Class of 2026 Begins Its MTC Journey
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (January 20, 2026) – The MTC @ Medill Executive Fellowship Class of 2026 launched its year-long journey last week at the Poynter Institute, orienting to the work ahead: the people they’ll learn alongside, the tools they’ll use, and the performance challenges they’ll tackle through the year – and beyond.
Marking MTC’s 20th year, the kickoff emphasized not arriving with answers but getting clear on what will be tackled, tested, built, and learned before the next in-person session in March on Northwestern Medill’s campus. Or, as MTC Coach Stéphane Mayoux repeated throughout the week, “Moving from certainty to curiosity.”
The week opened with a time-honored tradition: convening the incoming Class of 2026 with the outgoing Class of 2025. Alumni spoke candidly about what stretched them most, which tools helped move them up the S-curve, and how the Fellowship reshaped both their organizations and their own leadership. The exchange grounded the new cohort in the lived reality of the work ahead.
“My first week was already a career changing experience,” Borderless Chief Development Officer CJ Ortuño said. “Simply being exposed to such talented and knowledgeable people leading media from around the world has been inspiring.”
From there, the focus turned to the core of MTC’s work: defining performance challenges. Through short presentations, individual reflection, and small-group clinics, Fellows worked on problem definition, CEO perspective, and articulating the “from/to” transformation they aim to lead. They were introduced to foundational tools – view from the balcony, deficiency and aspiration gaps, and DVP – and asked to apply them directly to their own contexts. For many, the collective work sharpened both ambition and perspective.
“This first week of MTC shifted a lot of things around in my brain in a really good way,” Baltimore Beat Editor-in-Chief and Cofounder Lisa Snowden reflected. “One of the thoughts I keep coming back to is [Coach Fran Scarlett] asking ‘To what end?’ To me, that moves me away from just doing things and towards doing things with intention.”
Midweek, attention shifted from defining the challenge to defining success. Fellows revisited the difference between activities and outcomes and were introduced to the RAOOI framework – Resources, Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact – to clarify how progress will be measured. Draft outcome goals were tested and refined in small groups, then shared in a full-cohort session featuring early versions of problem definitions, North Stars, and success measures.
With clearer direction in place, Fellows turned to strategy. Rather than detailed plans, the emphasis was on identifying the “critical few” actions sufficient to begin, with the understanding that strategy will evolve through Design/Do loops over the year. This work culminated in draft three-part challenge statements integrating problem definition, success measures, and initial strategic direction – explicitly framed as works in progress.
The latter part of the week focused on the human side of change. Sessions on people and politics helped Fellows map readiness and resistance, while conversations about assumptions and “cherished beliefs” surfaced what must be tested or unlearned. A dedicated session on belonging centered on how Fellows show up for one another and the culture they aim to build as a cohort.
“The coaches bring together media executives from every corner of the industry and create something rare: a space for genuine connection and trust,” Local Media Association Co-CEO Julia Campbell said. “What happens in those rooms is transformative.”
The week closed with an eye toward what comes next. Fellows identified early wins to pursue before March and met with coaches and peer groups to set expectations for the months ahead. No one left with a finished plan, but everyone departed with clearer direction, shared language, and momentum.
“We walk in carrying challenges,” Campbell said. “And we left energized and believing again in what’s possible.”
