Sundance Institute’s Carrie Lozano Joins ITVS as President and CEO

The former president of the documentary film and artist programs succeeds Sally Jo Fifer’s 22-year tenure

Carrie Lozano
Carrie Lozano (Courtesy ITVS)

Carrie Lozano was named ITVS president and CEO Wednesday to succeed Sally Jo Fifer, who had held the position for 22 years.

Lozano joins from the Sundance Institute, where she previously served as director of documentary film and artist programs. At ITVS, she will continue to protect independent artists’ voices, editorial control and copyright, while elevating nonfiction storytelling as an essential strategy for public media to reach new and diverse audiences.

“Carrie’s integrity as an investigative journalist, her leadership experience, and her fierce commitment to filmmakers and democracy will lift our field, partners and incredible staff for many years to come,” said ITVS board chair Garry Denny. “The board is thrilled to welcome her to our team and to public media.”

While at Sundance, beginning in October 2020, Lozano and her team created programs to supply funding, creative labs, fellowships and support. She helped forge partnerships with Gucci, the Asian American Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation.

“ITVS is an empowering oasis for filmmakers who shift narratives and earn the public’s trust one authentic, impactful story at a time,” Lozano said. “I am in awe of their editorial care and artistry, and I cannot wait to collaborate with them, our partners, and our ITVS team. Connecting American audiences to powerful independent voices through PBS’ vast, accessible network is a dream come true.”

UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 2019 Commencement: Carrie Lozano

Before her tenure at Sundance, she designed and directed the International Documentary Association’s Enterprise Documentary Fund, where she supported filmmakers with funding and journalistic resources. Notable projects during this period were ITVS-funded films like “Through the Night,” “One Child Nation,” and “Always in Season.”

At IDA, she also led the Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund, which focuses on films about environmental justice and other social issues.

Lozano was previously an executive at Al Jazeera America and a senior producer of the investigative series “Fault Lines.” Premiering in 2009, the investigative reporting/documentary series won an Emmy, a Peabody and multiple Headliner Awards.

Lozano also produced the ITVS-funded and Academy Award-nominated documentary “The Weather Underground” and Sam Green’s live cinema piece “Utopia in Four Movements.” Her most recent film, the 2016 documentary “The Ballad of Fred Hersch,” is a portrait of one of today’s celebrated jazz pianists.

Lozano currently serves on the advisory boards of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and PBS’ Frontline, is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is on the board of jurors of the Peabody Awards. She is on the board of directors of ProPublica.

Lozano’s first day at ITVS will be August 7. The ITVS board worked with the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates to recruit its fourth president and CEO since the organization’s founding.

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