Investigative Project on Race and Equity names Adrienne Samuels Gibbs as first full-time executive director

Adrienne Samuels Gibbs

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity has named Adrienne Samuels Gibbs as its first full-time executive director, marking a major milestone in the organization’s growth and evolution.

An award-winning journalist, editor and media executive, Samuels Gibbs brings more than two decades of experience leading high-impact newsrooms, shaping audience strategy and building mission-driven media organizations. She will begin her role on April 6.

Adrienne will guide the organization through its next phase of growth — strengthening and diversifying revenue streams, refining internal systems and policies and identifying new opportunities for impact across our journalism and training programs. Her leadership will help position the Project to build on our foundation while thoughtfully expanding the ways we serve our communities and partners.

Most recently, Samuels Gibbs served as director of content and creator growth at Medium, where she worked at the intersection of rigorous journalism and audience innovation. Throughout her career, she has built a reputation for humanizing complex issues, elevating undercovered communities and developing editorial strategies that drive both impact and engagement.

“Adrienne brings a rare combination of editorial excellence, strategic vision and deep commitment to equity,” said Laura Washington, board president of the Investigative Project on Race and Equity. “Her vision, energy and leadership give us great confidence that she will take the organization to new heights.”

Samuels Gibbs has held staff roles at some of the country’s most influential news organizations, including The Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun-Times and the St. Petersburg Times. Her career has consistently reflected a commitment to reporting on what goes uncovered and centering the experiences of people of color and other marginalized communities.

A seasoned leader in the race and equity space, she has also served as editor-in-chief of Momentum, a publication dedicated to anti-racism, and ZORA, a leading platform for Black women and women of color. As managing editor of Ebony, she created the award-winning Ebony Power 100.

A native Chicagoan and graduate of Morgan Park High School, Samuels Gibbs is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She remains active in journalism and media leadership as chair of the board for Northwestern Magazine and as an adjunct professor at Chicago State University. Her strategic expertise has also been tapped by global brands including Netflix, and she has represented the United States internationally as a voting delegate for the International Federation of Journalists Congress.

Samuels Gibbs is a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists. She also serves on the Tech Advisory Committee for City Colleges of Chicago. She lives on Chicago’s South Side with her husband and sons.

“This is a major moment for our organization,” said Angela Caputo, co-founder and outgoing executive director. “Over the past five years, we’ve built something meaningful with the support of our staff, board, advisory council, funders and partners. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I’m excited to welcome a leader with Adrienne’s experience, creativity and commitment to this next chapter.” Caputo will assume the role of editorial director.

The hire follows a national search led by the Morten Group and supported by a transition committee made up of board and advisory council members, including co-founders Sharon McGowan, Laura Washington, Kevin Blackistone, Rui Kaneya, Angela Caputo and Tom Brune, with additional support from Lynne Johnson.

Founded to produce collaborative investigative journalism and create pathways for journalists historically excluded from the field, the Investigative Project on Race and Equity has grown into an award-winning nonprofit newsroom and training institute focused on accountability reporting and equity-centered journalism.