Email Story Join NABJ

Updated: Friday, August 28, 2009 Published: Aug. 8, 2009

PRESIDENT'S CORNER LINKS Current Message Past Messages President's Biography

August 8, 2009
Tampa, Fla.

Thank you for entrusting me with this precious gift to serve as our organization's newly elected president.

It is a gift, a challenge and an opportunity that I do not and will not take lightly. It is a privilege that I gladly accept.

I will work each day with all of my strength and spirit to ensure NABJ serves as a beacon of hope for our members and remains a public trust for our communities

I would like to thank Angelo Henderson for his campaign and his enthusiasm.

I ask that you and those who supported you assist us in moving NABJ forward.

It is time for all of us to roll up our sleeves.

We all know the road ahead will not be easy, but is has never been easy.

It was not easy for those bold young champions who bravely signed their names to the first NABJ membership scroll.

It was not easy for those NABJ soldiers who stood up and stood out for what they believed to be right, who fought the unpopular and relentless battle to ensure our voices were heard, our members were among the ranks.

It was not easy for those who continue to toil in the vineyards of our local chapters, who put on the community workshops, the urban journalism academies and mentor to our future generation of NABJ members.

Working together as one, we will continue to reinvent, restructure and retool.

We must embrace twenty-first century technology. We will revamp our Web site and implement NABJ 360. Take a look at NABJ360.com for details. I welcome your feedback.

We will use it to give you every opportunity to stay gainfully employed and even become a business owner.

We will strengthen chapters and grow our membership through all classes of members.

We will reclaim, recruit and retain NABJ members. I'm getting online confessions from those who say "I let my membership lapse, Kathy, but I'm paying my national dues and local chapter dues today."

To those members, thank you, and now we need you to get others on board.

Thank you for being here despite these tough times. I'm going to rap because ma ny of you will hear from me again and again.

I would like to join Barbara in thanking our founders, past pres idents, NABJ trailblazers, the Board of Directors, NABJ's staff, and Barbara for her guidance.

I owe a great deal of gratitude to several founders and past presidents who supported an anchor from Jackson, Mississippi early in the campaign.
Thank you DeWayne Wickham, Paul Brock, Les Payne, Condace Pressley, Acel Moore, Bob Reid and Bill Dilday.

I'd like to thank my husband, mother, sister, niece, nephew and best friend, who are here tonight. Thank you Larry Hygh and Rod Carter and my entire campaign team that helped me get elected.

And thank you NABJ! I won't let you down. Many blessings to you, and thank you God for this victory.