Category: Chapter Business

Arkansas Pro Chapter SPJ, Chapter Business, Events, Uncategorized

Meet the candidates for the 2025-2026 Arkansas SPJ Board of Directors

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UPDATED 6/23/25
The ballot is almost set for Arkansas SPJ’s 2025-2026 board elections. Incumbent president Wendy Jordan is running for another term. Jordan is a marketing manager at Crafton Tull, a freelance journalist and an online adjunct instructor and academic coach in Arkansas State University’s strategic communications programs.

Also running unopposed are Sarah Campbell-Miller, senior online editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, for vice president and longtime treasurer Rob Moritz, a journalism instructor at the University of Central Arkansas, who is seeking another term. Jeanette Stewart, editor of the Log Cabin Democrat and Van Buren County Democrat, has stepped up to run for secretary.

Returning board members seeking re-election include:

  • Jennifer Ellis, SPJ Region 12 coordinator and creative services managing editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
  • Sonny Albarado, past national SPJ president and editor-in-chief of the Arkansas Advocate
  • Andrew DeMillo, Arkansas Capitol Correspondent for The Associated Press
  • Steve Listopad, former journalism instructor and New Voices USA coordinator

New candidates are:

  • I.C. Murrell, senior reporter at The Pine Bluff Commercial
  • Drew Brent, multimedia educator at Russellville High School and former journalist
  • Staci Miller, director of development at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Community Journalism Project

Voting will take place online from Friday, June 27 through Sunday, June 29.

Want to run? There’s still time! Send your name, photo and a short bio — including your SPJ background, reasons for running and ideas for the coming year — by Thursday, June 26 to Wendy Jordan at wendymillerjournalist@gmail.com or ArkansasSPJ@gmail.com.

Write-in candidates are welcome, too.

Arkansas Pro Chapter SPJ, Chapter Business, Uncategorized

Arkansas SPJ Seeks Candidates for 2025–26 Board of Directors

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Arkansas SPJ Seeks Candidates for 2025–26 Board of Directors


Check out the following duties and responsibilities of Arkansas SPJ board members and consider running for the board or an officer position. Send a photo and a brief bio that tells why you want to serve as an SPJ leader, your history with SPJ and what you will bring to the group, including any ideas you have for the coming year, to Arkansas SPJ president Wendy Miller at wendymillerjournalist@gmail.com or ArkansasSPJ@gmail.com by Sunday, June 15.

A list of candidates and their bios will be posted at least 10 days before the election and emailed to our membership. Voting will take place via online ballot Friday, June 27, through Sunday, June 29.

Don’t want to be a board member? Get involved in one of our committees.

ARKANSAS PRO CHAPTER BOARD
Duties and Responsibilities
To ensure the health of the Society of Professional Journalists Arkansas Pro Chapter, the members of the Board of Directors must be current on national dues and be accountable for the following duties and responsibilities:

Attendance
The Board of Directors meets monthly and sometimes calls special meetings via phone or email. Board members must attend a minimum of nine monthly meetings during their July-to-June term of office, but strive to make it to all meetings in-person or by Zoom. Absence from three consecutive meetings, or four or more monthly meetings during their term, will result in the appointment of a new director to the position.

Participation
Board members must actively participate in at least one of the following chapter committees: Freedom of Information Act, Programing, Contests, Membership and Marketing, or other special committees designated by the president. Active participation may include planning at least one event in a year, advancement of the FOIA through lobbying, contributions to the chapter’s website, newsletter or social media campaigns, or other efforts determined by the board.

Chapter Business, Contest, Diamond Awards, Diamond Journalism Awards, Freedom of Information, journalism, Uncategorized

Arkansas SPJ partners with A-Mark Foundation to offer 15K in cash prizes for investigative journalism

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Searching for the truth is expensive. It takes time, resources and money, things a lot of newsrooms don’t have much of. But where there’s passion, there’s perseverance.

That’s why Arkansas SPJ and the A-Mark Foundation want to recognize investigative reporting and help to fund the continued effort. The A-Mark Prize will provide $15,000 each year for reporters and their newsrooms.

Beginning in 2025, the Arkansas SPJ Diamond Journalism Awards features the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting in Arkansas. Winners will receive:

  • First place: $5,000 for the writer(s), plus $2,500 for the newsroom
  • Second place: $3,000 for the writer(s), $1,500 for the newsroom
  • Third place: $2,000 for the writer(s), $1,000 for the newsroom

Arkansas SPJ is one of only a few chapters hosting these investigative awards this year, and we are proud to partner with the A-Mark Foundation to continue the investigative efforts of hard-working reporters.

“The A-Mark Foundation hopes that our grants will lead to increased recognition and support for investigative journalists across the United States,” said A-Mark senior VP Tracey DeFrancesco. “We noticed that most state-level journalism awards did not have a cash prize, and we hope that providing a monetary award to both reporters and their publishing outlets will enable more important articles to be written.”

What you need to know

The A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism in Arkansas is described as an award for remarkable investigative reporting in any medium. *This prize is only open to entries with an Arkansas connection. The entry must include investigative reporting by an individual or team in a single report or a series – up to five items including coverage and other supporting elements. Stories should expose a wrong or promote understanding of a problem, issue or subject in the public interest.

The entry must have an Arkansas connection meaning one or more of the following applies: (1) The winning reporter is based in Arkansas; (2) The newspaper or media outlet is based in Arkansas; or (3) The work covers Arkansas. The entry must include investigative reporting by an individual or team in a single report or a series – up to five items including coverage and other supporting elements. Stories should expose a wrong or promote understanding of a problem, issue or subject in the public interest. A supporting statement (400 words max) is required.

The winners will be recognized, and the prizes will be distributed at the Arkansas Diamond Awards ceremony during Summer 2025. All entrants should plan to attend the ceremony in Little Rock in July if they are named a finalist.

If you have questions, email us anytime. The 2025 Diamond Journalism Awards contest is now open. To learn more, click here. 

 

Board Meeting Minutes, Chapter Business

Board Meeting Minutes

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Reminder: All members are encouraged to attend board meetings and to serve on committees! Available committees and the board member to contact about joining them are as follows: Marketing (Wendy Jordan); Programming (Wendy Jordan), Contest (Kevin Kelly) and Freedom of Information (Rob Moritz). Contact information for board members can be found here.

Feb. 26, 2025 meeting minutes

Jan. 30, 2025 meeting minutes

Dec. 18, 2024 meeting minutes

Oct. 31, 2024 meeting minutes

Aug. 14, 2024 meeting minutes

NEXT MEETING: TBD

Link not working? The Zoom meeting ID is also TBD.

Chapter Business, Uncategorized

Arkansas SPJ announces 2024-25 board candidates for online election

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Arkansas SPJ’s Board of Directors has a single candidate to fill each of the 11 positions for election in the 2024-25 term; however, write-in nominations are allowed.

Voting will occur online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZS5M5NT through 9 p.m. Sunday, July 21. Only current national dues-paying members of SPJ who have selected to be members of the Arkansas Pro Chapter (the chapter does not charge additional dues) may vote.

The new board will be announced at the Diamond Journalism Awards on July 24.

The candidates are as follows.

  • President: Wendy Miller, a freelancer and marketing manager for Crafton Tull
  • Vice President: Kevin Kelly, evening Anchor for FOX 16 News at 5:30, 6:30 and 9 p.m.
  • Treasurer: Rob Moritz teaches journalism at the University of Central Arkansas
  • Secretary: Sarah Campbell-Miller, senior online editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
  • Board members:
    • Jennifer Ellis, SPJ’s Region 12 coordinator and Creative Services Managing Editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
    • Sonny Albarado, a SPJ national foundation board member, a past SPJ national president and the editor-in-chief of the online news site Arkansas Advocate, part of the States Newsroom network
    • Andrew DeMillo, the Arkansas Capitol Correspondent for The Associated Press
    • Steve Listopad, a former journalism professor and a Mitigation Specialist on capitol murder cases for the Arkansas Public Defender Commission
    • Rhondaja Howard, multimedia journalist at KAIT Region 8 in Jonesboro
    • Jeanette Stewart, Editor of the daily Log Cabin Democrat and the weekly Van Buren County Democrat
    • Caitrin Assaf, news Anchor at noon and 4 p.m. at KARK 4

Chapter Business

CALL FOR CANDIDATES: Arkansas SPJ seeks members for 2024-25 Board of Directors

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CALL FOR CANDIDATES: Arkansas SPJ seeks members for 2024-25 Board of Directors

Check out the following duties and responsibilities of Arkansas SPJ board members and consider running for the board or an officer position. Send a photo and a brief bio that tells why you want to serve as an SPJ leader, your history with SPJ and what you will bring to the group, including any ideas you have for the coming year, to Arkansas SPJ secretary Wendy Miller at wendymillerjournalist@gmail.com or ArkansasSPJ@gmail.com by Monday, July 8.

A list of candidates and their bios will be posted at least 10 days before the election and emailed to our membership. Voting will take place via email ballot.

Don’t want to be a board member? Get involved in one of our committees.

ARKANSAS PRO CHAPTER BOARD
Duties and Responsibilities
To ensure the health of the Society of Professional Journalists Arkansas Pro Chapter, the members of the Board of Directors must be current on national dues and be accountable for the following duties and responsibilities:

Attendance
The Board of Directors meets monthly and sometimes calls special meetings via phone or email. Board members must attend a minimum of nine monthly meetings during their July-to-June term of office, but strive to make it to all meetings in-person or by Zoom. Absence from three consecutive meetings, or four or more monthly meetings during their term, will result in the appointment of a new director to the position.

Participation
Board members must actively participate in at least one of the following chapter committees: Freedom of Information Act, Programing, Contests, Membership and Marketing, or other special committees designated by the president. Active participation may include planning at least one event in a year, advancement of the FOIA through lobbying, contributions to the chapter’s website, newsletter or social media campaigns, or other efforts determined by the board.

Arkansas Pro Chapter SPJ, Chapter Business, Events, Uncategorized

Arkansas SPJ announces candidates for the 2023-2024 Board of Directors

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Arkansas SPJ’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors has two candidates for president Brenda Lepenski, a general assignment reporter at Channel 7 News, and Lance Brownfield, a reporter at The Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs. Lepenski served in 2022-23 as the chapter’s Membership and Marketing chair and Brownfield served as secretary.
Also seeking executive board positions are Sonny Albarado for vice president and Rob Moritz for treasurer. There are currently no candidates for secretary on the 11-member board. Voting will take place at the Diamond Journalism Awards and annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, at the 2023 Diamond Journalism Awards at Brewski’s Pub & Grub, 315 Main St., Little Rock.
New candidates for the board include Karen Steward and Terrance Armstard, a Region 12 assistant coordinator. Wendy Jordan, a former board member and Region 12 treasurer, is seeking to return to the board.
Continuing board member candidates include Region 12 coordinator Jennifer Ellis, Andrew DeMillo and immediate past president Steve Listopad.
Additional nominations may be taken at the meeting. The election for contested positions will be held by secret ballot. Any member who cannot vote in person may email their selection to arkansasspj@gmail.com. Uncontested elections will take place by voice vote.

2023-24 Arkansas SPJ board candidates

Chapter Business, Uncategorized

CALL FOR CANDIDATES: Arkansas SPJ seeks members for 2023-24 Board of Directors

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The Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will hold its annual board election at the Diamond Awards banquet in June. Want to get involved? Consider joining our team.

The Arkansas SPJ Board of Directors has 11 seats that are up for election each year, including executive officers: president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.

Check out the following duties and responsibilities of board members and consider running for the board or an officer position. Send a photo and a brief bio that tells why you want to serve as an SPJ leader, your history with SPJ and what you will bring to the group, including any ideas you have for the coming year, to Arkansas SPJ President Steven Listopad at slistopad@icloud.com or ArkansasSPJ@gmail.com by Saturday, May 20.

A list of candidates and their bios will be posted at least 10 days before the election and emailed to our membership. Voting will take place at the annual meeting (time/date/location to be decided) and via email for those who can’t attend.

If an officer election is contested, or if there are more nominees for director than available board seats, that election shall be held by secret ballot. Uncontested elections shall be by voice vote.

Don’t want to be a board member? Get involved in one of our committees.

ARKANSAS PRO CHAPTER BOARD
Duties and Responsibilities
To ensure the health of the Society of Professional Journalists Arkansas Pro Chapter, the members of the Board of Directors must be current on national dues and be accountable for the following duties and responsibilities:

Attendance
The Board of Directors meets monthly and sometimes calls special meetings via phone or email. Board members must attend a minimum of nine monthly meetings during their July-to-June term of office, but strive to make it to all meetings in-person or by Zoom. Absence from three consecutive meetings, or four or more monthly meetings during their term, will result in the appointment of a new director to the position.

Participation
Board members must actively participate in at least one of the following chapter committees: Freedom of Information Act, Programing, Contests, Membership and Marketing, or other special committees designated by the president. Active participation may include planning at least one event in a year, advancement of the FOIA through lobbying, contributions to the chapter’s website, newsletter or social media campaigns, or other efforts determined by the board.

Chapter Business

Arkansas SPJ announces candidates for the 2022-2023 Board of Directors

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Candidates for Arkansas SPJ’s 2022-2023 Board of Directors include past board members Steve Listopad for president; Sonny Albarado for vice president; Rob Moritz for treasurer; and Jennifer Ellis, Wesley Brown, Brittany Reese, Ebony Harding-Kendrick, Linda Garner-Bunch and Andrew DeMillo. In addition, new candidates for the board include Lance Brownfield, editor in chief of the Malvern Daily Record and Brenda Lepenski, a general assignment reporter at KATV Channel 7 News. There are currently no candidates for secretary on the 11-member board. Voting will take place at the Diamond Journalism Awards and annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at Diamond Bear Brewing Co. in North Little Rock.

Chapter Business, Uncategorized

CALL FOR CANDIDATES: Arkansas SPJ seeks members for 2022-23 Board of Directors DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MAY 16

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The Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will hold its annual board election at a membership mixer in June. Want to get involved? Consider running for a seat.

The Arkansas SPJ Board of Directors has 11 seats that are up for election each year, including executive officers: president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.

Check out the following duties and responsibilities of board members and consider running for the board or an officer position. Send a photo and a brief bio that tells why you want to serve as an SPJ leader, your history with SPJ and what you will bring to the group, including any ideas you have for the coming year, to Arkansas SPJ President Steven Listopad at slistopad@icloud.com by Monday, May 16 (extended deadline).

A list of candidates and their bios will be posted 30 days prior to the election and emailed to our membership. Voting will take place at the annual meeting (time/date/location to be decided) and via email for those who can’t attend.

Don’t want to be a board member? Get involved in one of our committees.

ARKANSAS PRO CHAPTER BOARD
Duties and Responsibilities
To ensure the health of the Society of Professional Journalists Arkansas Pro Chapter, the members of the Board of Directors must be current on national dues and be accountable for the following duties and responsibilities:

Attendance
The Board of Directors meets monthly and sometimes calls special meetings via phone or email. Board members must attend a minimum of nine monthly meetings during their July-to-June term of office, but strive to make it to all meetings in-person or by Zoom. Absence from three consecutive meetings, or four or more monthly meetings during their term, will result in the appointment of a new director to the position.

Participation
Board members must actively participate in at least one of the following chapter committees: Freedom of Information Act, Programing, Contests, Membership and Marketing, or other special committees designated by the president. Active participation may include planning at least one event in a year, advancement of the FOIA through lobbying, contributions to the chapter’s website, newsletter or social media campaigns, or other efforts determined by the board.