Dan Austin became the 27th director of the Voice of America (VOA) on October 30, 2006. Austin joined VOA following a 36-year career with Dow Jones & Company, serving most recently as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc., the community-media subsidiary of Dow Jones with print and Internet publications in seven states.

As Director of VOA, Austin oversees a worldwide multimedia broadcasting operation in 45 languages reaching more than 115 million people each week via radio, television and the Internet.

Austin’s previous executive positions include serving as Vice President and General Manager of The Wall Street Journal where he oversaw U.S. advertising, circulation, marketing and production operations including a $225 million color printing expansion, significant product extensions, and served on the board of its first magazine joint venture, SmartMoney.

He also served as Vice President of Circulation and Director of Corporate Relations for Dow Jones. Throughout his career, Austin has repeatedly spearheaded development of initiatives to expand audiences, improve profitability and enhance news quality across media.

Austin began his journalism career in 1970 as a staff reporter in the Dallas bureau of The Wall Street Journal, working his way up to Deputy National News Editor for the Journal in New York in 1985 and then Editor of Wall Street Journal Reports in 1986.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Kansas. After college, Austin served in the U.S. Army including a tour in Vietnam and was decorated with both a Bronze Star and an Air Medal.

He is also involved in professional and other non-profit organizations, currently serving as a trustee of the William Allen White Foundation at the University of Kansas and as a director of the Episcopal Church Foundation in New York.