Bolstering Business Acumen

Marisa Porto and Michelle LaRoche joined the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media faculty in January 2023, bolstering the school’s expertise in sustainable local news and business journalism.

Porto — an entrepreneurial leader who has served in strategic roles with media, nonprofits, startups and higher education — expands the school’s commitment to local news as the John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Local News and Sustainability. Porto specializes in transforming organizations for the digital world, and joins UNC Hussman after serving two years as assistant dean of the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications at Hampton University.

LaRoche — an educator with deep journalism experience at leading business and financial news outlets — builds the school’s strength in business journalism as its Hussman Professor of Business Journalism. LaRoche joins UNC Hussman after a professional career working with Dow Jones Newswires, The Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio. She is currently the Baldwin Chair in Business and Financial Journalism at the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Porto and LaRoche join Shelvia Dancy and Peter Sherman as part of an infusion of diverse faculty talent in spring 2023 that align with the school’s strategic priorities involving innovative storytelling, critical thinking, data literacy and industry acumen.

“Marisa Porto and Michelle LaRoche exemplify the power of blending distinguished professional careers with a commitment to educating and mentoring a diverse new generation of leaders in industry,” said Raul Reis, dean of UNC Hussman.

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