FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Toni F. Laws, Executive Director
NAMME
703-854-7178
tlaws@namme.org
Washington, D.C.—The McCormick Tribune Foundation (MTF) and the National Association of Minority Media Executives (NAMME) announce the eighth class of McCormick Tribune Fellows. Eight of media’s finest print and broadcast executives join seven previously selected classes that comprise this exclusive and influential brain trust designed to help the news media achieve its diversity goals.
The print executives selected are:
- Emily E. Chambers, vice president, human resources, Cox Ohio Publishing, Dayton, Ohio;
- Katharine J. Fong, assistant managing editor, features, San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, Calif.;
- Sharon J. Prill, director of interactive media, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash;
- Julie Green Topping, deputy managing editor, Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
The broadcast executives selected are:
- NeCorey Anderson, production manager, 13 WMAZ-TV, Macon, Ga.;
- Denise W. Bates, vice president, community affairs, KTRK-TV, Houston, Texas;
- Araceli De Leon, vice president & general manager, NBC Telemundo, Phoenix, Ariz.;
- Tracy A. Wright, marketing director, WIAT-TV, Birmingham, Ala.
The new class of fellows will add their voices to the growing group of 65 existing McCormick Tribune fellows whose thoughts and perspectives on diversity issues have offered unique insights for industry leaders seeking fresh ideas and approaches to accelerate the current pace of change.
Through annual reports such as “Do We Check It At The Door”, “What It Takes To Succeed” and “Leading The Way: Making Diversity Real,” the fellows shed light on the experiences and challenges of minority executives and what every leader can and must do to make diversity a reality in media organizations today.
In addition to producing annual reports and serving as a diversity resource to the news industry, they participate in an innovative mentoring experience designed to further advance their careers. Broadcast fellows attend MMC’s Management Development Seminar, which is a program of the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, and print fellows attend MMC’s Advanced Executive Program. While the fellowship officially lasts for one year, all past and current fellows participate in the creation of the annual fellows report and in an annual retreat.
“The fellows are an important resource for the news business. The incoming class brings a unique set of ideas and perspectives to the group,” said McCormick Tribune Foundation CEO Richard Behrenhausen.
“Each new class adds to the prestige and influence of this uniquely media-specific ‘think tank,’” says Toni F. Laws, executive director of the National Association of Minority Media Executives, which administers the program in partnership with MTF. “Through the fellowship program we are building a growing community of influential media leaders of color who can provide valuable insights into the challenges and promise of achieving diversity.”
The McCormick Tribune Foundation, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2005, is one of the nation’s largest charitable organizations. The foundation supports grantmaking in four areas: journalism, communities, education and citizenship. The journalism program has five funding priorities: diversity, leadership, freedom of expression, military media and the Medill School of Journalism. The National Association of Minority Media Executives is an organization of media managers and executives of color working in newspapers, magazines, broadcast and new media. Its mission is to increase diversity in the senior ranks of the media industry and to serve as a resource to the industry on diversity issues.
For a copy of “Do We Check It At The Door?,” “What It Takes To Succeed,” and “Leading the Way” call the National Association of Minority Media Executives at 703/288-6501 or send an email to gjasik@namme.org. To read the reports online and for more information on the McCormick Tribune Fellowship, visit www.namme.org.