2026-27 RTDNA Slate of Board Officers and Directors

In April 2024, the RTDNA Board of Directors passed bylaws changes that put a Governance Modernization plan into action, changing the governance structure of the organization. The slate of RTDNA leaders is now proposed by the Leadership & Development Committee with careful consideration for a diverse group that addresses the coming challenges of the Association and Foundation.

The following individuals will join current board members whose terms expire in 2027 or later: 

Robert Thomas - News Director, WKYT 

Robert Thomas is a newsroom leader with 30+ years of experience driving editorial strategy, developing teams, and producing compelling, community-focused journalism. For the past two decades, he has led WKYT in Lexington, Kentucky, overseeing 60+ hours of weekly news across CBS and CW platforms while strengthening the product and expanding its reach on streaming platforms. He also oversees the news department at Gray Media’s WYMT in Hazard, Kentucky.

Two weeks into his first news director role in 2006, Thomas guided WKYT’s coverage of the Comair Flight 5191 crash—work that earned the station a National Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage. He has also led major newsroom transformations, including content retooling, team rebuilding, technology transitions, and navigating changes in consumer viewing habits.

Earlier, he held leadership roles in 24-hour news operations including KOB (NBC), Northwest Cable News in Seattle, and CONUS/All News Channel, helping lead nonstop national coverage and news feeds for more than 100 stations. He served as president of the Kentucky Associated Press Broadcasters Association and has been a member of the RTDNA Board of Directors for the past four years.

Thomas holds an M.S. in Communications from the University of Tennessee and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of South Carolina, and began his career as a producer and executive producer in local television news.

About the Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect will serve on the board for three years, Year 1 as Chair-Elect, Year 2 as Association Chair, and Year 3 as Foundation Chair. At the end of that term, this individual will Chair RTDNA's Leadership & Development Committee. 

Vincent Duffy - News Director, Michigan Public 

Vincent Duffy has been news director at Michigan Public since May 2007.

In his years leading the Michigan Public newsroom, the news team has won scores of national, regional and state awards including Murrow Awards, Sigma Delta Chi awards, a Peabody award, a duPont award and others.

Duffy has twice been Chair of the Radio/Television/Digital News Association (RTDNA) and is currently the treasurer of the association.

 About the RTDNA Treasurer: The RTDNA Treasurer will serve a three-year term on the board.  

Stephanie Bertini - Reporter, FOX5

Stephanie Bertini is an award-winning television journalist based in New York City, where she reports for FOX 5 News. With experience across the United States and Canada, her work spans investigative, enterprise, and feature reporting, as well as anchoring and hosting.

Beyond her on-air work, Stephanie teaches journalism, television, and digital media courses as an adjunct professor.

Her industry honors include a National Edward R. Murrow Award. Born and raised in Toronto, she is multilingual and holds degrees in history, broadcasting, and journalism.

Kent Floyd - News Director, KX News

Kent Floyd is News Director at KX News in Bismarck, North Dakota, where he leads editorial direction across broadcast, streaming, digital, and social platforms.

He brings more than a decade of broadcast journalism experience. Before KX News, Kent served as Interim News Director and Assistant News Director at ABC24/CW30 in Memphis, leading newsroom operations and mentoring anchors, reporters, and producers. He was also Managing Editor at KARE 11 in Minneapolis, where he guided daily content and enterprise storytelling.

Kent spent nearly a decade at NBC News Channel in Charlotte as a National Desk Writer/Producer and Foreign Desk Producer. He produced national and international content for NBC affiliates nationwide and managed foreign client relationships with CBC, CTV, NTV Japan, and Australia's 7Net. His assignments included the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Rio, the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, and Super Bowl LI.

Before journalism, Kent served in the U.S. Navy as an Operations Specialist. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Langston University. He and his wife, Ria, live in North Dakota with their Black Mouth Cur, Chewy.

Dave Jorgenson - Co-Founder, Local News International

Before co-founding Local News International (LNI), Dave launched The Washington Post TikTok channel, which eventually morphed into the Washington Post Universe on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

His work had earned nine Webby awards and most recently a global award for LNI in Best Audience Engagement. In 2021, Dave published his first book,“Make a TikTok Every Day’ and he made the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2020. He is a pioneer in creating short-form news videos that connect deeply with younger audiences who think he looks like JD Vance. 

Dave lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife, daughter and dog Lola (also a senior LNI executive).

About the Directors At-Large: Directors At-Large will serve a two-year term on the board.  

RTDNA members will have an opportunity to vote on the slate during a virtual Membership Meeting held in August 2026. The incumbent members of RTDNA's Board of Directors will be: 

Association Chair: Blaise Labbe, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Foundation Chair: Colin Benedict, Morgan Murphy Media
Foundation Secretary/Treasurer: Jennifer Seelig, KCBS
Foundation Vice-Chair: Monika Diaz, ABC10
Director At-Large: Liz Alesse, Axios
Director At-Large: Tyler Chance, Hearst Magazines
Director At-Large: Kim Wilhelm, Gray Television

The newly composed board will elect an individual to serve as a trustee of the RTDNA Foundation.