Filed
3:45 p.m. EST
01.28.2025
The industry veteran will lead both the newsroom and business operations.
Katrice Hardy
Katrice Hardy, a seasoned media executive who has led major news organizations in Texas, Indiana and South Carolina, has been named chief executive officer of The Marshall Project, the Pulitzer prize-winning nonprofit newsroom that covers criminal justice. She begins on March 17 and will be based in Dallas.
Hardy takes on a new role at The Marshall Project, which was previously co-led by a president and editor-in-chief. As chief executive officer, she will oversee both the newsroom and business sides of the 10-year-old nonprofit.
“For 10 amazing years The Marshall Project has shined a light on our country’s broken criminal justice system,” said Liz Simons, chair of The Marshall Project’s board of directors. “Now, at a time when journalism is under siege and truth-telling more urgent than ever, I couldn’t be more excited for the next chapter Katrice will usher in. She brings rich editorial experience, an innovative mindset, and a deep commitment to our mandate of telling stories that would otherwise be untold.”
Hardy currently serves as executive editor and vice-president of the Dallas Morning News. She previously served as Midwest regional editor for USA Today Network and executive editor of the Indianapolis Star, where she partnered with The Marshall Project and other media outlets on a series about police dogs that won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2021. She also led the Greenville News in South Carolina while overseeing the South region for the network. She has been a member of the advisory board of the Poynter Institute and has served on the board of The Marshall Project for the last three years.
“I’m so excited to take on this new important role at a media outlet that I have long admired and respected,” said Hardy. “The Marshall Project has earned a storied reputation in the journalism world, while being a model for a new kind of nonprofit news. I am honored by the opportunity to build on the remarkable success of both The Marshall Project’s journalism and its strong business model.”
Under Hardy’s leadership and The Marshall Project’s new structure, day-to-day operation of the newsroom will remain the responsibility of the editor-in-chief. Acting Editor-in-Chief Geraldine Sealey, who moves into the role from her long-time position as managing editor, will retain considerable discretion over editorial direction and decision-making.
Marshall Project President Carroll Bogert informed the board of her intention to step down while the search was underway for a new editor-in-chief to replace Susan Chira. “I wanted to give the board the option to unify The Marshall Project’s staff structure, and that is what they indeed chose to do,” said Bogert. “Katrice is an inspired choice to lead both the journalism and the business of The Marshall Project into its second decade.”
Under Bogert’s tenure, The Marshall Project’s staff grew from 24 to 85. The organization invested heavily in local journalism, hiring news teams in Cleveland; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis. The Marshall Project also became the largest distributor of quality journalism behind bars, with a print magazine circulating in more than 1,500 prisons and jails nationwide and a video series for incarcerated audiences that has run for two seasons, with millions of views.
“We thank Carroll for the amazing work she has done in building The Marshall Project, which quadrupled in size under her leadership,” said Simons. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without her energy and vision.”
The Marshall Project has won two Pulitzer Prizes, several National Magazine Awards for general excellence and a host of other top journalism laurels. Marshall Project investigations have spurred new legislation and advocacy campaigns, prompted official probes, improved conditions in specific prisons and jails, gotten people out of detention and been cited by everyone from Supreme Court justices to jailhouse lawyers. More about the impact of its journalism can be found here.
A graduate of Louisiana State University, Hardy began her career at The Virginian-Pilot, where she started as an intern and left in 2016 as managing editor. She is a long-time member of National Association of Black Journalists and served on the board of Associated Press Managing Editors.
Hardy has long been committed to community engagement and to mentoring other journalists and media leaders. She has worked diligently in her previous roles to help create and build sustainable business models to support journalism.
The Marshall Project’s search committee was led by board member Nick Goldberg and administered by Koller Search Partners’ Karen Danziger.
