Katie Hawkins-Gaaris a journalism consultant and freelance writer, and the organizer of Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media. She was previously Poynter’s digital innovation faculty member, and taught journalists how to make the most of social media, understand audience engagement, rethink workflows, and foster creativity. Hawkins-Gaar created The Cohort, a newsletter dedicated to women kicking ass in journalism, and is the co-founder of 40 Better Hours, a project to improve newsroom morale. She also built digitalwomenleaders.com, a site offering free mentoring sessions from dozens of women working in journalism. Prior to Poynter, she was the managing editor of CNN iReport, the network’s global citizen journalism platform. Hawkins-Gaaris passionate about improving workplace culture, championing women, talking about grief, and building online communities.