FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arlington, VA – The News/Media Alliance today welcomed Elena Muehlenbeck to the organization as its new Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Muehlenbeck will manage the overall finance and administrative functions of the News/Media Alliance and its research affiliate, the American Press Institute.
Muehlenbeck is a seasoned finance executive with more than two decades of non-profit industry experience leading financial strategy, operations, and risk management. Prior to joining the Alliance, she was Chief Financial Officer of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), where she provided strategic executive leadership in all areas of finance, accounting, procurement, legal and grants management to BPC and its affiliate advocacy 501(c)(4) arm – BPC Action (BPCA). She also served as Treasurer of the BPC and BPCA Board of Directors. Prior to her role as CFO at the Bipartisan Policy Center, she worked as the Controller/Director of Finance, and then Vice President, Finance and Administration, of the organization.
Before BPC, Muehlenbeck served as the Assistant Controller of New America (Formerly New America Foundation), Accounting Manager at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and Accounting Analyst at the United Nations Foundation.
“I’m very excited to welcome Elena to the Alliance team,” said News/Media Alliance President and CEO, Danielle Coffey. “She brings a tremendous amount of relevant experience to this role, and I look forward to working with her to ensure sound financial strategy around organizational strength and growth.”
Muehlenbeck stated, “I’m thrilled to be joining the News/Media Alliance and the American Press Institute at this pivotal time for the news media industry. Their role as the voice of this critical sector is more important than ever, and I look forward to working with the organization’s members, leadership team, and the board to advance the industry’s objectives.”
Muehlenbeck is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Executive Program for CFOs, and the Harvard Extension School Leadership Program. She holds an MS in Management and Accounting from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a BA/MA in Linguistics from Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University.
Muehlenbeck begins her role on December 1, 2025, stepping in for Robert Walden, who will be retiring on December 31 after more than 10 years of dedicated service to the News/Media Alliance and the American Press Institute. He has been an invaluable member of each leadership team during that time, and the organization is grateful for the stability and excellence he has provided throughout his tenure.
