Veteran ABC News producer Melia Patria is being promoted to the new role of executive producer, Race, Culture & Inclusion, the network announced Tuesday.
In this position, Patria will lead ABC News’ ongoing production of multicultural and inclusive storytelling and programming. Not only will Patria be responsible for spearheading ABC’s annual diversity specials, but she’ll also work closely with all corners of the news division, partnering with executive producers and the unit’s senior producers to generate content for all programs and platforms. She will report to Stacia Deshishku, executive editor and svp of News, for day-to-day work, and to Mike Kelley, vp and head of ABC News Studios, for work on heritage specials.
“With Melia at the helm, I look forward to what’s next for our talented Race, Culture & Inclusion team, who, with the support of #oneabcnews behind them, brings essential reporting to life every single day,” ABC News president Kim Godwin stated in a note to staff.
Patria has been part of the ABC News family for over 17 years, most recently serving as senior producer of Race, Culture & Inclusion for ABC News Studios and, previously, ABC News Longform Unit. In this role, she worked on the development and production of cultural specials and executive producing over half a dozen primetime programs, including the recent primetime network special The New Face of Hollywood – A Soul of a Nation Presentation, which dived into the rise of Asians in Hollywood, in honor of AAPI Month.
Patria previously served as a senior producer at Lincoln Square Productions, working on projects for ABC, PBS, National Geographic and A&E.