By Betsy Model, President
I’m pleased to announce that Region 9 Director John Ensslin – a driving force behind reinstating the Rio Grande Chapter last year – has been elected to the SPJ National Board of Directors in the capacity of Secretary-Treasurer. This is widely considered a “stepping stone” position for the national board presidency and John has already announced that he’ll run for President Elect during the next election cycle. John, who ran on a platform that included increased communication between chapters and regions, making workshops and continuing education a priority for 2011 and making SPJ’s Legal Defense Fund a priority to protect the rights of journalists, won his seat by a 2-1 margin. Go John!
I’m also pleased to announce that Donald Meyers, a reporter with the Salt Lake City Tribune, has been elected Region 9 Director to replace John Ensslin as of January 1. Donald has been serving as deputy director for the region under John and is well-versed in the adventures and challenges that our lovely Region 9 – Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and west Texas – face.
We’re pleased for both gentlemen and look forward to working with both of them as we continue to grow the Rio Grande chapter into a force to be reckoned with…