The National Scholastic Press Association board of directors has named Laura Widmer as its executive director. The appointment is effective immediately.
Widmer advised student media at middle school, high school and college levels during her 33-year teaching career. While student media director at Northwest Missouri State University, her students and publications were honored with numerous national awards, including the Pacemaker.
Widmer served on the College Media Association board of directors from 1989-1995 and was elected president in 1991. She served on NSPA’s board of directors from 2007 to 2015 and since that time has served as NSPA’s associate director and more recently as interim executive director. She is a member of the College Media Association’s Hall of Fame, the Missouri College Media Association Hall of Fame and is a Pioneer and Gold Key recipient. She founded a community newspaper in her hometown, Chariton Valley News Press and while she no longer owns the paper, she continues to serve the community as a contributing columnist.
“I am honored to be named the executive director of this great association,” said Widmer. “We have a great staff and we will continue to provide you the services you are accustomed to, as well as listening to your ideas to make our association even stronger. Our focus is on every facet of student media.”
NSPA Board President Al Tims said of Widmer’s appointment: “Laura brings a lifelong commitment to students and student media and a record of distinguished national leadership both in scholastic and collegiate journalism. She has deep appreciation of NSPA’s mission, opportunities for growth, understands how to forge vital partnerships and is a strong voice advocating the importance of student media for civic engagement and citizenship.”
The National Scholastic Press Association is a national organization that supports scholastic journalism at middle school, high school and college levels. The association provides journalism education services to students, teachers, media advisers and others throughout the United States. In addition to its original mission, dating back to 1921, of serving high school journalism, NSPA’s Associated Collegiate Press division serves college, university, and professional and technical school media. Student media in its headquarters state are organized under the Minnesota High School Press Association.
NSPA and its divisions operate eight conventions and workshops each year. The association also conducts contest and critique programs that define the highest standards of scholastic and college journalism and recognize those who meet them. NSPA also is a leading advocate for First Amendment and free press issues as they pertain to school journalism.
In serving scholastic and college journalism, NSPA works very closely with two partner organizations: the Journalism Education Association, based at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan, and College Media Association, headquartered in New York, NY.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., NSPA has long and close ties to the University of Minnesota’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.