Gary Green joined SPLC as executive director in April 2023 after leading the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University in metropolitan Atlanta since 2020. In that role, Green served as executive director and publisher of Youth Today and the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange and launched in 2021 Fresh Take Georgia, a student-driven, digital news service that covers the Georgia Legislature and other issues of statewide, regional and national interest.

For six years prior, Green served as digital director of University of Florida’s student-driven Innovation News Center and deputy news director for WUFT, the NPR and PBS affiliate for north central Florida. During that time, he managed award-winning coverage — breaking news, daily and enterprise stories, investigative and long-form projects — across TV (PBS), radio (NPR), web and social media platforms. He co-founded Fresh Take Florida, UF’s state government news service, and led collaborations between the First Amendment Foundation, the National Freedom of Information Coalition and statewide news organizations. He served as vice chair and board trustee for six years at Florida’s First Amendment Foundation and currently serves on the advisory board of the Florida Center for Government Accountability. 

Prior to his shift to higher education and nonprofit news, Green worked as a photojournalist for nearly 20 years at newspapers including the Orlando Sentinel and Akron Beacon Journal. 

Green holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.