2006 McCormick Tribune Fellows Selected

Dec. 27, 2005

Washington, D.C.—The McCormick Tribune Foundation (MTF) and the National Association of Minority Media Executives (NAMME) today announced the eighth class of McCormick Tribune Fellows. Four print and four broadcast executives will join 65 fellows selected previously since 1998.

The McCormick Tribune Fellows are widely regarded as thought leaders who help the news media achieve its diversity goals.

The print executives selected are:

• Frank Burgos, editorial page editor, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Bill Church, executive editor, Star-Gazette, Elmira, N.Y.
• Julian Posada, vice president/business development, Hoy, Chicago, Ill.
• Donna Rogers, night editor, South Bend Tribune, South Bend, IN.

The broadcast executives selected are:

• Allison Hunter-Williams, executive producer, WGN-TV, Chicago, Ill.
• Dale Lockett, director of creative services, KHOU-TV, Houston, Texas
• Barbara Lopez-Nash, director, human resources, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Cambra Ward, vice president & general manager, KMTR-TV, Springfield, Ore.

The new class of fellows will begin the program with an orientation for themselves and their mentors. Later, they will attend management programs at Northwestern University's Media Management Center. Broadcast fellows attend MMC's Management Development Seminar, which is sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation. The print fellows will attend MMC's Advanced Executive Program. While the fellowship officially lasts for one year, all past and current fellows participate in the creation of annual research reports and are encouraged to participate in an annual leadership retreat that completes the fellowship year.

Their efforts have produced 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," "Leading The Way: Making Diversity Real" and "Looking Inward, Going Forward," 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.

"We are pleased to lend our support to such a vital, worthwhile program," said Clark Bell, the McCormick Tribune Foundation's director of journalism. "The sustained effort and output of this fellowship group has made a significant impact on media hiring and promotion strategies."

"Each new class adds to the prestige and influence of this uniquely media-specific 'think tank'," said Toni F. Laws, executive director of the National Association of Minority Media Executives, which administers the program in partnership with MTF and MMC. "Through the fellowship program we are building a growing community of influential media leaders of color who can provide valuable insights into the challenge and promise of diversity."

The McCormick Tribune Foundation, which celebrated its 50 th anniversary in 2005, is one of the nation's largest charitable organizations. The foundation supports grant-making in four areas: journalism, communities, education and citizenship. The journalism program's funding priorities include media education, leadership, diversity, freedom of expression and military-media relations.

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 on diversity issues to the industry.

For a copy of "Do We Check It At The Door?," "What It Takes To Succeed," "Leading the Way" and "Looking Inward, Going Forward," call the National Association of Minority Media Executives at 703-854-7179 or send an email to nosborn@namme.org. To read the reports online and for more information visit the McCormick Tribune Fellowship page.