By Betsy Model, Interim Membership Chair
Good morning, fellow SPJ members!
The New Mexico chapter of SPJ has risen again, Phoenix-like, due in no small part to the efforts of Region 9 director John Ensslin.
SPJ headquarters is thrilled with the fact that we are “back in business” and, as your interim membership chair, so am I.
Next Monday I’ll be emailing more than 300 fellow journalists here in New Mexico encouraging them to join SPJ and to help grow this chapter into what I’m confident it can be; a group of peers with the skill set and passion for journalism that allow us to support each other, our profession and the perception of journalists as a whole.
As members of SPJ and as part of Region 9 (which includes New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah) you have already made the decision to support your own career and your profession. As the invitations go out to other journalists throughout New Mexico, I’m confident you will find that many of the folks being encouraged to join are your co-workers or friends.
This newly regrouped chapter has some wonderful things in store including lectures and workshops, social events and mixers and the opportunity to stand up, together, on matters important to journalists in New Mexico and beyond.
If you have recommendations for specific events or workshops, please drop any of your interim board members a note via email. If you’re reading this you know that David Brown, our interim communications chair, has been working hard to get a new, highly useful website up and running for our use in keeping informed and while still in it’s infancy, will allow all of us to keep up-to-date on chapter and member news (win an award? moved to another publication? sold a book?) and special events.
And, if you have any suggestions for how to strengthen our membership roster, I’m all ears.