New England Public Media’s Elizabeth Román has been promoted into the role of managing editor – daily and digital news. Although her title did not dramatically change, her responsibilities have evolved and Román will now be taking the lead on delivering daily news programming on the radio, NEPM website and social media channels.

“As a lifelong Springfield resident and western Massachusetts native,” Román said, “I’m excited to continue working with our skilled news department to bring you even more stories that highlight the needs, concerns and successes of the people living and working in this community.”

Among those needs, Román is continuing to focus on expanding the diversity of sources in news coverage and opportunities to create more Spanish-language news content. As the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who migrated to Massachusetts more than 40 years ago, Román has intended throughout her career as a journalist to provide accurate representation of communities of color in western Massachusetts. She has felt empowered to do this at NEPM and in this new role, with the addition of supervisory responsibilities, said she looks forward to sharing her expertise with other journalists.

Elizabeth is a graduate of Holyoke Community College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prior to working at NEPM, she was a reporter at the Springfield Republican for almost two decades, edited El Pueblo Latino, co-founded Colectivo de Medios Latinos, and appeared as a panelist on NEPM’s “The Short List” and “Connecting Point”.

Román joined NEPM in 2022, and while she is a newer member of the team, colleagues say she has had a remarkable impact, delivering outstanding news programming to listeners.

“I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since Elizabeth joined the NEPM news team,” said Sam Hudzik, NEPM news director. “She is a joy to work with and brought with her a high level of regional knowledge, local connections and journalistic skill that’s helped NEPM fulfill its role as an essential news source for western Mass. I’m so excited she’s moving into this new position, where she can further put her stamp on stories in NEPM’s newscasts and on our website.”
A collection of Román’s reporting can be found on NEPM’s website.