Hello, WABJ members and supporters. Season’s Greetings!
It was yet another phenomenal year for the organization. As our Executive Board’s two-year term comes closer to an end, we want to thank you for your support and generosity with your time, dues, ideas, and talents. Our programs, membership drives, social events and our sold-out, inaugural Special Honors Awards Gala have all been great successes because of your continued engagement. And we are just getting warmed up.
Our leadership worked incredibly hard to rebuild and modernize the chapter into a community that meets the needs of this moment. Since 2021, we have, among other things, quadrupled our membership count, hosted dozens of regularly scheduled professional development webinars and roundtable sessions that connected members with newsroom managers, and forged groundbreaking partnerships with local and national stakeholders. This year, we were a finalist for NABJ Professional Chapter of the Year.
However, we have more work to get done — in the areas of membership engagement, advocacy and development — to be better advocates for members and elevate our position as a thought leader in the nation’s political media capital. We will need your continued support to get there.
Recently, NABJ presented the opportunity for WABJ to host the Region 1 Conference in D.C. in Spring 2023. With the uncertainty in the economy and local newsrooms already announcing layoff plans, we believe our attention must first focus on the needs of our members. For that reason, the board declined and will revisit the opportunity to host a regional conference in the future. For more information, the full letter to NABJ’s leadership about our decision can be found HERE.
In closing, we want to thank our outgoing Vice-President Anna-Lysa Gayle for her service to the organization and welcome our incoming Vice President Kelsey Nelson, whose two-year term begins in January. And we also would like to thank our gracious, diligent outgoing Treasurer Darlene Superville for serving our chapter for nine years.
As we take a break for the holiday season, we hope you enjoy time with your loved ones and get a chance to rest and recharge for an eventful 2023. We look forward to working with you again next year!
Yours in service,
Washington Association of Black Journalists Executive Board, 2021-2022:
President Khorri Atkinson
Vice President Anna-Lysa Gayle
Treasurer Darlene Superville
Executive Secretary Candace Y.A. Montague
Digital Secretary Javier Lewis
Board Member-At-Large Yolanda McCutchen
Board Member -At-Large Ryan Williams
