Loyola and Press Forward Chicago Again Team Up to Support Local Media Leaders
The SOC’s Convergence Studio was filled with leaders from local media outlets September 17 and 18, all there to expand their management tool kits. For the second time this year, Press Forward Chicago sponsored a custom version of Professor Jill Geisler’s popular Master Class for Media Managers.
The sessions covered key skills: strategic and systems thinking, change management, performance management, emotional intelligence, ethical decision-making, coaching, collaboration and inclusive leadership.
Chicago media professionals work through leadership topics and share insights during Jill Geisler’s MasterClass for Media Managers.
The participants came from established and up-and-coming media outlets, including Block Club Chicago, Windy City Times, Borderless Magazine, American Urban Radio, The Daily Line, Injustice Watch, the Investigative Project on Race and Equity, Citizen Grit – and more.
“Local journalism faces plenty of challenges today, from economic to societal,” said Professor Geisler, “Press Forward knows it takes skilled and caring managers to help their teams succeed and generously sponsors this class to support them. I have to say; I just love these leaders and their deep commitment to communities."
Prof. Jill Geisler leads an interactive discussion with media managers during the Press Forward Chicago supported MasterClass at Loyola.
Taylor Moore, Program Manager for Press Forward Chicago added, “In 2026, we have sent 37 journalists and business-side media workers to the Loyola Master Class for Media Managers, and we've gotten such an incredible response from both new managers and experienced managers in roles as senior as publisher and editor-in-chief. Jill Geisler has so much wisdom from her years of being in the newsroom and the classroom. The students have come away with both practical skills for management and a peer support network that will last outside the classroom.”
In addition to providing leadership tools to local media managers, the Master Class helps strengthen the SOC’s connection to Chicago’s media ecosystem, ideally creating pathways student internships and employment, and collaborative partnerships with worthy organizations like Press Forward Chicago, a pooled fund for local news housed at the Chicago Community Trust.