In late June, our chapter held an election to fill officer positions and seats on the board of directors for the coming year. The following candidates were unanimously elected and took office July 1:
Officers
President — Chris Tyree, co-founder and senior director of the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO. Chris, who has served on the SPJVA Board of Directors since 2022, will be serving his second and final year as the chapter’s president.
Vice President — Alix Bryan-Campos, assistant professor in the Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University. Alix directs the Newsroom at VCU and advises the student SPJ chapter. She has served on the SPJVA board since 2023.
Secretary — Jeff South, associate professor emeritus at VCU, where he taught journalism from 1997 to 2020. Jeff, who freelances and conducts journalism training, served as SPJVA president from 2019 to 2021 and is currently chapter secretary.
Treasurer — Deana Meredith, communications manager at the Virginia Press Association. Deana, an award-winning writer and photographer and former editor at The Central Virginian, has served on the SPJVA board since 2022 and as treasurer for the past year.
Directors
Director 1, unexpired term (expiring June 2026) – Paul Fletcher, SPJ’s national president in 2015-16. For more than three decades, Paul was the publisher and editor in chief of Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Now CEO of the Virginia Bar Association, he teaches media law and ethics at VCU.
Director 2, unexpired term (expiring June 2026) – Bonnie Newman Davis, editor-at-large at Charlottesville Tomorrow. Bonnie has been a journalist for more than four decades and is an award-winning educator and author. She is active at the national and local levels with SPJ and the National Association of Black Journalists.
Director 3, unexpired term (expiring June 2027) – Scott Elmquist, a photojournalist for Style Weekly and recipient of the SPJVA’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. Scott was named the Best Alt-Weekly Photographer in America in 2019 and 2020.
Director 5, unexpired term (expiring June 2026) – June Nicholson, a professor emeritus of journalism at VCU and a longtime SPJ leader at the state and national levels. June was a newspaper reporter in Virginia and edited a book about women in journalism.
Director 7, three-year term (expiring June 2028) – Mason Adams, a freelancer covering the Blue Ridge Mountains and co-host of Inside Appalachia on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Mason has been on the SPJVA board for the past year.
Director 8, three-year term (expiring June 2028) – Shawn Day, the senior director of public affairs for the consulting firm Capital Results. He has been a journalist for The Virginian-Pilot and other newspapers. Shawn has served on the SPJVA board for the past year.
Director 9, three-year term (expiring June 2028) – Susan Smigielski Acker, a freelance journalist and editor with more than 25 years of experience, including with The Virginian-Pilot. For the past year, Susan has served as SPJVA’s vice president.
The SPJVA board of directors also will include the following members who were not up for election:
- Dina Weinstein, Community Vitality reporter at the Henrico Citizen — Director 4 (expiring 2027)
- Reynolds Hutchins, editor of The Daily Progress in Charlottesville — Director 6 (expiring 2027)
SPJ Virginia Pro is always seeking volunteers for leadership positions and chapter activities that promote excellence in journalism. Please contact us if you’d like to get involved.
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