Thought Leader: Keith Woods

Keith Woods  is the Vice President of Diversity in News & Operations at National Public Radio (NPR). He leads NPR's efforts to improve diversity in staffing, content, audience and the work environment. He joined NPR in 2010 and is helping to build a network-wide strategy that reaches more than 250 member stations.

Previously, he was Dean of Faculty at The Poynter Institute, the nation's premier school for journalism training located in St. Petersburg, Fla. He is co-author of The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity, a text now used in some of the nation's top journalism schools.

He has led dozens of workshops for journalists in newsroom across the country. He is a former editor of Best Newspaper Writing, the annual collection of prize-winning stories and photojournalism selected by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Woods has served stints as chairman of Pulitzer Prize juries in editorial writing and commentary.

Woods is a native of New Orleans with degrees in social work from Dillard University (BA) and Tulane University (MSW). He is a former sports writer, news reporter, city editor, editorial writer, and columnist who worked his way through those jobs in 16 years at the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He now divides his time between Washington and Tampa. He is married to WTVT-TV anchor Denise White. Their blended family includes five children, four grandchildren, a confused cat and an Irish Setter looking to sink her teeth into anything in the house that doesn't move (luckily, the cat moves quickly).

Keith has written the essay, The Value of the Work as part of the IVOH Voices & Values of Journalism Project - listen to and read the entire collection of essays here.

Keith's recent work and related links:

• Keith's Poynter Page