EWA Board of Directors Announces Appointment of New Executive Director

The Education Writers Association Board of Directors is excited to introduce our new executive director, Kathy Chow. Kathy was selected as part of an extensive national search and will step into her new role on April 3.

Kathy has a long history in nonprofit leadership and is a highly effective fundraiser, strategic planner, fiscal manager, and organizational leader. Since early in her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to and passion for journalism and the importance of elevating underrepresented voices. As executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association for eight years, Kathy closed a budget deficit, expanded membership, and worked with her team to develop innovative programming. She led the launch of several new reporting initiatives, including the Criminal Justice Project and the Heartland Project. She also developed partnerships with other organizations serving underrepresented journalists, such as the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Her experience in fundraising, partner relationships, and strategic planning spans her full career in a range of roles that include public affairs representative at The Sacramento Bee, director at Hands On Sacramento, and the first female executive director of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (also a membership-focused organization). Most recently, she worked in leadership roles at CivicWell — an organization that provides advocacy and resources to help communities address climate change and sustainability. As director of development and communications and then as interim CEO, Kathy oversaw the growth of the organization’s DEI programs and policies while leading a strategic planning process and CivicWell’s rebranding.

“Kathy stood out for us, even in a deeply qualified pool of candidates, because of her long track record of successful organizational management and her passion for equity, access, and inclusion,” said Steven Drummond, Executive Producer and Senior Editor at NPR and president of the EWA Board of Directors. “She is an outstanding leader whose dynamic career has included working directly with at-risk youth, growing pipelines for journalists of color, leading membership-serving organizations, and expanding resources to dwindling newsrooms.”

“As our nation grapples with complex and intersecting issues involving education, EWA is a powerful resource and advocate for journalists covering these stories in a post-pandemic world,” Kathy said. “This moment is an opportunity to expand on the ways in which we support journalists and the education community to help foster robust reporting and magnify the missing and marginalized stories from communities nationwide. I am excited to join EWA at this critical point. I look forward to working with the board of directors, advisory boards, staff, members, funders, partners, and others dedicated to supporting and growing education journalism.”

Kathy steps into her role as EWA enters its 76th year. The organization, which has nearly 2,000 members, provides high-quality training, member services, and recognition to bolster education journalism nationwide. Our core values center on a commitment to educational equity by supporting and growing an informed, well-supported, and diverse education journalism community. Kathy replaces Caroline Hendrie, who retired last summer after a successful 12-year career in which EWA saw robust growth in membership and programming.

Sincerely,

The EWA Board of Directors

Contact: board@ewa.org