September 2012: Letter from the president – New board slate

By Katherine Ann Rowlands, JAWS president

We have fielded an impressive group of women to join the Board of Directors for 2012-13, pending election by the general membership at our fall conference in October.

Going off the board — with our great thanks for their service— are Teresa Puente (who has served for two years as Secretary), Peggy Orchowski, E.J. Graff, Charreah Jackson and Jessica Alpert.

The new slate includes Lauren Whaley, President-elect; Jessica Rettig; Nancy Day; Kimberly Johnson; Karen Cheung; Lisen Stromberg; Jennifer DePaul; and Sarah Pollock.

If elected, these women will join continuing board members Katherine Ann Rowlands, Sandra Fish, Andrea Stone, Mary C. Curtis and Peg Simpson. Please join me in endorsing their nominations with your vote in October at CAMP.

Here are details of the new slate:

– Lauren Whaley as President-elect (taking over as President from 2013-2015). She is the multimedia reporter at the CHCF Center for Health Reporting, based in Los Angeles, Calif., a former fellowship winner and a current board member of JAWS.
– Jessica Rettig as Secretary (serving 2012-2014). She is a freelance writer who is also attending graduate school in Denver, Colo., a former fellowship winner and a current board member of JAWS.
– Nancy Day. She is Chair of the Journalism Department at Columbia College Chicago.
– Kimberly Johnson. She is a freelance magazine and online writer based in Salisbury, N.C.
– Karen Cheung. She is a writer and editor for online publications focused on healthcare, based in Washington, D.C. and a former fellowship winner.
– Lisen Stromberg. She is an independent writer and columnist based in Palo Alto, Calif.
– Jennifer DePaul. She is a tax reporter with Source Media’s The Bond Buyer in its Washington, D.C. bureau and a former fellowship winner.
– Sarah Pollock. She is a professor in the journalism program at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. and current Deputy VP of JAWS.

If elected, these women will join the following continuing board members for the upcoming year:
– Katherine Ann Rowlands as President through 2013. She is the East Bay Metro Editor for Bay Area News Group in California, which includes The Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times and San Jose Mercury News.
– Sandra Fish as Vice President through 2013. She is a columnist and journalism instructor at University of Colorado at Boulder.
– Andrea Stone as Treasurer through 2013. She is a senior national correspondent for The Huffington Post.
– Gwyneth Doland. She is executive director of New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.
– Mary C. Curtis. She is a contributor to The Washington Post “She The People” column and independent multimedia reporter based in Charlotte, N.C.
– Peg Simpson. She is a contributor to Women’s Media Center and freelancer based in Washington, D.C.

These 13 women will help guide JAWS, set policy and represent the organization as we pursue our mission of supporting the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism. Each has committed to helping strengthen and grow our unique organization for a two-year term.

To see individual profiles of the current board members, click here.