Eloiza Altoro Named Executive Director of JAWS

I’ve just been named (permanent) executive director of JAWS!

Here’s why I’m so excited about the next 90 days

By Eloiza Altoro

I’m honored and excited to take on the permanent role of the Journalism & Women Symposium’s executive director. This incredible opportunity marks the beginning of a new chapter for the organization, whose mission is to advance women in journalism and advocate for more inclusive coverage of the diverse experiences and cultures that comprise our society.

Many of our members faced incredible challenges and profound losses in 2020 and 2021. In the last two years since I joined JAWS, we – as an organization – also faced existential challenges that, at times, left us wondering how we’d be able to continue to make progress with our important mission. But even through the toughest of moments, I continued to see opportunity and hope.

My new role is a testament to the transformation, growth and stability we have been able to achieve over the last few years, thanks to the incredible passion, hard work, dedication and generosity of our members, our board, our staff, our supporters and partners.

We have made great strides as an organization and as a supportive community: We have updated our strategic plan and developed a clear vision of success, rolled out new systems and technology to better serve our members, and improved our website and social media platforms to enhance our user experience. I’d encourage you to read (and share!) our 2020 and 2021 reports highlighting the impact we have collectively made and how hard we have worked to overcome the challenges of the past few years.

We would never have been able to achieve all of this without the heartfelt belief – from members and allies who support women and nonbinary people in journalism – that our work is as important and relevant today as it was when JAWS was founded 36 years ago. I’m constantly inspired by the many member testimonials about how JAWS has changed or improved their lives. I was myself a recipient of that extraordinary support when times were personally challenging last year, and know how transformative that experience can be.

So I’m thrilled to have the support and confidence of President Jennifer Kho and the Board of Directors, and I’m delighted to accept this role as a sign of my commitment and desire to become an enduring part of the JAWS family.

Driven by my commitment to support our members, I am eager to build upon the momentum that we have created over the past two years.