When Arlene Notoro Morgan joined Columbia Journalism School staff in 2000, one of her goals was to create an executive leadership program that would help change the news industry.   Thus, when the sisters of Punch Sulzberger came up with the idea to honor their brother on his 80th birthday, she was ready with a proposal that would be unique in the field. 

Morgan joined Columbia Journalism school after 31 years as a reporter and editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer where she eventually became the assistant managing editor of hiring and staff development. In that position, she has sent dozens of staff members to management training programs at various journalism institutes and fellowships and created an in-house series of courses, ranging from narrative writing to statistical analysis, for the staff.

She thought a program that would enable a news manager to “learn while doing” was critical to developing the next generation of leadership, especially for those who now had to work across the news and business side divisions. She hired Doug Smith, a noted management consultant and author, to serve as the chief architect and teacher because he instinctively understood what type of program she envisioned.

In addition to the Sulzberger program, Morgan oversees the administration of the school’s many prestigious journalism prizes and professional development workshops, including the Spencer Fellowship for Education Reporting.  She is the co-editor of The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity, a compilation text book, DVD, and website from award-winning stories from her program and teaches a spring semester course called The Authentic Voice.