FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
PRESS CONTACT: Clare Lefebure
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
Washington, D.C. (August 5, 2026) – NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists announced today that Michael D. Bolden, UC Berkeley School of Journalism Dean and professor, will receive the 2026 NLGJA 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. Bolden will be honored at NLGJA’s annual National Convention, taking place in San Francisco Sept. 10-13.
“Newsroom leadership shapes whose stories get told, and Michael Bolden has understood that at every stop in his career,” said NLGJA Executive Director Adam Pawlus. “Now, he is teaching a generation of journalists to cover communities like ours with accuracy and care. That work compounds as it travels with every graduate into newsrooms across the country.””
Bolden, the former CEO of the American Press Institute, has worked as a local reporter and national editor, a teacher, a nonprofit leader and a champion of inclusion and belonging. He has done that work at the intersection of media, entrepreneurship and civic engagement, in senior roles at The Washington Post, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Stanford University, the San Francisco Chronicle and the American Press Institute. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and Stanford University.
The NLGJA 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.