Volunteer to help JAWS!

Serve on a committee in 2008!

If you would like to volunteer for one of these committees, please contact the committee chair listed below directly. Their email addresses are in the latest JAWS membership directory. If you need help contacting a committee chair, please email info@jaws.org with your request.

Programs & Services:

Programs and Services is an umbrella committee that represents all of JAWS’ programming work to help women build skills, mentor one another and advance professionally. This committee is responsible for planning annual and regional meetings, and coordinating JAWS’ services to mesh with these programs.

Programs & Services Super Chair:

Mary Kay Blakely

Conference (“Camp”) Co-Chairs

         Mary Kay & Peggy Collins
          Speakers & panels:
          Silent Auction:
          Sponsorships & Advertising:
          Site working committee:
          Recreation:
         
Mentoring chair: Merrill Perlman

Scholarships chair: Carol Guensburg.

Conference Site Selection chair: Lisa Chung

Regional events chair: Cindy Richards

Membership Committee

Membership development is a priority for JAWS, especially reaching out to a diverse constituency of women involved in journalism in its many forms. JAWS is enriched by the participation of women of many ages, races, cultures and journalism disciplines. The membership committee is responsible for recruiting new JAWS members and supporting current members. The committee will conduct regular polls of the membership to identify issues and services of importance to JAWS members. This committee will coordinate with the Programs & Services committee on regional programs and with the Fundraising and Development Committee regarding activities with a donor focus.

Membership chair:  Janet Vitt
Deputy co-chairs: Megan Kamerick & Cheryl Hampton

Communications Committee

Providing effective ways for members to communicate with each other and to their leadership is important for networking, mentoring, and for creating a vibrant conversation about journalism issues, especially those that affect women in journalism. The communications committee is responsible for developing and maintaining the JAWS Web site, the JAWS Newsletter, the JAWS members email listserv and other communication vehicles.

Communications Committee Chair: Gina Setser
Web editor: Sandra Fish
Newsletter editor: Kay Mills

External Relations Committee

As one of the country’s leading organizations of women in journalism, JAWS is a resource for members, other journalists and the public. The External Relations Committee is responsible for developing policies that will give JAWS leadership guidance on how that resource is used, including how and when to provide timely responses to issues that affect women and journalism. The committee will also help JAWS develop and maintain relationships with other professional journalism groups to support shared journalism goals in areas such as freedom of the press.

External Relations chair: Gayle Reaves

Fundraising & Development Committee

JAWS has multiple goals: to offer more programs and services, to diversify and increase its membership and raise JAWS’ public profile, all to better serve members across the country. JAWS budget has been too small to fulfill these aspirations or its current operational needs. The Fundraising & Development Committee is responsible for creating and implementing a fundraising & development plan for JAWS to allow JAWS to achieve its goals. The committee’s long-term development goal is to place JAWS on a strong financial footing for years to come, enriching the organization and enhancing its mission.

 

Fundraising & Development Chair: Julia Kagan
Deputy chair: Julie Dunlap

Finance Committee

The JAWS Board of Directors creates policies that promote careful budgeting and fiscal solvency, as well as building the organization’s financial diversity and capacity. The Finance committee is charged with carrying out these policies by ensuring the financial health of the organization and developing annual goals for key areas of the budget to support JAWS’ mission now and building for the future.

Finance chair: Nancy Day