Cheryl Thompson-Morton to lead Lenfest Advisory Programs

Thompson-Morton rejoins The Lenfest Institute to help expand strategic advisory services for news organizations nationwide

April 3, 2025

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism is today announcing that Cheryl Thompson-Morton is joining the Institute in the newly created role of Head of Advisory Programs. Thompson-Morton was most recently Director of the Black Media Initiative at the Center for Community Media at the CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. 

Thompson-Morton will lead Lenfest Advisory Programs, which provide strategic advice, learning programs, and services for news organizations in Philadelphia and across the United States. Thompson-Morton will consult with clients on business growth and sustainability, including legal and ownership structure, digital transformation, long-term financial planning, product strategy, organizational design, and more. In addition to consulting with news enterprises both locally and nationally, she will oversee the development of free-to-use, self-service toolkits and resources that help news organizations achieve growth and resiliency. 

Prior to her position at CUNY, Thompson-Morton worked at The Lenfest Institute, where she played a formative role in the establishment of the Institute’s Philadelphia programs from 2017-2021. She designed the Constellation News Leadership Initiative, a management development program for mid-career media professionals of color, and launched the Reimagining Philadelphia Journalism Summit, the Institute’s annual convening for the Philadelphia news ecosystem. Thompson-Morton has consulted with the Institute over the past six months to design supporting advisory services for the Philadelphia Local News Sustainability Initiative, which provides grant funding, coaching and advice to 18 Philadelphia-area news enterprises. 

“The Lenfest Institute has engaged with news organizations across the country — on a pro bono or low-cost basis — providing strategic advice, financial modeling, and M&A,” Lenfest Institute Executive Director and CEO Jim Friedlich said. “With her extraordinary blend of business acumen and community media expertise, Cheryl Thompson-Morton will allow us to expand this work meaningfully for a diverse group of current and future clients.” 

During her time at the CUNY Black Media Initiative, Thompson-Morton designed and led a portfolio of programs, including training, research, and connection-building, to support business development for Black-owned news organizations. Thompson-Morton is also an adjunct faculty member at the Poynter Institute, where she co-leads Transforming Crime Coverage to Public Safety Journalism, a six-month change management program designed to help newsrooms shift their coverage focus.  

From its founding in Philadelphia in 2016, The Lenfest Institute has expanded into a national provider of programs and services focused on the business growth and resiliency of local news. Thompson-Morton’s appointment will help The Lenfest Institute provide strategic advice and services to newsrooms on a larger scale.   

In the past, The Institute has provided strategic advice, counsel, and guidance to The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which launched The Baltimore Banner, Chicago Public Media, which acquired The Chicago Sun-Times, McClatchy Media Company as they began to reduce print frequency, THE CITY on its financial planning, and various newspapers considering transitioning to nonprofit status.  

“I am thrilled to rejoin The Lenfest Institute,” Thompson-Morton said. “My experience has underscored the critical role of resources that offer tailored support to newsrooms striving for financial sustainability. I hope these services will inspire growth and drive meaningful transformation for the newsrooms we serve.” 

For more information about Lenfest Advisory Programs, please contact [email protected].