AAJA Partners with CUNY J School to Host 2016 ELP Introductory Session

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - January 27, 2016) - The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) opened the application process for its flagship Executive Leadership Program (ELP) Introductory Session, to be held on March 30 - April 4, 2016 at the City University of New York (CUNY). ELP will celebrate its 21^st year shaping our nation's newsrooms and leaders. To date, more than 500 journalists and media professionals have completed the program since its inception in 1995. The program is open to professional journalists who are interested in moving ahead in the workplace and developing the skills to achieve goals, professional and personal.

"The CUNY J School is proud to partner with AAJA to support leadership training for diverse media professionals," said Sarah Bartlett, Dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. "Now, more than ever, we need to make sure that our newsrooms and workplaces are representative of the communities they serve."

ELP is a transformational program aimed at developing the next generation of diverse journalism leaders who can lead in uncertain times and build a sustainable future for journalism. It is recommended for anyone with four to seven years of journalism experience or more and has been designed to be challenging, practical and life changing. The program explores the responsibilities and challenges of the media workplace, how to lead in the changing landscape and how cultural values come into play. Led by experienced career coaches and senior news executives, participants will explore a variety of topics in a small, nurturing environment such as defining success, negotiating promotions and raises, dealing with pressure and politics, solving unstructured problems and conquering excuses.

This year, AAJA has opened the application to all journalists. In past years, the esteemed program was only offered to AAJA members. The change reflects one aspect of AAJA's mission to advance minority journalists as news managers and media executives and play a vital role in the diversification of news rooms across the country.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded AAJA with $230,000 in 2015 to redesign ELP. The Knight funding allows for a two-year restructuring of the program to develop leaders in digital journalism and improve diversity in newsrooms. In opening the program to journalists outside of its membership, AAJA will create an inclusive environment for journalists of all backgrounds.

AAJA President, Paul Cheung, notes, "In order to create journalism that is representative of our diverse communities, we must equip the next generation of leaders with the skills they need to succeed. ELP has transformed my career and prepared me for the digital shift in 2007, I'm confident it will do the same for another new class of journalists."

The application for the 2016 ELP Introductory Session is available at www.aaja.org. The application deadline is February 19, 2016.