October 23, 2025 — The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) announced that the Adelante Academy 2026 Leadership Program will open with a week of specially tailored instruction at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.
The transformational program, now entering its third year, is designed to prepare experienced journalism leaders for executive management roles — ensuring that newsrooms represent the communities they cover not only in reporting, but also at key decision-making levels.
This will be the third consecutive year that the seven-month program begins with in-person sessions at Columbia Journalism School, a NAHJ Corporate Champion. The deadline to apply to be part of the 2026 cohort is Sunday, October 26, 2025.
What participants can expect
During the March 16–20, 2026, opening week, participants will take part in intensive instruction led by Columbia faculty and leading industry experts. The first phase will focus on Leadership Hard Skills — including design thinking, negotiation, and leadership styles — in a full week of morning and afternoon sessions.
Participants will also be paired with mentors for monthly one-on-one sessions throughout the program and will receive additional guidance from the News Product Alliance to develop a leadership project addressing a challenge or opportunity in the journalism industry.
The cohort reconvenes for virtual sessions in spring and early summer, and the program culminates with a final in-person phase at the NAHJ 2026 Conference & Expo in New Orleans.
About the Adelante Leadership Academy
Founded by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Adelante Leadership Academy is part of NAHJ’s five-year strategic plan to build a stronger pipeline of Latino/a/e/x leaders in news. The Academy provides executive-level training to mid-career journalists ready to take on senior roles — from newsroom directors and editors to emerging executives — and is offered tuition-free to NAHJ members (participants cover their own travel and lodging).
While other leadership programs exist, Adelante is uniquely designed around the experiences of Latino/a/e/x journalists. The curriculum emphasizes leading with cultural competence, innovation, and purpose — equipping participants to build healthier, more inclusive newsrooms.
The Academy’s first two cohorts — the 2024 Latina Leadership Program and the 2025 ¡PRESENTE! Program — were widely described by graduates as transformational, producing confident, connected newsroom leaders who continue to shape the future of journalism.
About Columbia Journalism School
For more than a century, Columbia Journalism School has been preparing journalists in programs that stress academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer, the school opened its doors in 1912 and offers a Master of Science, Master of Arts, a joint Master of Science degree in Computer Science and Journalism and Doctor of Philosophy in Communications. It houses the Columbia Journalism Review, the Brown Institute for Media Innovation and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. The school also administers many of the leading journalism awards, including the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, the Maria Moors Cabot Prizes, the John Chancellor Award, the John B. Oakes Award, the J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project, Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award and the Meyer “Mike” Berger Award.