FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, August 12, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: Clare Lefebure
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
Washington, D.C. (August 12, 2025) – Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists announced that Center for Investigative Reporting Chief Operating Officer Jahna Berry is the recipient of the 2025 NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Leadership Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made a positive impact on their newsrooms by increasing diversity and improving news coverage of the LGBTQ+ community. The award will be presented at NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists’ annual National Convention, taking place in Atlanta from Sept. 4-7.
“In honoring Jahna Berry with the 2025 NLGJA Leadership Award, we celebrate what it means to lead with both strategic vision and executive experience,” said Executive Director Adam Pawlus. “Berry has helped open doors for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ leaders, reshaping what inclusive leadership looks like in modern journalism.”
Jahna Berry is a media executive, an expert on leadership, management, nonprofits, and diversity in the workplace, as well as Chief Operating Officer at the Center for Investigative Reporting, which was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2025. She has a decade of experience in management and has held senior level roles at major media companies with millions of online readers, including WIRED. As the Center for Investigative Reporting’s COO she oversees the integration of the organization’s 2024 merger, and several core departments, including revenue operations and public relations, and leads major strategic initiatives at the award-winning investigative news organization, which produces Mother Jones and the Reveal radio show. For the past five years, Berry has coached rising BIPOC and LGBTQ+ leaders who aspire to more senior level leadership roles. She previously served as president of NLGJA’s Phoenix chapter.
Berry is an award-winning journalist and has written about leadership for Harvard Business Review, Mother Jones, and OpenNews and was a featured speaker at events for NLGJA, WIRED, University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, and the National News Product Alliance. Jahna was named one of the Most Influential Women in Business and received the Inspire Award, both from the San Francisco Business Times. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife.
The NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Leadership Award is made possible through the generosity and support of Randy Lovely and the Gannett Foundation.
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About NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists: NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists is a journalist-led association working within the news media to advance fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities and issues. We promote diverse and inclusive workplaces by holding the industry accountable and providing education, professional development and mentoring. For more information, visit www.nlgja.org.