Monday, November 2, 2020
CONTACT:
Matthew T. Hall, SPJ National President, 619-987-7786, mhall@spj.org
Jennifer Royer, SPJ Director of Communications and Marketing, 317-361-4134, jroyer@spj.org
INDIANAPOLIS — The
Society of Professional Journalists Board of Directors has selected its two appointed members for 2020-21.
Jerry McCormick and Bey-Ling Sha were appointed during Saturday’s virtual board meeting.
McCormick is an Emmy winning producer and communications professional with 30 years combined experience in broadcast, print journalism and public relations. He works as senior public information officer for the City of San Diego and is educating the next generation of journalism students as adjunct professor at
San Diego State University. He serves on the
San Diego Association of Black Journalists, which he helped found years ago, and is involved with the
National Association of Black Journalists.
Sha is dean of the
College of Communications at Cal State Fullerton and is former director of School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University. She has served as a board member of the
San Diego SPJ chapter and serves on the
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The Public Relations Society of America named her as its 2012 Outstanding Educator of the Year. She also earned the Outstanding Faculty Award from SDSU in 2007 and University of Maryland, College Park, in 2004.
“I'm excited to welcome Dr. Bey-Ling Sha and Jerry McCormick to what will be the most diverse SPJ board ever. An organization long regarded as a group of old white men will now have just one on its nine-member board of directors: me, and I'm not that old,” said Matthew T. Hall, SPJ national president. “The board is now two-thirds women, with three Latino directors, three white directors, two Black directors and an Asian American director, better reflecting society and the Society.
“The new members' insights and enthusiasm will be infectious,” Hall continued. “With their help, our focus on student journalism, diversity and inclusion, and innovation will only become sharper as we expand and energize SPJ campus communities while supporting all journalists at a time when telling stories that matter to communities that care is vital. On behalf of the board, I want to thank every SPJ member for joining and strengthening our community. We look forward to continuing to advocate for all of you this year.”
McCormick and Sha replace Erica Carbajal and Taylor Mirfendereski as one-year appointees.
SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund or give to the SPJ Foundation.