Board of Directors 2011 – 2012

	Katherine Ann Rowlands East Bay Metro Editor, Bay Area News Group Contra Costa Times/Oakland Tribune/San Jose Mercury News Walnut Creek and Oakland, Calif. “I appreciate JAWS for its unique sense of camaraderie and professional support from other women who are committed to helping each other succeed. I am so proud to see this organization thrive and grow.”
	Gwyneth Doland Executive Director New Mexico Foundation for Open Government Albuquerque, N.M. “I don’t know where I’d be today without the advice, support and encouragement of the women of JAWS.”
	Sarah Pollock Professor, journalism & English Mills College Oakland, Calif. “I love the multi-generational support and mentoring among women from college-age to post-retirement. We are all teaching and learning – and the JAWS culture of mutual respect is joyful, fearless and inspirational.”
	Teresa Puente Assistant professor, Journalism Dept. Columbia College Chicago, Ill. “When I found JAWS, I found a family in journalism. The founding members of JAWS are women who broke ground decades before I entered the field. If it were not for them, a Latina woman like myself would not have found a career in journalism. JAWS has given me new friends and also mentors that have encouraged me to continue to grow and excel in journalism.”
	Andrea Stone Senior National Correspondent The Huffington Post Washington, D.C. “Whether you are just starting your career as a journalist or trying to reinvent yourself amid the upheaval in our industry, there is someone at JAWS who has been there, done that or can buck you up and offer advice, moral support and friendship along the way.”
	Jessica Alpert Associate Producer WBUR – FM Boston, Mass.
	Mary C. Curtis Independent multimedia journalist Charlotte, N.C. “I turn to this group of talented, accomplished, committed professionals for advice, support and the inspiration to keep doing what I do in my life and work. We’re all in this together.”
	Sandra Fish Journalism instructor University of Colorado Boulder, Colo. “JAWS offers me great career contacts, women who are wonderful sounding boards and, best of all, camaraderie.”
	E.J. Graff Contributing editor, The American Prospect Senior Fellow, Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism Brandeis University Cambridge, Mass.
	Charreah Jackson Associate Editor Essence magazine New York, N.Y. “Joining JAWS has been a life-changing experience. Building relationships with groundbreaking female journalists has been invaluable to not only my career but my identity as a woman.”
	Peggy Sands Orchowski Author and Congressional correspondent Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education Washington, D.C.
	Jessica Rettig Independent journalist Bogotá, Colombia “As journalism continues to change and transform, JAWS has been a constant — always an excellent place to seek inspiration, encouragement and smart advice from women who have already overcome so much in their lives and careers. I became a journalist because of the amazing female journalists who told me I can and should do it, and I continue to find that genuine support and guidance from my fellow JAWS members.”
	Peg Simpson Freelance/Women’s Media Center Washington, D.C.
	Lauren M. Whaley Multimedia journalist CHCF Center for Health Reporting USC Annenberg Los Angeles, Calif. “The women of JAWS are my heroes, mentors, peers and confidants. This community gives me the courage to keep pursuing journalism as a profession. JAWS women are badass, brilliant and accessible. I am forever grateful that they have welcomed me into their ranks.”
	Becky Day Executive Director Journalism & Women Symposium

About the Board

Election of JAWS officers and new board members takes place at the annual business meeting, in conjunction with our fall Conference and Mentoring Project.

Eligibility for the JAWS board: Any active member who has camped with JAWS twice. Officers and board members serve one- or two-year terms. All are elected by a vote of the membership.

Job description for the board: The primary responsibility of the board of directors is to ensure that the organization operates in a fashion true to its stated mission and principles. The board provides continuity to the organization as individual members come and go.

The board has two trusts: The group’s growth and future, and to further the group’s goals.

It is responsible for setting policies, making decisions, delegating work and assuring the decisions are carried out. The board is legally responsible for governance of the organization and adherence to federal, state and local laws, audits done annually and income tax form filing.

A director’s responsibilities include:

• Building and guiding long-range plans. This requires the ability to see and predict clearly the future needs of JAWS.
• Making sure programs and services address membership needs.
• Recruiting members and making sure members are involved in the group.
• Raising funds.
• Contributing and/or recruiting stories and items for the JAWS newsletter.
• Contributing and/or recruiting program ideas for JAWS camp.
• Spreading the word in the larger journalism commmunity about JAWS.
• Attending camp, paying membership dues and attending board meetings.

For more about the board and the by-laws governing JAWS, see the JAWS by-laws.

To read our plans for the next five years, see the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan.

Incoming Board Slate for 2012-2013

We have fielded an impressive group of women to join the JAWS Board of Directors for 2012-13, pending election by the general membership at our fall conference in October. Going off the board — with our great thanks for their service — are Teresa Puente, who has served for two years as Secretary, Peggy Orchowski, E.J. Graff, Charreah Jackson and Jessica Alpert.

The new slate includes:

- Lauren Whaley as President-elect (taking over as President from 2013-2015) — the multimedia reporter at the CHCF Center for Health Reporting, based in Los Angeles, Calif., a former fellowship winner and a current board member of JAWS
- Jessica Rettig as Secretary (serving 2012-2014) — a freelance writer who is also attending graduate school in Denver, Colo., a former fellowship winner and a current board member of JAWS
- Nancy Day — Chair, Journalism Department, Columbia College Chicago
- Kimberly Johnson — a freelance magazine and online writer based in Salisbury, N.C.
- Karen Cheung — a writer and editor for online publications focused on healthcare, based in Washington, D.C. and a former fellowship winner
- Lisen Stromberg — an independent writer and columnist based in Palo Alto, Calif.
- Jennifer DePaul — a tax reporter with Source Media’s The Bond Buyer in its Washington, D.C. bureau and a former fellowship winner
- Sarah Pollock — professor, journalism program, Mills College in Oakland, Calif. and current Deputy VP of JAWS

If elected, these women will join the following continuing board members for the upcoming year:
- Katherine Ann Rowlands as President through 2013 — East Bay Metro Editor for Bay Area News Group in California
- Sandra Fish as Vice President through 2013 — columnist and journalism instructor at University of Colorado at Boulder
- Andrea Stone as Treasurer through 2013 — senior national correspondent for The Huffington Post
- Gwyneth Doland — executive director of New Mexico Foundation for Open Government
- Mary C. Curtis — contributor to The Washington Post “She The People” and independent multimedia reporter based in Charlotte, N.C.
- Peg Simpson — contributor to Women’s Media Center and freelancer based in Washington, D.C.

These 14 women will help guide JAWS, set policy and represent the organization as we pursue our mission of supporting the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism. Each has committed to helping strengthen and grow our unique organization for a two-year term.