RTDNA25: New Orleans
A one-of-a-kind news-leadership retreat designed with you in mind
Hotel Monteleone
214 Royal StreetNew Orleans, LA 70130
United States
Join Us at RTDNA25: New Orleans
At RTDNA25, we don’t just teach skills — we cultivate leaders. Join us June 11-13 at Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans for a conference that promises inspiration, not lectures.
In today’s rapidly evolving news landscape, leadership is more than a role; it’s a responsibility. RTDNA25 is your opportunity to discover how to inspire and guide your newsroom with confidence, ensuring your leadership shapes the future of journalism.
No matter how the news evolves or where it appears, great leadership will always inspire great journalism.
Collaborate: Connect and create together
RTDNA25 is about building meaningful connections. Engage in conversations with journalists who share your passion for excellence. Every session is designed to foster collaboration, spark innovation and tackle challenges head-on, ensuring you leave with insights you can use immediately.
Innovate: Lead the future of journalism
This is not your typical conference. At RTDNA25, you won’t sit through endless panels or lectures. Instead, you’ll participate in hands-on sessions that challenge you to think critically, explore new ideas and refine your leadership style.
Lead: Shape the newsroom of tomorrow
Leadership is about more than management — it’s about inspiration. At RTDNA25, you’ll learn how to guide your newsroom with integrity, build trust, support your team and drive journalism forward. Through dynamic keynotes and practical sessions, we’ll equip you with the tools to lead with purpose and confidence.
Celebrate journalism and community
RTDNA25 is more than a conference; it’s a celebration of journalism and the communities we serve. Held in the heart of New Orleans — a city of resilience, rich storytelling and cultural complexity — the event blends leadership development with cultural connection, embodying the spirit of modern journalism and leaving a lasting impact on attendees and our host city alike.
Connect, create, and lead at RTDNA25, where every conversation is a step toward shaping the future of journalism.
RTDNA25 Schedule
Wednesday, June 11
1 - 4 p.m. // Pre-Conference Workshops
- AI: Tools + Ethics
- Leading in a Time of Crisis
5 - 7 p.m. // Welcome Happy Hour & Registration
Stop by the Hotel Monteleone’s own iconic Carousel Bar & Lounge to grab your registration materials and be welcomed to “The Big Easy” over great drinks, appetizers, and even better company. Mingle with sponsors, exhibitors and peers to kick off RTDNA25 in style.
Thursday, June 12
8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. // Registration Desk Open
Stop by the registration desk to grab your registration materials or get your questions answered.
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. // Opening Keynote
We'll kick things off with an engaging Opening Keynote.
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. // Morning Joe: Coffee & Connections
Grab a cup, fill it up and spend time connecting with peers in the new RTDNA25 lounge.
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. // Feedback Loop: Critiques*
Sit down with the pros and have your reel or resume critiqued. Leave with tips and tricks, the confidence to know you’re moving in the right direction, and a new connection in the industry. *Sign-up required
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. // Life + Work Couch Coaching
Join certified coach and meditation facilitator Nicholas Whitaker for exclusive 1:1 coaching sessions just for RTDNA guests. In this laser-focused session, you will have the space to share what's weighing on your mind and heart, and receive compassionate coaching to help guide you to your next steps. If you've never received coaching before, this is a great, low-risk way to get some experience with it and discover what even a single coaching session can do to help move you forward. *Sign-up required
10:15 – 11:15 a.m. // Breakout Sessions
Our breakouts are built around shared knowledge, both from the trainer and other attendees. Participate in a session to get hands-on experience, in-depth discussions and a meaningful deep-dive into a variety of topics.
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. // Power Hour
Join us in the RTDNA25 Lounge for some speedy presentations and shared tips and tricks.
12:30 - 2 p.m. // Dine Arounds
Join your fellow conference attendees for lunch to discuss professional topics that matter to you in a small, intimate setting. Personally connecting in an intimate setting will allow you to benefit from the wisdom of diverse experiences and foster new relationships with industry colleagues. The table topics will be determined by the group — a catalyst to truly connect with one another. *Pre-registration required. **Please note that the meal cost is not included in your conference registration unless attending a sponsored Dine Around.
Sponsored Dine Arounds:
- FOX
2 – 3:15 p.m. // RTDNA Awards & Honors
We'll salute the RTDNA Foundation's 2025 Scholarship and Fellowship recipients and then recognize and hear from the best of the best with our Paul White and John F. Hogan awards. Hear from each recipient about the power of journalism, their triumphs and tribulations and how they feel about the future of the industry.
3:15 - 4 p.m. // Afternoon Boost: Snacks & Social
Get the boost you need with some afternoon snacks and gather in our lounge to share what you’ve learned and socialize with peers and sponsors.
3:15 - 4 p.m. // Feedback Loop: Critiques
Sit down with the pros and have your reel or resume critiqued. Leave with tips and tricks, the confidence to know you’re moving in the right direction, and a new connection in the industry. *Sign-up required
4 - 5 p.m. // Breakout Sessions
Our breakouts are built around shared knowledge, both from the trainer and other attendees. Participate in a session to get hands-on experience, in-depth discussions and a meaningful deep-dive into a variety of topics.
5 – 6:30 p.m. // Grub and Give
Giving back is one of the foundational elements of RTDNA25 so join us for a quick dinner and then roll up your sleeves and engage in several service projects that benefit the New Orleans community while you chat it up with your peers. Sponsored by FOX.
7:30 – 8 p.m. // Second Line Reception
It wouldn’t be a party in the French Quarter without participating in a second line parade to celebrate
our Opening Night Party! Join us for a short reception at the hotel before following the band on to our party venue, Rue Bourbon.
8 - 11 p.m. // Opening Night Party
Celebrate Day 1 by hitting the town at Rue Bourbon with us at the Opening Night Party, sponsored by our friends at CNN Newsource.
Friday, June 13
8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. // Registration Desk Open
Stop by the registration desk to grab your registration materials or get your questions answered.
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. // Beignets & Coffee Break
Grab a cup, fill it up and spend time connecting with sponsors, exhibitors and peers in the RTDNA25 Lounge.
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. // Breakout Sessions
Our breakouts are built around shared knowledge, both from the trainer and other attendees. Participate in a session to get hands-on experience, in-depth discussions and a meaningful deep-dive into a variety of topics.
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. // Feedback Loop: Critiques
Sit down with the pros and have your reel or resume critiqued. Leave with tips and tricks, the confidence to know you’re moving in the right direction, and a new connection in the industry. *Sign-up required
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. // Self-Care Space: You-Call-It
Leaders need self-care just as much as their teams do, and sometimes that comes in the form of fun. We’re here for you with a variety of activities to break up the day, help you take a breath and soak up a bit of enjoyment — you’ve earned it!
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. // Lunch On Your Own
Get a bite to eat with new or old friends, but make sure you're back in time for the next round of breakouts.
1 – 2:30 p.m. // Breakout Sessions
Our breakouts are built around shared knowledge, both from the trainer and other attendees. Participate in a session to get hands-on experience, in-depth discussions and a meaningful deep-dive into a variety of topics.
2:30 - 3:15 p.m. // Afternoon Boost: Snacks & Social
Get the boost you need with some afternoon snacks and gather in our lounge to share what you’ve learned and socialize with peers, sponsors and exhibitors.
3:15 – 4:15 p.m. // Breakout Sessions
Our breakouts are built around shared knowledge, both from the trainer and other attendees. Participate in a session to get hands-on experience, in-depth discussions and a meaningful deep-dive into a variety of topics.
4:30 - 5 p.m. // Closing Keynote
Join us for a wrap up of the conference in a moderated discussion to help you organize and prepare to bring all your new ideas and connections back to your newsrooms.
6 - 8 p.m. // Sponsored Parties Around Town
Join the various companies and organizations at parties around NOLA. *Invitations required unless otherwise listed
RTDNA25 Breakout Sessions
Reclaiming Your Work Life: An AMA for High Performers at a Crossroads
Feeling stuck, undervalued, or out of alignment in your career? You’re not alone...and you don’t have to figure it out on your own either. Join Nicholas Whitaker, conscious work coach and Co-founder of Changing Work for an open, no-BS conversation about what it takes to navigate change with clarity, courage, and self-respect. Whether you’re negotiating a raise, plotting an exit, or redefining what success means to you, this session is a space to ask questions, get grounded, and walk away with real tools for reclaiming your career on your terms.
How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?
Journalism's youngest audience consumes information differently than generations before them. Hear directly from young people — teens and young adults — about where they get their news, how we can better serve them and what you can do to better align your coverage and delivery for the younger generations.
How Jazz Improv Can Transform Your Newsroom (No, Seriously)
Imagine a jazz ensemble effortlessly improvising, seamlessly adapting to each other's rhythm and melody—each musician both a leader and a follower, fully attuned and responsive in real-time. Now imagine your team operating with the same dynamic, collaborative, and spontaneous energy.
Through live examples, stories, and engaging activities, you'll learn how to:
Embrace the "Yes, and..." mindset for creativity and innovation, master the balance between leading and supporting in high-performing teams, and build trust and psychological safety so your team can confidently 'riff' and adapt in the moment. You don't need to know jazz to enjoy this session—just come ready to have fun, learn, and transform your leadership rhythm!
Morag Barrett is a leadership expert, executive coach, and award-winning author who believes that #BetterTogether isn’t just a hashtag—it’s the secret to thriving at work and in life. As the founder and CEO of SkyeTeam, Morag has helped 15,000+ leaders across 20 countries transform workplace relationships and build high-performing teams. Whether working in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid environment, her message is clear: you cannot high-perform alone.
She is the author of Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationships and You, Me, We: Why We All Need a Friend at Work (and How to Show Up as One!), where she reveals how relationship blind spots derail careers and team success. Through her pioneering Relationship Ecosystem™ model, Morag helps leaders strengthen trust, navigate tough conversations, and build powerful partnerships.
Her mission? Creating cultures of connection—one conversation and one relationship at a time.
When she’s not transforming workplaces, you’ll find her playing the bassoon, ballroom dancing, or reminding her three towering sons that she still reigns supreme at Scrabble.
Innovative Products: Meet Your Audience's Needs Without Sacrificing Your Mission
Newsrooms have limited resources; what are effective models for ensuring we're placing the smartest bets possible? As audience behaviors radically change, how can we develop editorial products that can compete with giant platforms? And how can we create a structure to support that innovation while maintaining our newsroom missions?
Burnout: Why We Might Be Doing This To Ourselves, and How To Stop
Burnout isn’t just about overworking — it’s about broken systems that force you to do everything yourself. Learn how to build burnout-proof businesses with custom systems, automation, and smarter workflows so your business runs smoothly — without running you into the ground.
Ellyn Schinke is a former research scientist turned the #1 burnout and stress management coach on Google, creator of the Burnout-Proof Business Program, and host of the Burnout-Proof Podcast. She has been featured in Fast Company, The New York Times, and on stage with LinkedIn. Ellyn teaches individuals and organizations how to create sustainable success through mindset, systems, and self-care so they can do what they love and love how they do it—burnout-proofed. Conscious Disengagement from News: What Can We Do About It?
Data shows a 10-year trend toward disengagement from online news, with interest in news falling and news avoidance rising. What's causing the trend and what does that mean for journalism — and democracy?
Dr. Craig T. Robertson is a Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. Craig works on the annual Digital News Report, the largest study of news audience behaviors and attitudes worldwide (now covering 48 markets). Craig's research interests include trends in news consumption, audience trust in and perceptions of news, and the impacts of technology on the news industry.Staying Safe: Online Harassment Mitigation and Response
We are far from the halcyon days of the early internet, where we could spin up personal websites and blogs with relative privacy and anonymity. But there are steps we can take to dial back the amount of personal information about us. Join the Freedom of the Press Foundation for a training where you'll learn where your information lurks online and how to either suppress access to it or remove it altogether, and what to do when you've become a target for trolls.
Harlo Holmes is the chief information security officer and director of digital security at Freedom of the Press Foundation. She strives to help individual journalists in various media organizations become confident and effective in securing their communications within their newsrooms, with their sources, and with the public at large. She is a media scholar, software programmer, and activist. Harlo was a regular contributor to the open source mobile security collective Guardian Project, where she spearheaded the media metadata verification initiative currently empowering ProofMode, Save by OpenArchive, eyeWitness to Atrocities, and others.
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Using AI Smarter to Manage Better
By now, we've all sat through a session on AI and might have even tinkered with some of the software. This session, though, will help you consider all of the implications of AI use in your newsroom while showing you tools to improve YOUR workflow as a newsroom leader? See how these tools can make you a better manager by proofreading emails to your newsroom, synthesizing data in your decision-making, improving attendance at company town hall meetings.
Megan Grady is the Associate Director of Academic Partnerships for Online Education and Educational Technology at Butler University, where she leads initiatives that support innovative, inclusive, and high-impact digital teaching practices across learning modalities. With nearly two decades of experience in higher education, Megan has taught professional and digital writing courses, designed faculty training programs, and built cross-institutional partnerships to strengthen online learning.
Megan frequently facilitates workshops on course quality, AI literacy, and digital pedagogy. Passionate about empowering faculty and expanding access through thoughtful use of technology, she brings a collaborative, learner-centered approach to the evolving landscape of higher education.
Megan holds an M.A. in English Language and Literature from Butler University, a B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from Indiana University Bloomington, and an A.S. in Broadcast Production from Vincennes University.
Kristen (Allen) Palmer serves as the Team Lead for Academic Partnerships at Butler University, where she focuses on instructional technology and learning development for both online and traditional faculty. A proud double graduate of Butler, Kristen holds a BS in Middle/Secondary Mathematics Education (with minors in Business Administration and Business Law) and an MS in Strategic Communication.
With a passion for education and technology, Kristen has a broad range of teaching experience. She has worked with middle and high school students in classrooms, facilitated corporate training sessions for adult learners, supported English-language learners in nonprofit settings, and mentored individuals and small groups in faith communities. In her current role, she partners with faculty to integrate innovative tools and strategies into their teaching practices, making technology accessible and effective for diverse learning environments.
Kristen’s journey also includes time volunteering and teaching English in the Middle East and working in client services at a wealth management firm. These experiences have shaped her holistic approach to equipping educators and professionals with tools like Generative AI to support both personal and professional growth.
Working Better Together: Collaboration Toolkit
Collaborations are key for producing news that spans markets and audiences. Let's explore how you can create teams that work effectively and efficiently, what skills you and others should enhance and what you should know to know to produce the best journalism.
RTDNA25 Pre-Conference Workshops
AI: Tools + Ethics
An in-depth look at the newest and most useful AI tools in journalism, paired with a discussion around ethics and transparency in the digital age.
Mike Reilley has been a lecturer in data and digital journalism at the University of Illinois Chicago for the past eight years and is a digital tools trainer in the Google News Initiative training program. He also owns Penny Press Digital, LLC, a digital consulting company.
Mike has trained more than 14,000 journalists, students and teachers in digital tools since 2016, speaking at conferences, journalism schools and in newsrooms in 42 states. He has done more than 425 trainings in the Google program and dozens more for other clients such as Gannett.
In 2015 and 2016, Mike was the director of digital production and professor of practice at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He and his digital production students rebuilt, updated and produced multimedia, mobile stories and data visualizations for Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. His group also built the Carnegie-Knight News21 Weed Rush and Nicaragua: Channeling the Future sites.
He taught several classes over 6 1/2 years as a faculty member at DePaul University, including Reporting for Converged Newsrooms, Online Journalism I, Online Journalism II, Mobile Journalism, News Editing and Multiplatform News Editing. In winter 2011, he launched The Red Line Project with students in his Online Journalism II class. The site won many national and regional awards — including honors from ONA and Editor & Publisher. His UIC students continue to publish to it today.
He also served as founder and faculty adviser the SPJ/ONA DePaul student organization. The group was named the 2013 and 2011 SPJ National Campus Chapter of the Year, Region 5 Campus Chapter of the Year three times and was DePaul University’s 2012 Outstanding Student Organization. Reilley was named DePaul’s Outstanding Faculty Adviser in 2012 and won SPJ’s David Eshelman Award for Outstanding Campus Adviser in 2013.
Mike is a former reporter and copy editor at the Los Angeles Times and was one of the founding editors of ChicagoTribune.com. He’s a former digital news editor at WashingtonPost.com and helped run the 2000 Summer Olympics copy desk for AOL. Mike also founded the AI tools site, The Journalist’s Toolbox. He also blogged about the Chicago Bears for two seasons on the NFL Blog Blitz site.
Mike has more than 2,500 bylined stories as a professional reporter, covering teams such as the Los Angeles Rams, Anaheim Angels, Chicago Cubs, college sports and recruiting. He has written for MediaShift’s EducationShift page, and had an article published in 2003 in the Columbia Journalism Review about incorporating computer-assisted reporting and research cross-curriculum.
Mike has a master’s degree in journalism/newspaper-media management from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He graduated at the top of his class at Medill and received the Harrington Award, the school’s highest academic honor. He taught full-time at Medill from 1997 to 2000. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was editor of his college newspaper, The Daily Nebraskan.
You can reach Mike on Twitter @journtoolbox, @itsmikereilley or LinkedIn. Medium posts and practice for his class: medium.com/@mikereilley1 | Email: mikereilley1@gmail.com
Leading in a Time of Crisis
Explore interactive case studies during this hands-on workshop about how to lead in journalism during a time of chaos, with a look back at an 1817 management study that — surprise — is still relevant today.
Kevin Benz is a veteran broadcast journalist and news director who started in broadcast news as a photographer in Austin, Houston and Raleigh, North Carolina. He and his teams have received national recognition from the Sigma Delta Chi awards, the National Edward R. Murrow awards, three National Walter Cronkite awards for excellence in Political Journalism and the DuPont-Columbia awards.
Kevin is former chairman of RTDNA and the Texas AP Broadcasters. He serves on the faculty of the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism and as visiting faculty with the Poynter Institute. He is co-founder of the Southwest Broadcast Journalism conference. Today he coaches journalists in newsrooms around the country.
Hotel Monteleone
214 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
$239/night + applicable state/local fees
Reserve Your Room Before May 21
We're so excited to host RTDNA25 at Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans' most celebrated hotel in the French Quarter. Known as the grand dame of Royal Street, Hotel Monteleone is one of the last great family-owned and operated hotels in New Orleans. Since 1886, five generations of Monteleones have dedicated themselves to making their hotel what it was, and still is — a sparkling jewel in the heart of the French Quarter.
With over a century of history, Hotel Monteleone has earned numerous awards and prestige through dedicated service and a commitment to comfort. Our historic hotel is an official literary landmark designated by the Friends of the Library Association and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America, the Preferred Hotel Group, and Associated Luxury Hotels International. Read more about the beautiful hotel's history.
RTDNA5, hosted by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), will bring together hundreds of news directors, producers, reporters, editors, photographers, and other media professionals June 11-13 2025 at Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans.
Attendees are interested in learning about journalism and media trends, new digital tools, emerging technologies, career opportunities, and more. RTDNA25 will provide job seekers and recruiters with a place to network and explore new opportunities.
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Sponsors Get All the Rewards!
Networking Opportunities
With a small, exclusive number of sponsors, there are plenty of interactive opportunities to connect with attendees. No, we don't have a traditional exhibit floor because we think engaging with attendees is so much more than that. Our opportunities are broad and meaningful, giving you a chance to build great, lasting connections.
Access
Highlight your company, job openings, services or opportunities by branding conference lanyards, Wi-Fi or T-Shirts or becoming the exclusive sponsor of a Happy Hour or the Headshot Studio. Be the exclusive sponsor of a hospitality event like a special event, sponsor a snack break, and more! Create and maintain business relationships during some of the more “social” aspects!
Exposure
Looking for a way to make an impression? We offer a number of branded and experiential marketing opportunities to engage our audience. Our sponsor recognition package offers optimal exposure. We highlight our sponsors at every turn so you're sure to feel - and be - noticed!
Sponsorship Levels
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| Price | |
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Member Registration RTDNA25
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$375.00 |
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Retired/YP Member RTDNA25
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$250.00 |
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Student Rate RTDNA25
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$75.00 |
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Non-Member RTDNA25 Registration
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$575.00 |
| Price | |
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FOX Dine Around
Open to the first 10 registrants, FOX will treat to you dinner and great conversation with other attendees! While these reservations are open to all attendees, these are designed for people traveling on their own or with a colleague. If you are coming with multiple people (4+), we kindly ask that you consider dining on your own as a group. |
FREE |
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