The American Press Institute is pleased to announce that Marlene Harris-Taylor will join our team as director of community engagement on Monday, July 21.
Harris-Taylor joins API from Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland, where she served as the director of engaged journalism. She headed the Connecting the Dots project, which highlights connections between race and health in northeast Ohio and includes the award-winning, 11-part Living for We podcast that she hosted and produced.
Harris-Taylor also served as managing producer for the health team and a senior reporter at Ideastream. Previously she was a producer for NPR’s Morning Edition and the medical editor for the Toledo Blade. She hosted a public affairs program on WBGU-PBS, where she was nominated for a regional Emmy for producing and writing a documentary about the Hines Farm Blues Club.
“In the time I’ve known Marlene, going back to December 2022 when she was a student of mine in Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women, I’ve seen her be unafraid to ask tough questions, remove roadblocks and stand in the gap between ambition and action,” said Sam Ragland, senior vice president of Journalism Strategy and interim executive director. “It is her rigorous curiosity and personal pursuit of learning that will help API support local journalism that is responsive, reflective and real.”
As director of community engagement, Harris-Taylor will continue API’s efforts to drive organizational and cultural transformation while sharpening its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She’ll also work to deepen API’s partnerships with community organizations and non-news experts.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to join the American Press Institute as director of community engagement,” Harris-Taylor said. “At a time when local journalism is being reimagined to better serve and reflect the communities it covers, I’m honored to help lead this work alongside so many thoughtful, committed peers. I look forward to expanding API’s powerful portfolio on engagement and inclusion, and to supporting newsrooms in building deeper relationships, designing meaningful learning experiences and fostering journalism that truly connects.”
Harris-Taylor serves on the boards of the Press Club of Cleveland and the Association of Health Care Journalists and is also a member of the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
About the American Press Institute
The American Press Institute supports local and community-based media through research, programs, and products that foster healthy, responsive, and resilient news organizations. API envisions an inclusive democracy and society, where communities have the news and information they need to thrive. API is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization affiliated with the News/Media Alliance.
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