INMA President Maribel Perez Wadsworth, most recently president of Gannett Media and publisher of USA Today, has been named the new president and CEO of the Knight Foundation. The appointment is effective in January.

Wadsworth will continue as volunteer president of INMA through her term in May 2024 and her INMA Board membership through 2026. A long-time INMA member, she joined the Board of Directors in 2017 and became president in June 2022. Last week, she presided over an INMA Board of Directors meeting in London. 

INMA Board members reacted swiftly today with news of the Wadsworth appointment, calling it “a great day,” a “perfect fit,” a “wise choice,” and a “wonderful day for journalism.”

The Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a multi-billion dollar American non-profit organisation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The foundation is a social investor that supports “a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts, and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers.”

The Knight Foundation appointment comes with a series of firsts. Among them: As the seventh Knight Foundation president, she will be the first woman to hold the position. 

“Maribel’s passion for journalism, coupled with her staunch belief in the media’s pivotal role as a cornerstone for nurturing well-informed and actively engaged communities, aligns directly with our core values and we are thrilled to welcome her as the new president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,” said Frank Borges, chair of the board of trustees. “We firmly believe that her wealth of experience and unwavering commitment to these values will steer us in fulfilling our mission.”

Wadsworth shared her views on news media in an interview in early 2023 with INMA members, touching on business models, subscriptions, e-commerce, work-from-home and tech, the impact of the third-party cookie, the future of print, regaining trust, and the power of journalism. 

In addition to her volunteer presidency chairing INMA’s Board of Directors, Wadsworth serves on the boards of the Pew Research Center and the Associated Press. She recently completed her term as chair of the News Media Alliance, the national press association of the United States. 

A Cuban-American, Wadsworth began her career at the Associated Press in 1994 as an editorial assistant before becoming a reporter for the Rockford (Illinois) Register Star in 1996 – the beginning of a 26-year Gannett career. She spent more than a decade as a reporter and editor in local markets before joining the Gannett corporate staff in 2009 focused on digital and audience transformation. She led Gannett’s launch of digital subscriptions and digital transformation before being named president of the USA Today Network in 2017 and publisher of USA Today in 2018. She became the second woman and first person of colour in that role. Wadsworth departed Gannett in late 2022. 

The Knight Foundation has invested more than US$632 million since 2005 in the United States’ media ecosystem and recently committed to US$150 million to the Press Forward campaign, which aims to raise US$1 billion for the growth and sustainability of local news organisations. The foundation invests in the 28 communities that once hosted Knight newspapers, the arts, and the field of research around technology’s impact on society. With a US$2.6 billion endowment, the Knight Foundation’s grantmaking averages US$135 million per year. 

Said Wadsworth: “Knight Foundation is a leader at the nexus of the things I care about so deeply — journalistic excellence and defense of the First Amendment, fostering engaged citizenry, and building thriving, inclusive communities — all in service of sustaining a strong democracy. The opportunity to lead this organisation is a tremendous honor and an awesome responsibility.”

Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA, said it is a proud day for the INMA family worldwide as Wadsworth becomes Knight Foundation CEO. “Maribel reflects the values of INMA members worldwide and our unwavering commitment to journalism and the sustainability of journalism,” Wilkinson said. 

On her LinkedIn page, Wadsworth today described herself as “excited” and “humbled” by the Knight Foundation appointment – a “dream come true.” She lauded the Knight Foundation for its commitment to strengthening communities and sustaining democracy. She expressed pride in being the first female CEO at Knight Foundation and advocating for diversity and inclusion. Said Wadsworth: “There will be much more to say in the weeks and months to come, but for now, I want to close with my gratitude. To my family. My support system. My colleagues over the year. And everyone who has cheered me on. I can’t wait to get started!”

Wadsworth will succeed Alberto Ibargüen, who has led the Knight Foundation for 18 years. Ibargüen previously was the publisher of the Miami Herald.

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