Tom Silvestri outlines goals and initiatives for coming year

Tom Silvestri

I respectfully ask all SNPA members to adopt a simple discipline to stay closer to the organization: Carve out 10 minutes each day for an SNPA moment and engage with SNPA – look at the website, read the weekly newsletter, email an SNPA publisher, call a friend, send in an idea, reach out to the SNPA staff with a question or involve a colleague at work with an SNPA activity.”

SNPA President Tom Silvestri

During the Monday morning general session at the News Industry Summit, newly elected SNPA President Thomas A. Silvestri outlined five goals and five initiatives that will guide SNPA and receive priority in the coming year.  Silvestri is president and publisher of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.

He told conference attendees that SNPA is in a strong position to succeed.  "SNPA enjoys tremendous loyalty from the owners and publishers of newspapers, who value its services and its traditions," Silvestri said. He noted that finances are solid, membership is committed and said SNPA has a great staff.

Silvestri said the five goals that will guide SNPA's work in 2013-14 are:

• "We want to pump up.  We want to enhance the networking and sharing opportunities for newspaper executives."
• "We want to build up and be the favored resource for best ideas and best practices."
• "We want to stand up.  We want to be the leader in innovation and effective professional development."
• "We don't want to give up.  We want to up-size our support and give publishers the tools to champion newspapers and the newspaper industry."
• "And, we want to re-up.  We want to reinvigorate SNPA's membership, particularly in the participation and membership base."

Priorities for the coming year will be to:

• Create a two-way SNPA mentorship program that links experienced leaders with talented up-and-comers.  Jason Taylor, president and general manager of the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press, will lead this effort.
• Advance the strategic plan, guided by the board, the committees, the members and the staff.
• Encourage all members to commit 10 minutes every day to SNPA: check the website, read the eBulletin, call a friend, email an idea for a program.
• Create open forums at every SNPA conference where the attendees are the content.  Silvestri commented that every member has experiences and ideas that need to be shared.  He wants SNPA to serve as the avenue to pull these ideas out, where the hallway conversations become the "dessert" for the main course sessions.
• Reach out to publishers individually for their suggestions, best practices, insights and – yes – their complaints, which often lead to good ideas.

In addition to Silvestri, the following officers were elected:

• Chairman: Digby Solomon, president, publisher and CEO, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
• President-Elect: Charles Hill Morris Jr., regional manager, Morris Multimedia, Atlanta, Ga.
• Treasurer: Robert J. Weil, vice president/operations, The McClatchy Co., Sacramento, Calif.

Digby Solomon	Charles Hill Morris	Bob Weil

The SNPA Board of Directors consists of one director from each of the 14 SNPA states, and four at-large directors. Terms on the board are staggered.

Elected to seats on the board were:

• Arkansas: Eliza Hussman Gaines, executive editor, Hot Springs Sentinel-Record.
• Florida: David Dunn-Rankin, president and publisher, The Sun, Port Charlotte.
• Kentucky: Rufus Friday, publisher, Lexington Herald-Leader.
• South Carolina: Pamela J. ("PJ") Browning, The Post and Courier, Charleston.
• At-Large: Michael Ferguson, president and CEO, Stephens Media LLC, Las Vegas, Nev.
• At-Large: Michael Redding, CEO, Halifax Media Group, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Eliza Gaines	David Dunn-Rankin	Rufus Friday
P.J. Browning	Michael Ferguson	Michael Redding

Three directors are leaving the board after this year's convention:

• Nat Lea, president of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock.
• Kyle B. Osteen, co-owner, Osteen Publishing Co., Sumter, S.C.
• Scott C. Schurz, Jr., president, editor and publisher, Advocate Communications, Danville, Ky.

Directors continuing on the board are:

• Tim Burke, publisher and editor, The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Clay Foster, president, publisher and CEO, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, Miss.
• Carol Hudler, special assistant to U.S. Community Publishing president, Gannett Co., Inc., Nashville, Tenn.
• Ricky R. Mathews, president and publisher, The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, La.
• F. Steve McPhaul, executive vice president/corporate operations, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., Montgomery, Ala.
• David Mele, publisher, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.
• Grant Moise, senior vice president, business development and niche products, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas.
• Burgett H. Mooney III, president, News Publishing Company, Rome, Ga.
• Christopher P. Reen, president and publisher, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Pam Siddall, vice president of local digital strategy, Advance Publications, Birmingham, Ala.
• Lester T. Simpson, publisher, Amarillo Globe-News, Amarillo, Texas.
• David Woronoff, publisher, The Pilot, Southern Pines, N.C.

Read about elections to the SNPA Foundation Board of Trustees