PRINCETON, N.J. — Susan Leath, chief operating officer for The GroundTruth Project, has been elected to the board of directors of the Dow Jones News Fund.

Leath is a media industry leader with more than 30 years of experience in for-profit and nonprofit organizations, where she has helped groups operate more effectively, identify new revenue streams and build relationships with stakeholders.

“Susan’s innovative leadership style and her experience in news publishing and nonprofit management are a perfect blend for the News Fund’s board and the opportunities ahead of us,” said Brent Jones, president of the News Fund’s board of directors.

Leath joined The GroundTruth Project in November 2020. She is responsible for coordinating operations for its programs, including its national service program, Report for America, which now supports more than 300 journalists in more than 200 local newsrooms across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.

“It is a great honor and privilege to join the Dow Jones News Fund board of directors,” said Leath. “The work of the News Fund to train the next generation of journalists is critical.”

Previously, Leath was the director of the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media at the University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism; regional president of the USA Today Network’s media groups in Delaware and Maryland; and a strategic media consultant.

She serves on the board of directors of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and is the chair of the Ida B. Wells Society’s board of advisors. Leath, a graduate of the University of Alabama, holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising with a concentration in marketing.

In addition to Board President Brent Jones, who is senior vice president of training, culture and community at Dow Jones and editor of culture, training and outreach at The Wall Street Journal, the other Dow Jones News Fund board directors are: LaSharah S. Bunting, CEO and executive director, Online News Association; Thomas E. Engleman, former executive director, Dow Jones News Fund; Gail Griffin, head of digital platforms, U.S. intermediaries, T. Rowe Price; Garry D. Howard, director of corporate initiatives, American City Business Journals; Almar Latour, chief executive officer of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal; Diana Mitsu Klos, senior advisor, Brechner Center for Freedom of Information; Maribel Perez Wadsworth, former president, Gannett Media; Dr. Reginald Owens, retired journalism department head, Louisiana Tech University; Karen Miller Pensiero, former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal; Paul Schmidt, former senior vice president, News America Marketing (now Neptune Retail Solutions); Anna Sedgley, chief financial officer, Bauer Media Group; and Dr. Rusty Todd, professor emeritus, University of Texas at Austin.