American Community Media has appointed Jaya Padmanabhan as Executive Director, marking a significant transition in leadership for ethnic media in the United States.
American Community Media (ACoM), the nation’s first and largest association of ethnic news outlets, has announced the appointment of Jaya Padmanabhan as its new Executive Director, effective February 1. She succeeds ACoM founder Sandy Close, who will transition to the role of Director Emeritus after three decades of leadership.
“Jaya represents a new generation of leaders at ACoM who bring energy, ideas, tech smarts, and business savvy to the sector at a time when AI is transforming not only how we gather and distribute news, but the very idea of what news is,” Close stated.
Padmanabhan is a three-time Emmy Award winner with over a decade of experience in ethnic media. She made a notable career shift from a successful software engineering position in Silicon Valley to pursue her passion for journalism. As a veteran journalist, essayist, and fiction writer, she has published more than 250 articles and short stories, earning 25 awards for journalism and 8 for fiction. Among her accolades are the San Francisco Press Club’s Overall Excellence Award, which she has won three times, and the Lorian Hemingway Award for short fiction.
From 2012 to 2014, Padmanabhan served as the Editor of India Currents and currently holds the title of Editor Emeritus, contributing as a writer and board member. Her career also includes a biweekly column for the San Francisco Examiner and a recent role as project manager for the University of Southern California Center for Health Care Journalism’s Ethnic Media Collaborative. In this capacity, she provided mentorship, management, and editorial support to ethnic media fellows across multilingual newsrooms throughout California.
“Ethnic media teaches me a different way of understanding news, documenting the intimate life of communities and amplifying voices largely unheard and unseen in the public space. I learned the enduring power of news outlets that provide a collective voice for their communities — the ‘we’ rather than the ‘I’ of journalism,” Padmanabhan remarked.
Close emphasized the current challenges facing the sector, stating, “Despite a glut in information technology, people crave authentic voices and real, in-person connections. The hunger for trusted messengers who help people navigate the changes going on around them has never been greater, even as revenue to support local news platforms has never been more scarce. We are at a moment of reckoning for our sector that will require integrating high-tech skills with high-touch engagement and collaboration. Jaya is poised to seize the moment.”
Julian Do, ACoM Co-director and a member of the organization since its early years, views Padmanabhan’s appointment as a critical opportunity for the field. “Jaya will add a powerful advocacy voice for our sector as we implement new strategies to expand its social marketing role and audience reach,” he said.
With her extensive background and fresh perspective, Padmanabhan is set to lead ACoM into a new era, navigating the evolving landscape of ethnic media and addressing the pressing needs of diverse communities across the nation.
According to India Currents, this leadership change signifies a pivotal moment for ethnic media in the United States.