Eight staffers from New York radio and television stations have completed the New York State Broadcasters Association's Rising Leaders Fellowship, with the Class of 2026 drawn from sales, news, finance and podcast jobs.
NYSBA describes the program as MBA-style training for people moving toward station management and executive roles. Its coursework pairs personal leadership development with revenue development, news and content leadership, broadcast accounting and strategic planning.
This year's graduates are Danielle Ashworth, sales manager at Regional Radio Group, LLC; Candace Curby, promotions director and on-air personality at Albany Broadcasting; Josh Koumjian, news director at WNYT and WNYA; Kathleen O'Hare-Stewart, controller at WHEC-TV; Rob Taylor, news director at NewsChannel 9 WSYR; Brielle Travis, account executive at Pamal Broadcasting; Veronica Volk, executive producer and director of podcast strategy at WXXI; and Natasha Yurek, senior executive producer at Nexstar's WIVB-TV.
NYSBA President and Executive Director Heidi Raphael tied the program to local service. "By investing in our fellows' development, we are investing in the future of New York's radio and television stations and the commitment we make to our local communities," she said.
The fellowship's dean is Marc Jaromin, president of Roundtable Media and a NYSBA board member. He said the aim goes beyond career advancement: "Our goal is to help build leaders who make the people and organizations around them better."