NSPA Pioneer Award Winners

The Pioneer Award is the highest award NSPA presents to journalism educators.

Pioneers are individuals who make substantial contributions to high school publications and journalism programs outside of their primary employment.

NSPA maintains a composite plaque of Pioneers and displays it at its headquarters. Candidates are nominated by previous Pioneer winners and NSPA board members.

2023 Recipients

Tina Cleavelin
Jostens

Karl Grubaugh
Granite Bay High School (California) 

Debra Klevens
Clayton High School (Missouri)
Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri

Matt LaPorte
Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas

Rebecca Potter
Atlanta Independent School District (Texas)
Texas High School, Texarkana, Texas

Becky Tate
Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas

> Our 2023 awards announcement

Pioneer Award Winners

50 original inductees (boldface) on NSPA’s 50th anniversary, Nov. 27, 1970,
including posthumous inductees •

Sister M. Rita Jeanne Abicht

Jeanne Acton

David Adams

Julian Adams

Logan Aimone

Ann Akers

Martha Akers

Olive Allen

Benjamin W. Allnut

Edmund C. Arnold

Mary Arnold

Robert Atwood

Dan Austin

Ellen Austin

Judy Babb

Bob Bair

Ira L. Baker

Benjamin H. Baldwin

Michelle Balmeo

Linda Barrington

Marjorie Bell

Mary Benedict

Lester G. Benz

Jane Blystone

Peter Bobkowski

Don Bott

John Bowen

John Boyd

Diane Boyle

Regis L. Boyle

Wayne Brasler

Vicki McCash Brennan

Howard Brier

Rick Brooks

Deanne Brown

Donald E. Brown

W. Mike Brown

Jeff Browne

Mary Elizabeth Burdette

Robert Button

Laurence R. Campbell

Marilyn K. Chapman

Pat Clark

Tina Cleavelin

Molly Clemons

Ron Clemons

Jolene Combs

Judith Coolidge

David Cosgrove

Kathy Craghead

James Crook

Mattie Gay Crump

Alyce Culpepper

Jeffrey Currie

John Cutsinger

Kathy Daly

Sharon Deibel

Vince DeMiero

Beth Dickey

Merle Dieleman

Julie Dodd

Mary Kay Downes

William Downs Jr.

Linda Drake

Georgia Stilwell Dunn

Wayne Dunn

Jack Dvorak

Gloria Eastman

Mitch Eden

Howard Emerson

Edwin Emery

Paul Ender

Jackie Engel

Tom Engleman

Earl English

Herman A. Estrin

Carrie Faust

Brenda Feldman

Nick Ferentinos

Brenda Field

John Field

Vince Filak

Beth Fitts

Lu Chapin Flannery

Bill Flechtner

Karen Flowers

Virginia Follin

Kathy Roberts Forde

Mary Lu Foreman

Sheryl Fulton

Kelly Furnas

George Gallup Sr.

George Gallup Jr.

Arnetta Garcin

Tom Gayda

Joseph Glowacki

Tony Gomez

Mark Goodman

Brenda Gorsuch

Pat Graff

JoAnne Graham

Kim Green

Nancy Green

Robert Greenman

Dorothy D. Greer

Peggy Gregory

Ruth Marie Griggs

Karl Grubaugh

Kathy Habiger

Clarence W. Hach

Max Haddick

Diana Hadley

Carol Hallenbeck

H.L. Hall

Nancy Hall

Bill Hankins

Laurie Hansen

Kathleen Hansen

Glenn Hanson

Jack Harkrider

Charla Harris

Erinn Harris

Rowena Harvey

Nancy Hastings

Susan Hathaway

Bobby Hawthorne

Ann Christine Heintz

Andrea Henderson

R.D. Hendricks

Mike Hiestand

Monica Hill

Barbara Hines

Judith Hines

Richard Holden

Diane Yotsuya Honda

John Hudnall

Harold H. Herbert

Bonnie Horne

Freeman Hover

Rod Howe

Joe Humphrey

Elizabeth Hurley

Orval C. Husted

Louis E. Ingelhart

Richard Johns

James Jordan

Paul Kandell

Linda Kane

Elwood C. Karwand

Crystal Kazmierski

Lori Keekley

Gretchen Kemp

Jack Kennedy

Linda Kennedy

Ellen Kersey

Val Kibler

Fred Kildow

Lucille Kildow

Bernard Kilgore

Jane Kirtley

Debra Klevens

David Knight

Robert Knight

Judy Knudtson

Susan Komandosky

Bruce Konkle

Matt LaPorte

Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver

Hillier Krieghbaum

Konnie Krislock

Carol Lange

C.J. “Skip” Leabo

Kathy Leabo

Pete LeBlanc

Janet Levin

Mark Levin

Gary Lindsay

Richard Lloyd

J. Grady Locklear

Frank LoMonte

Dick LoPachin

Gary Lundgren

Roberta Mace

James Magmer

Leland Mallett

Aaron Manfull

Sharon Martin

Dave Massy

Susan Massy

Steve Matson

Tamra McCarthy

Jim McCrossen

Jim McGonnell

Vida B. McGiffin

Richard McNeill

Dorothy McPhillips

C.J. Medlin

Rob Melton

Carl G. Miller

Bill Mohn

Amy Morgan

Dan Moore

Shirley Moravec

Betty Morton

John Mulligan

Joseph M. Murphy

Mark Murray

Jeff Nardone

Ed Nell

Terry Nelson

Mark Newton

Casey Nichols

Sarah Nichols

Steve O’Donoghue

Lori Oglesbee

Gloria Olman

Charles O’Malley

Sarah Ortman

J.L. O’Sullivan

Mary Patrick

J.F. Paschal

N.S. Patterson

Nancy Patterson

Cheryl Pell

Meghan Percival

Candace Perkins

Terry Peterson

Kay Phillips

Marci Pieper

Wayna Polk

Margaret Popham

Homer A. Post

Rebecca Potter

Hazel Glenn Presson

Mary Pulliam

Linda Puntney

Otto W. Quale

Kristi Rathbun

Betsy Pollard Rau

DeWitt C. Reddick

Sally Renaud

Judy Robinson

Mabel E. Robrock

Debra Rothenberger

Martha Rothwell

Charles E. Savedge

Robin Gibson Sawyer

Laura Schaub

Kathy Schrier

John B. Schrodt

Vicki Scorsone

Albert Scroggins Jr.

Tracy Anne Sena

Ellen Sengenberger

Alyce Rogers Sheetz

Gloria Shields

Linda Shockley

Michael Simons

Becky Sipos

Kenson Siver

Sigmund Sluszka

Helen Smith

Nancy Y. Smith

Linda Smoley

Margaret Sorrows

Howard Spanogle

Mary Sparks

L. Curtis Sheffield

Paul Schweiger

Harold Spears

Mary Still

F. Kenneth Stratton

Lynn Strause

Jim Streisel

Edmund Sullivan

Paul S. Swensson

Randy Swikle

Becky Tate

Dow Tate

George Taylor

H.C. Taylor

Sherri Taylor

Wilma Taylor

Barbara Thill

Albert R. Tims

Cindy Todd

Robert Tottingham

Carl Towley

Charles Troxell •

Craig Trygstad

Carol Underberger

Rod Vahl

Fern Valentine

April van Buren

Carl Vandermeulen

Ben Van Zante

Ann Visser

Randy Vonderheid

DeWitt Wallace

Bill Ward

Bruce Watterson

Chris Waugaman

Marilyn Weaver

Alan Weintraut

David Weisenburger

Lorraine Wellenstein

Carmen Wendt

Ray Westbrook

John Wheeler

Anne Whitt

Laura Widmer

Tom Winski

Bradley Wilson

Harold Wilson

Jack Wilson

Scott Winter

Jan Wiseman

Sandy Woodcock

Virginia Woodring

Shirley Yaskin

Joanna Zander

Mitch Ziegler

Stan Zoller

Kathleen Zwiebel