The nine-member working committee elected through the 8th General Assembly of the Institute nominated Kharel unanimously as the chairperson.
Similarly, Executive Director of Radio Nepal, Tapanath Shukla, has been elected vice-chairman while journalist and human rights representative Shova Gautam the general secretary and journalist Manteshwori Rajbhandari the treasurer.
Newly elected chairman Kharel has been teaching journalism in the Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus and is the first journalism professor at Tribhuvan University. He has been the chairman of Rastriya Samachar Samiti, and editor of The Rising Nepal previously.
The members of the Institute are Kamal Pradhan, Tirtha Koirala, Kundan Aryal, Laxman Upreti, Sharat Chandra Basti and immediate past chairman Gokul Pokhrel.
Bharati Kharel memorial award goes to Prof Sharma