Merida left to join LA Times on Monday
Raina Kelley has been promoted to vice president and editor-in-chief of ESPN-owned sports and culture website The Undefeated, ESPN announced Monday.
Kelley, who served as managing director of The Undefeated beginning in November 2015, succeeds Kevin Merida and will report to EPSN senior vice president of content business development and innovation, Mark Walker.
“Raina is a committed, collaborative and creative presence who has been part of the visionary leadership for this platform from the star. We know The Undefeated will continue to thrive with Raina in this role,” ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement.
Raina Kelley Named Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of The Undefeated
Raina Kelley, managing editor of The Undefeated since November 2015, has been promoted to Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of the ESPN multimedia initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture. Kelley will be responsible for the editorial direction and oversight for The Undefeated. She succeeds Kevin Merida who launched the project five years ago, and will report to Mark Walker, Senior Vice President, Content Business Development and Innovation.
As Merida’s first hire for The Undefeated’s senior management team, Kelley has been instrumental in the platform’s growth and helped steer The Undefeated’s content expansion across The Walt Disney Company units via the “Music For The Movement” series, a collaboration with Disney Music Group’s Hollywood Records. She leads ESPN’s Black History Always, a companywide content initiative powered by The Undefeated that highlights the contr