Leona Allen Ford is looking forward to starting a new gig. But the 61-year-old deputy publisher of The Dallas Morning News is going to take her sweet time figuring out what best fits her next chapter goals.
“I want to take a moment and think through what makes sense for me,” Allen Ford said. “I still want to have fun. I still want to feel like I’m contributing and having an impact. There are a number of options on the table in that regard. I’m excited about the opportunity to explore them.”
Allen Ford, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is currently responsible for all human resources functions and is chief talent and diversity officer for The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant, its company’s marketing services agency.
“I’m super proud of our recruiting, leadership development,” Allen Ford said, “and how we’ve ensured that the people we hire are representative of the communities that we serve with accurate storytelling, and at the same time, bring a culture of fun into the building.”
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Allen Ford in 2016 participating in a small group discussion at a forum on race relations hosted by the Dallas Festival of Ideas at El Centro College in downtown Dallas.
Jeffrey McWhorter / Special Contributor
In September, Hearst completed its purchase of DallasNews Corporation, which was controlled by the George Bannerman Dealey family for nearly 140 years.
Certain key jobs are being consolidated. Allen Ford’s senior-level HR position was one of them. Her last day at The News will be Dec. 1. She would have celebrated her 31st company anniversary on Dec. 24.
“Even though I’m leaving, I believe the Hearst merger will be good for The Morning News because it will make our journalism sustainable,” Allen Ford said. “I want this paper and its people to succeed, and I will be rooting for them.”
Robert W. Decherd, great-grandson of Dealey, played a pivotal role in the deal with Hearst. He has been a steadfast supporter of Allen Ford, sponsoring her for The News’ leadership program in 1996.
“Leona brings to bear a combination of innate abilities and remarkable instincts on how she manages people and activities in the world of journalism. That is an especially important combination because there are so many competing forces at work,” said Decherd, who is no longer associated with the newspaper.
“On top of that, she’s an extraordinarily good person who captures the imagination of the people who work for and with her.”
Grant Moise, publisher and president of The News, promoted Allen Ford to deputy publisher five years ago.
Allen Ford receives a hug from News publisher and president Grant Moise during a reception at The Dallas Morning News on Nov. 20.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
“Leona is one of the most talented and incredibly enjoyable executives I’ve ever worked with,” Moise said. “Her impact on The Dallas Morning News is so unique. I don’t recall anyone who started her career in the heart of the newsroom and ended up leading HR. That proves the amazing breadth of the talent she possesses.
“When I hired Leona as deputy publisher, I wanted to make sure that we accurately and authentically reflected the market that we serve,” Moise said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the way she got us reconnected in a way that was authentic. She made the entire management committee champions of this. What a gift she has been.”
Allen Ford is a “Dallas girl” through and through. She was born at the now-gone St. Paul Hospital on Harry Hines Boulevard, graduated from Skyline High School, and “ventured” to the University of North Texas in Denton, where she got her degree in journalism.
She worked at area community papers before joining the Dallas Times Herald in 1989. When the Herald folded three years later, she headed to the Akron Beacon Journal, where she was part of the team awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its yearlong series on that city’s race relations.
She returned here as a reporter in The News’ southern Dallas bureau and then as a Metro reporter downtown.
Allen Ford speaks during the 2018 dedication of the Julia Scott Reed conference room at The Dallas Morning News. Reed was the first African-American full-time journalist hired at the newspaper.
Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer
In 1994, she caught the eye of Bob Mong, who needed people to expand into the Mid-Cities.
“Leona showed that she was a hard-working, strong journalist. I thought she had leadership potential because when she spoke, people listened,” The News’ former editor-in-chief said. “She’s excellent in leadership development, has a big heart and is just a good person. I’m not surprised at all about what she’s accomplished.”
She worked her way up as deputy managing editor for local news, assistant managing editor, night city editor, suburban editor and deputy metro editor. She also spent five years in the editorial department.
“I’ve had a ton of jobs, but leading the local newsroom has been a standout for me,” Allen Ford said. “Our coverage of Katrina, 9/11, historic presidential elections and COVID were the biggest stories of the century, and I had a front-row seat for all of them.
“That’s when the newsroom showed its muster.”
In 2003, Mong dispatched Allen Ford to head a free-standing Metro section for Collin County.
Shortly after that, she and her staff had to cover the horrific story about a Plano mother who cut off the arms of her 10-month-old daughter.
“The reporters were just beside themselves trying to figure out how a mom could do that,” Allen Ford recalled. “I remember gathering them all in my office and saying, ‘Let’s just cry it out’ — which we did for about a half hour. I knew I had to take care of those reporters because they were going to be haunted for a while. Those moments stay in your soul.”
There was a macabre flipside to the horror.
“It sounds crazy,” she said, “but people would be stunned with the morbid humor that comes out during those times. It’s the way people cope with those big tragedies. There was real camaraderie. ‘OK, we’ve gotta make each other laugh or we won’t be able to get through this.’ ”
Allen Ford leads a 2019 workshop at High School Journalism Day at The Dallas Morning News.
Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer
She and her husband, Sterling Ford, are about to become true empty nesters. “We have a daughter, Lauryn, who’s getting her master’s degree at the University of Houston and has already landed a full-time job,” she said. “So she’ll be out of our pocket, and that feels really, really good.”
Allen Ford believes she’s leaving a lasting legacy. “Grant has been a great partner for me, and I can’t say enough about Robert Decherd. He’s unflinching and a man of true integrity.
“They put their actions and their money behind the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. They didn’t just give lip service. All of this isn’t going to suddenly fall apart. Those efforts are across the organization, and it’s made us better.”
It’s been a rewarding and fun run for her — otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed around for nearly 31 years.
Allen Ford receives a hug during a reception at The Dallas Morning News on Nov. 20.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
“I’ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish here, and I leave with an overwhelming sense of pride,” she said. “Journalism is as relevant today as it was when we started as young people and more important than ever.
“But I’m also feeling that I need a change more than ever. I still have energy. And I still have fire in my belly. I’m not done making an impact.”