The President and CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), Dan Shelley, has announced he will retire from the position at the conclusion of 2025.
Shelley has dedicated more than 25 years of service to the organization that promotes ethical journalism in the media space.
“It has been the honor of my career to serve broadcast and digital journalists through my roles at RTDNA,” Shelley said. “Throughout my travels around the world on behalf of our association, I have been heartened to see the insatiable thirst for truth and transparency among people even in autocratic societies. During my travels around this country – in the U.S. and state capitols, at journalism schools and professional conferences, and with the general public – I have proudly been a standard bearer for those same principles.
“Now, though, after 45 years working tirelessly, day after day, I have decided it’s time for a new generation of RTDNA staff leaders to finish building our association’s bridge to the ever-changing landscape of what our business will be in the future,” Shelley concluded.
The organization has named RTDNA Executive Director Tara Puckey to succeed Dan Shelley as President and CEO of the organization. She will take the reins effective January 1st after a vote was held by the RTDNA Board of Directors last month.
Puckey has been with the organization since 2018, when she first joined as Director of Strategic Initiatives before being promoted to Chief Staff Officer in 2020 and Executive Director in 2022.
“I’ve spent most of my career serving the inspiring journalists who work each and every day to hold the powerful accountable and tell the stories of their communities,” Puckey said. “It’s an incredible honor to take the torch from Dan — and a challenge because of the standard of excellence he set — but I am thrilled to continue this work with the smart and talented RTDNA staff and leadership.”
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