Aparna Mukherjee, SEJ Executive Director

Aparna Mukherjee

Aparna Mukherjee is the Executive Director of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), where she leads efforts to strengthen the quality, sustainability and impact of environmental journalism. With more than 25 years of experience in editorial, operations and strategic leadership roles, she has worked at the intersection of media, civic engagement and social innovation across the private, nonprofit and public sectors.

Aparna's journalism career spans roles at global media outlets such as the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and TV, CNBC and Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal, with newsroom positions in both the U.S. and Asia. 

As a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, Aparna explored the intersection of technology and democracy, prototyping tools to amplify civic voices to support local journalists and helping teach a practicum on deliberative democracy, youth and conservation. 

Prior to SEJ, Aparna was the Chief Programs Officer at Resolve Philly, where she led one of the nation’s largest solutions journalism collaboratives, emphasizing equity and community engagement in reporting. 

Aparna has also held roles in civic engagement strategy, including as an executive adviser to design Los Angeles' Office of Civic Engagement and serving as the inaugural EIR for the Goldhirsh Foundation’s LA2050 grants challenge. She has led digital strategy initiatives for The New York Times' education ventures group and Columbia University's Alumni Association. Earlier in her career, she worked as an environmental reporter for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism during her Luce Scholar year and later as a Bosch Fellow in Berlin, contributing to ntv and DeutschlandRadio Berlin.

A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Aparna holds a dual MA in Journalism and MBA from Columbia University, where she was a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Economics and Business Journalism. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Businessweek, in-flight and travel magazines, as well as a NATO anthology.