and its workers through a dynamic and challenging four years in state history. Prior to that, Grove spent 12 years as an executive at Alphabet’s Google and most recently was the founding director of the Google News Lab, which was developed to help media companies and startups drive innovation in the news industry.
SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Dotdash Meredith
New York, NY
Jeff Hartwig is the SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Dotdash Meredith, America's largest publisher. Dotdash Meredith's over 40 brands help 200 million people each month make decisions, take action, and find inspiration, across iconic brands like PEOPLE, FOOD & WINE, The Spruce, Allrecipes, Byrdie, REAL SIMPLE, Investopedia, and more.
Jeff holds a JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a B.A. degree in French from San Francisco State University.
Publisher and CEO, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia, Penn.
As Publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Hughes brings to the role an impressive track record, having successfully transitioned an iconic print brand into a multi-platform, profitable business. Hughes is the first woman Publisher and Chief Executive Officer in The Inquirer’s 190-year history.
Hughes is known as a skilled business executive who values and respects journalism.
Senior Vice President, Hearst - President, Hearst Newspapers
New York, NY
Jeffrey M. Johnson is a senior vice president of Hearst and the president and group head of Hearst Newspapers. Johnson previously served as the publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle. He came to the Chronicle in 2013 after a 25-year career in publishing, including serving as president, publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times, and six years of work in private equity at the Yucaipa Companies. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and undergraduate accounting degree from the University of Illinois.
Journalist, Co-Founder, URL Media
New York, NY
S. Mitra Kalita is a veteran journalist, media executive, prolific commentator and author of two books. Once described as “wonderfully blunt” by CNN anchor Brian Stelter, she is a change agent, loves writing headlines and framing stories, and blends digital strategy and audience-centric approaches while advocating for diversity and better management of our newsrooms. Recently, she launched Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter to help New Yorkers get through the pandemic. Mitra has also recently co-founded a new media company called URL Media, a network of Black and Brown owned media organizations that share content, distribution and revenues to increase their long-term sustainability.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Trusted Media Brands
White Plains, NY
Bonnie Kintzer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of TMB (Trusted Media Brands), the world’s leading community-driven entertainment company powered by content that’s inspired and created by its fans. Authentic to the core, TMB shines the spotlight on amazing people and moments to fuel the passions and pastimes of more than 200 million consumers worldwide.
TMB’s properties include FailArmy, The Pet Collective, Taste of Home, Family Handyman, Reader’s Digest, People are Awesome, Birds & Blooms and WeatherSpy. The company reaches more than 250 million social media users and delivers more than two billion minutes of monthly video viewership across streaming TV and social media.
Kintzer, who holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Clark University, is Chairperson of the Reader’s Digest Foundation. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Thryv (Nasdaq: THRY) and SilverSpac (Nasdaq:SLVRU).
Executive Vice President, New Media & General Counsel, Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC
Boston, Mass.
Dan Krockmalnic is the Executive Vice President, New Media & General Counsel of Boston Globe Media Partners, the publisher of The Boston Globe and STAT, the world's leading source for health, medicine, and life sciences news. As the Globe's General Counsel since 2017, Dan oversees all legal affairs, including newsroom, labor, intellectual property, privacy, and litigation matters.
Dan was named Executive Vice President of New Media in 2020. In this role, Dan has company-wide business-side oversight for developing projects for television, film, podcasts, and other media.
Prior to joining the Globe, Dan worked at the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, the Boston law firm of Ropes & Gray, and as a law clerk in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. Dan was born in Bucharest, Romania, and emigrated with his parents to the USA as an infant on a refugee visa. His family settled in Boston, where years later his first job was as a paperboy for the Globe. He first appeared in its pages as a high school Globe All- Scholastic in track and field, and went on to attend Harvard College (magna cum laude, 2002) and Columbia Law School (2006). He now lives outside of Boston with his wife, Tamar Dor-Ner, and two sons, Felix and Gideon.
Chief Executive Officer, Condé Nast
New York, NY
Roger Lynch is the CEO of Condé Nast, a global media company producing the highest quality content with a footprint of more than 1 billion consumers in 32 markets worldwide on all platforms available today, including print, digital, video and social. The company’s portfolio includes many of the world’s most respected and influential brands including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Self, GQ, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, Allure, AD, Bon Appétit, and Wired, among others.
Prior to joining Condé Nast, Lynch served as President and CEO of Pandora, the U.S.’s largest streaming music service. While at Pandora, Lynch quickly refocused the business on key growth, transformation and investment initiatives to accelerate revenue and generate positive returns. Under his leadership in 2018, Pandora doubled its prior year’s revenue growth rate and grew subscription revenue nearly 50%. As a result, Pandora’s share price grew 68% in 2018, higher than all but two companies in the S&P 500.
Previously, as the founding CEO of Sling TV, Lynch led the creation, launch and scaling of Sling TV, the No. 1 U.S. over-the-top television service that delivers the best of live sports, news and entertainment to broadband-connected devices. Sling TV earned numerous awards for its launch at the 2015 International CES, including the show’s top honors, “Best of CES 2015, Overall Winner.”
Prior to joining DISH, Lynch served as Chairman and CEO of Video Networks International, Ltd., an IPTV technology company in the United Kingdom. While at Video Networks he won an Emmy for Scamp, an on-demand children’s channel, and a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and The Arts) for V:MX, a collection of on-demand music video channels. He also previously served as President and CEO of Chello Broadband N.V., a broadband Internet service provider with operations in ten European countries. Previously, Lynch was a technology investment banker with Morgan Stanley in New York, Silicon Valley and London. He began his career as a member of the physics technical staff at the Hughes Aircraft Company.
Lynch currently serves on the Board of Directors of Condé Nast, Mattel, Inc., and the Partnership for New York City. He is also a member of the Champions of Change Coalition, the Board of Overseers of the Tuck School at Dartmouth College and the Board of Councilors of the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California. He received his Master of Business Administration with the highest distinction from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Southern California.
President & CEO, Forum Communications Company
Fargo, ND
Bill is CEO of Forum Communications Company, a family-owned media company based in Fargo, ND, which operates more than 75 daily, monthly and weekly print titles with 48 web sites, four ABC television stations, AM radio and a commercial printing division. Twenty years ago, Inforum.com was one of the first fully integrated television, newspaper and radio web sites in the country.
Chief Executive Officer, DallasNews Corporation
Dallas, TX
Grant is currently the CEO of DallasNews Corporation, and President and Publisher of The Dallas Morning News. In his role, Grant is responsible for all core functions instrumental in delivering one of the nation’s best daily local news media reports combined with excellent customer service.
Before his return to The Dallas Morning News in 2008, Grant was the Vice President of Direct Channel Sales for Tribune Media Net. In his role at The Tribune, Grant oversaw all advertising that came through traditional media buying channels which included direct business or advertising bought through full service advertising agencies.
In addition to Grant’s direct responsibilities, he also sits on the boards of: Neeley School of Business Advisory Board at TCU, and Providence Christian School of Texas and is a member of The Dallas Citizens Council.
Grant is a graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. He also has an MBA from Texas Christian University.
Grant is married to his wife, Katie, and they have two daughters, Macy and Lyle and a son, Reid.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Lee Enterprises
Davenport, Iowa
Kevin Mowbray was elected president and chief executive officer in 2016, having served as executive vice president and chief operating officer since 2013. He previously was publisher of Lee’s largest newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, since 2006.
Kevin is active in many civic and industry organizations. His charitable and civic involvement includes serving on the board of directors of Ladue Education Foundation, The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis, Regional Business Council, St. Louis Regional Chamber, St. Louis Sports Commission, St. Louis Variety, and Old Newsboys Day Children’s Charity. He is a journalism graduate of Western Illinois University. Kevin and his wife, Linda, have four children.
Executive Vice President, Newspapers, Advance Publications Inc.
New York, NY
Mark Newhouse is executive vice president of newspapers for Advance Publications in New York City. Previously he has worked in various capacities at Advance newspapers in Queens and Staten Island in New York, and in Portland, Ore., Harrisburg, Pa. and Newark, N.J. Mark served on the board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations from 1995 to 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
Publisher, Deseret News
Salt Lake City, Utah
Burke Olsen is Publisher of Deseret News. Prior to becoming publisher, Olsen had been a vice president and the head digital officer at the Deseret News since December 2016. Previously, he was general manager of Deseret News digital products and digital content director. He and his teams focus on platform growth, user experience and content strategy. His prior work spans organizations in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, including the Pew Research Center, the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games, a liberal arts college and two PR firms.
Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Ziff Davis
New York, NY
Jeremy oversees Ziff Davis’ legal team and is responsible for managing all of the company’s global legal issues, including merger and acquisition matters, intellectual property, litigation, compliance and regulatory affairs, and corporate governance. Prior to joining the company in May 2015, Jeremy served as a Senior Vice President at The Gores Group, a private equity firm, and General Counsel at Helio LLC, a wireless telecommunications carrier, and Somera Communications, Inc., a telecommunications equipment company.
Managing Director, Guardian US
New York, NY
Bringing over 20 years of business and leadership experience at both for-profit and non-profit digital media companies and brands across the US, Steve joined the Guardian in October of 2022, after co-founding Recode the Quo, an organization focused on helping Austin, Texas tech startups build more diverse, inclusive and equitable companies.
Chief Executive Officer, G/O Media
New York, NY
Jim Spanfeller is Chief Executive Officer of G/O Media, the publisher of leading digital-first brands including Gizmodo, The AV Club, Deadspin, Jalopnik, The Root, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker, The Takeout, The Onion, and The Inventory. Assuming this position in April of 2019 under the direction of private equity group, Great Hill Partners, Spanfeller has grown traffic and diversified revenue, leading the company into its first quarters of profitability under its new ownership. G/O Media currently reaches over 100 million unique visitors, a third of Americans online each month, per ComScore.
Prior to this position he served as the President and CEO of Forbes.com, home page for the world’s business leaders, growing it to the largest business site in the world. In this position, Spanfeller oversaw Forbes Digital, which included Forbes.com, ForbesTraveler.com, Investopedia.com, RealClearPolitics.com, RealClearMarkets.com, RealClearSports.com, and the Forbes.com Business and Finance Blog Network, which together boasted well over 75 million unique monthly visitors.
Spanfeller has received numerous industry accolades. He has been included in BtoB Media Business’ “Who’s Who In Business Publishing” and was named “Top Interactive Executive for General Business Publishers” as part of the “Top Innovator in Business Publishing” awards. He has also been included in BtoB magazine’s “Top 25 Newsmakers” as well as the “Media Power 50 List” at #4, and was inducted into min’s first-ever Digital Hall of Fame. Additionally, the IAB awarded Spanfeller one of its first ever Founder’s Awards for contributions to the digital advertising industry.
Spanfeller is an executive member of the board of Digital Content Next, the leading trade organization for premium digital content creators and is a Chairman Emeritus of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). He also currently holds or has held board seats at Freedom Communications, Inc., Hottopics (Chairman of The Board), MediaSmith, We Are Family Foundation and the ABM (American Business Media Association). He served on the Board of Directors of the Magazine Publishers Association, 1999-2000.
In addition to these full board positions he also serves on the advisory boards of several early stage web start-ups; We7, Blockthrough and Fattail are three examples.
He writes frequently in leading industry trade publications and speaks regularly throughout the world on media issues in the digital age.
Prior to joining Forbes.com, Spanfeller was President of the Consumer Magazine Group of Ziff Davis Media, Inc. Previously, he was Publisher of Inc. magazine and also held senior positions at Playboy Enterprises Publishing Group and Newsweek.
Spanfeller received a B.A. in English Literature from Union College. He lives in New York City with his wife, Peg, and their three daughters.
Chief Executive Officer, Future plc
London, England
Jon is the CEO of Future Plc. He is an experienced media executive, with a strong track record of innovation, scaling media groups and creating value. Prior to his role as CEO at Future, Jon was the President of Altice USA’s News & Advertising Division, which encompasses News 12, i24NEWS, Cheddar News, and Altice USA’s a4 Advertising unit. Jon joined Altice through the sale of Cheddar News, a digital-first innovative news company, which he founded in 2016.
Jon was formerly a Senior Advisor to The Raine Group, where he advised media portfolio companies on strategy and go-to-market execution.
Jon graduated with an B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and holds an M.B.A from Columbia University.
EVP & Global Head of Government Affairs, News Corp.
Washington, D.C.
Todd Thorpe is the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Government Affairs for News Corp. Mr. Thorpe is responsible for leading the Company’s government relations and advocacy efforts in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
Mr. Thorpe joined News Corp in 2014 as Senior Vice President for Global Government Affairs where he focused on U.S. federal and international government affairs. In this role he worked closely with the News Corp legal team and the company’s business units in the United Kingdom and in Europe on intellectual property and competition cases.
Mr. Thorpe also served on Capitol Hill. During his decade of experience he worked for three Members of the House of Representatives and worked on congressional campaigns culminating as Chief of Staff to a senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Thorpe has a B.A. from Utah State University, a graduate degree from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium and a J.D. from George Mason University Antonin Scalia School of Law.
He lives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. with his wife and three children.
Senior Vice President Public Affairs, Axel Springer SE
Berlin, Germany
Dr. Dietrich von Klaeden is a leading policy strategist, media expert and journalist. At Axel Springer, he is responsible for the group-wide public affairs activities in Germany and internationally. While pursuing his legal studies, his doctorate and his legal training, Dr. von Klaeden worked initially as a reporter, correspondent and moderator for broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk.
President, Vox Media
New York, NY
Pam Wasserstein is the president of Vox Media, the leader in modern media, where she oversees all editorial brands and content creation, including the company’s studios and podcasting business and dynamic multi-platform brands such as Vox, New York Magazine, The Dodo, The Verge, NowThis, Eater, The Cut and Vulture. Prior to its 2019 merger with Vox Media, she had been the CEO of New York Media (since May 2016), leading the New York Magazine brands and building out the company’s e-commerce business with the launch of The Strategist and consumer revenue business with the launch of a digital paywall.
Wasserstein received a 2018 Spirit of ABNY Award recognizing distinguished service to New York City, and was named to Crain’s New York’s 40 Under 40 class of 2017. She has spoken at SXSW, Advertising Week and Code Media, among other venues.
Prior to joining New York Media, Wasserstein worked at Tribeca Enterprises, most recently as vice president, corporate development. Before that she worked at Apollo Global Management, the private equity firm, where she evaluated potential investments and managed existing portfolio companies, and as a corporate lawyer at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP. She is a board member at the Charles H. Revson Foundation, and a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
EVP/Chief Digital Officer, a360 Media
New York, NY
Andy is a 28-year media executive with a track record of driving rapid, profitable growth within large media companies. Andy joined a360media in March of 2023 to lead the digital organization and build a platform for revenue and audience growth.
Andy spent the majority of his media career at Meredith Corporation where he led digital product, audience, edit, marketing and revenue teams. In his last role, Andy led Meredith’s Consumer Revenue business and helped transition it from predominantly print to a significant and growing digital business, including the building of Meredith’s digital affiliate and commerce teams.
President & CEO, News/Media Alliance, Arlington, VA
Danielle Coffey is President & CEO of the News/Media Alliance, which represents 2,000 news and magazine media outlets worldwide. Prior to becoming CEO in 2023, Danielle served since 2015 as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, leading the organization’s advocacy and strategy. While focusing on a digital future for news, which includes building a more favorable legislative and regulatory environment for the digital distribution of news content, her government affairs and policy advocacy is driven by news publishers’ core mission of a flourishing, free and independent press.
Danielle is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Press Club Journalism Institute (NPCJI). Danielle earned her JD from the Catholic University Law School, with a specialization in Communications Law.
She was born and raised in California and obtained her undergraduate degree from San Diego State University. Danielle lives with her husband and two daughters in McLean, Virginia.