IWMF Announces New Board Co-Chairs as NGO’s Scope Increases

CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux and Americares’ Stephanie Kauffman to direct board activities; IWMF also adds The Washington Post’s Kristine Coratti Kelly

[May 21, 2021 – WASHINGTON, DC] – The International Women’s Media Foundation today announced the appointment of new board co-chairs to help steer the direction of the organization. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN’s National Correspondent, and Stephanie Kauffman, Americares Head of Strategic Partnerships, will lead the IWMF’s board during a time of increasing urgency surrounding global press freedom and gendered attacks against women and diverse journalists. Linda Douglass will remain on the board’s leadership team as its vice chair.

Together, Malveaux and Kauffman will work with the IWMF’s executive leadership to grow the reach of the organization philanthropically and within the public eye. The board co-chairs will also advise on the launch of the IWMF’s Online Violence Response Hub in summer 2021 as well as new large-scale grant work in the United States.

Malveaux, an award-winning veteran journalist for CNN, joined the network in 2002. She reports on politics, national news, international events, and culture for the broadcast network. In her role, Malveaux’s covered five U.S. presidents, the Taliban attack on the U.S. Embassy from Afghanistan, her family’s first-hand account of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and her mother’s battle with ALS. Previously a network anchor, she also covered the White House for 10 years. Before her time at CNN, Malveaux was a correspondent for NBC News. She is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow and holds three honorary bachelor’s degrees. In addition to her work with the IWMF, Malveaux serves on the board of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

“My time on the IWMF’s board has enriched and furthered my work in countless ways, and I’ve experienced first-hand what the support of female journalists can do within the news media industry,” said Malveaux. “I’m thrilled to expand my work with this essential organization. Our work has never been more critical; alongside my fellow advocate Stephanie Kauffman, we pledge to do what needs to be done to promote freedom of the press.”

Kauffman was appointed as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at Americares, the global health-focused relief and development organization, in November 2020. In this role, she is responsible for partnership growth strategies and broadening engagement with Americares corporate, foundation, public, pharmaceutical and health partners. Prior to joining the non-profit global health space, Kauffman was a senior marketing and brand partnerships executive at Universal Studios, a division of NBCUniversal. Under her leadership, Universal formed partnerships with global brands on blockbuster film and theme park integrations, sponsorships and worldwide marketing campaigns. Kauffman also held partnerships roles at TripAdvisor and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world.

“The IWMF supports, protects and rewards women journalists around the world for their vital contributions at all levels of the news media,” said Kauffman. “We need fact-based news with a diversity of voices, stories and perspectives as a cornerstone of democracy and free expression, and the IWMF is at the forefront in championing this work. I am honored to co-chair this distinguished board alongside my fellow advocate, Suzanne Malveaux.”

In addition to the elevation of Malveaux and Kauffman to board co-chairs, the IWMF is also thrilled to announce the addition of The Washington Post’s Chief Communications Officer and General Manager of The Washington Post Live, Kristine Coratti Kelly, to its board. Coratti also manages the company’s philanthropic arm, Helping Hand, which has raised more than $1.4 million for Washington-area nonprofits since 2014. Coratti and the IWMF have collaborated for years on press freedom imperatives affecting both the national and the global news media; specifically, The Washington Post’s Press Freedom Partnership.

Before her current role with The Washington Post, Coratti served as the company’s Vice President of Communications. She joined The Post in 2006 as the Communications Manager for Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, the company’s online division, and managed communications for Slate Magazine and the launch of The Root. Prior to joining The Post, Coratti was an account executive at DBC Public Relations Experts. Coratti started her career at CNN where she worked as a research coordinator for CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Reports. In 2019, BizBash named Coratti a top Corporate Producer & Strategist on their BizBash 1,000 list of the people with the biggest impact on meetings and events across the United States. She is also a recipient of the ADD Diversity Council Award.

“Through The Washington Post Press Freedom Partnership, I’ve been fortunate to work closely with IWMF and see firsthand the extraordinary work the organization does to protect, support and elevate women who fearlessly report from around the globe,” said Coratti. “I am honored to join its board and look forward to further supporting its critical mission.”

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About the International Women’s Media Foundation

Founded in 1989, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) is the only global non-profit organization that offers emergency support, safety training, reporting opportunities and funding avenues offered specifically for female journalists. We are making more women’s bylines possible and work tirelessly to ensure a greater diversity of voices represented in the news industry worldwide. Follow the IWMF on Twitter at @IWMF, on Facebook at @IWMFPage, and Instagram on @TheIWMF.

Media Contact:

Charlotte Fox
Director of Communications
cfox@iwmf.org
(202) 567-2615