March 2, 2026 — The National Association of Hispanic Journalists today announced a significant step forward in its long-term strategic growth by adding a Deputy Director role, reinforcing the organization’s operational strength and continued expansion.
Over the last four years, NAHJ has grown in membership and impact, increased its financial stability, nearly doubled its professional staff and expanded programming to serve close to 4,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico.
Creation of the Deputy Director position aligns with Priority 4 of NAHJ’s Strategic Plan and Roadmap, which calls for strengthening organizational infrastructure and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Veteran journalist and former NAHJ national president Gilbert H. Bailon will join the organization as Deputy Director beginning March 2.
In this role, Bailon will work closely with the Executive Director and national leadership to advance strategic initiatives, strengthen communications, expand programming, enhance advocacy efforts, support fundraising and bolster media partnerships.
NAHJ also has hired Multimedia Art Director Susana Sanchez, formerly of The Los Angeles Times, to work part-time on digital presentation and visuals for the NAHJ online news website, palabra.org.
“This moment reflects the steady and responsible growth NAHJ has achieved in recent years,” said Yaneth Guillén-Diaz, NAHJ Executive Director. “We have strengthened our financial foundation, expanded our team and built systems that position us for long-term stability. Creating this role is not just about adding leadership: It’s about investing in the future of our members and ensuring NAHJ continues to thrive for decades to come.”
Bailon brings nearly four decades of newsroom leadership experience and a longstanding connection to NAHJ.
Most recently, he worked as executive editor at WBEZ public radio and Chicago Public Media, which also owns the Chicago Sun-Times daily newspaper. Bailon was executive editor at KERA public radio before moving to Chicago.
He was editorial page editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for four years before he became editor-in-chief in 2012. Under his leadership, the newsroom won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for editorial writing for its coverage of the unrest following the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
Bailon won the 2014 Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year awarded by the National Press Foundation for leading coverage of the unrest in Ferguson and its aftermath.
He previously served as NAHJ’s national president and has remained an active supporter of the organization throughout his career. His involvement in this next chapter reflects NAHJ’s broader commitment to experienced leadership, operational excellence and mission-driven growth.
For Bailon, joining NAHJ is personal.
“NAHJ and journalists in other media organizations have been foundational to my career development. I got my first full-time job at a California Chicano News Media Association job fair at USC about 45 years ago.”
“It’s a great opportunity to give back to the journalism industry from new perspectives while embracing the core values that fortify newsrooms. Latinos and journalists face many external challenges in the current environment. I seek to drive forward the mission for current and future NAHJ members.”
Sanchez is a visual journalist with more than two decades of experience. She comes to palabra.org from the Los Angeles Times, where she served as art director. She previously held art direction roles at The Washington Post and the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Her work has earned multiple awards from the Society for News Design.
As NAHJ looks ahead, its priorities include expanding professional development opportunities, increasing industry advocacy, strengthening fundraising partnerships and building infrastructure to support future generations of Latino journalists.
“Our members and partners can be confident that NAHJ is on solid footing,” Guillén-Diaz added. “We are stable, focused and moving forward with clarity and purpose.”
Contact press at communications@nahj.org
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About the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and is dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in news media. NAHJ has more than 3,500 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information, please visit NAHJ.org or follow us on X @NAHJ.