The Chicago Headline Club, the largest chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in the country, is pleased to announce its executive leadership and new board members for the 2009-2010 term.
The Headline Club’s new president is Beth Konrad, a former broadcast journalist and currently Professional in Residence and Professor at Loyola University Chicago. Konrad is a three-time EMMY winner and a recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Distinguished Service Award. Her career spans more than 20 years working in key media outlets in Chicago, San Francisco and Detroit. She has been a member of SPJ since college and a member of the Headline Club since 2004.
“Journalism is going through a precarious state and the Chicago Headline Club has pledged to direct its resources in two key areas,” Konrad said. “We will be presenting programs, which explore and discuss new business models for newspapers and the future of journalism. We are also developing a ‘Digital Media Training Institute’ providing new media training for our members in print, broadcast and the Web.
“The Headline Club is committed to serving its members with the help of an outstanding, dedicated board of directors. I am honored to introduce our new executive board and board members for 2009-2010, exceptional journalists who are broadcast, newspaper, magazine, news bureau and public relations veterans,” she added.
In addition to Konrad, the executive board members are:
Vice president/FOI and president-elect: Susan S. Stevens, Gazette reporter and freelancer
Vice president/programs: Kristen Schorsch, Chicago Tribune reporter.
Vice president/membership: Micah Maidenberg, editor, Journal newspapers
Secretary: Hilary Fosdal, interactive content manager, Barrington Broadcasting Group
Treasurer: Howard S. Dubin, chairman, Manufacturers News
Immediate past president, ex-officio: Dawn Reiss, independent journalist
New to the Chicago Headline Club Board are:
Steven Gray, TIME magazine Chicago correspondent
Tran Ha, RedEye editor
Flynn McRoberts, Bloomberg News Chicago bureau chief, formerly with Chicago Tribune
Ken Davis, freelancer, formerly WBEZ news director and WLS-AM producer
Steve Edwards, Chicago Public Radio acting program director
Stephen Franklin, Community Media workshop, most recently with Chicago Tribune
Brian Pitts, assistant public relations director at law firm Mayer Brown LLP
Returning board members are:
Wes Bleed, former WGN-AM news director
Niki Dizon, Illinois news director, Associated Press
Fuzz Hogan, director of communications for Advance Illinois
Suzanne McBride, associate chair of Columbia College’s journalism department
Bonnie McGrath, Journal columnist, freelancer, adjunct instructor
Kristen McQueary, political columnist, SouthtownStar
Tony Noce, freelancer and retired from WGN-TV
Abdon Pallasch, reporter, Chicago Sun-Times
Jon Seidel, reporter, Post-Tribune
Local journalists are encouraged to view the Headline Club’s recently re-vamped Web site for job information, programs and member directory among other features. Go to www.headlineclub.org. Journalists who are not members can join online.