Contact
The Journalism Program has an advisory council, which consists of professional journalists and managers from all types of media. The council advises the program on its curriculum, scholarships, development, training and direction of the program. Members of the council are available to meet with journalism majors about internships, post-graduation job opportunities and career consultation. The advisory council meets each fall and spring.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Julie McKinney, Chair
VP of People and Places, REV Birmingham
David White, Vice Chair
Senior Policy Advisor, Governor of Alabama
Bill Barrow, Secretary
National Politics Reporter, Associated Press
MEMBERS
Destini Ambus
Reporter, Savannah Morning News
Ken Bradley
Senior Editor, The Athletic
Katie Brumbeloe
Director of Audience, AL.com
John Carvalho
Professor Emeritus, Auburn University
Mike Cason
Reporter, AL.com
Kim Chandler
Reporter, Associated Press
Rachel Cone
Managing Partner, The Southern Group
Anthony Cook
Communications, Alabama Power
Alisha Fonesca
Live Events Producer, War Eagle Productions
Rick Harmon
Regional Director, AL Department of Tourism and Travel
Alec Harvey
Executive Editor, Business Alabama
Leah Leach
Broadcast Engineer, WarnerMedia
Jonathan Martin
Anchor, WXIA-TV
Felicia Mason
Executive Director, Alabama Press Association
Reta McKannan
Attorney
William McLain
News Director, WTVM-TV
Torien Pippens
Director, ESPN
Sally Pitts
Anchor/Reporter, WSFA-TV
Phil Rawls
Retired (formerly, Reporter, Associated Press)
Mary Sell
Editory/Reporter, Alabama Daily News
Wes Sinor
Managing Producer of Sports Video, Alabama Media Group
Todd Stacy
Publisher, Alabama Daily News
Helen Northcutt White
Communications Manager, Southern Power
Auburn Journalism Awards
Every year, the Journalism Advisory Council honors five distinguished journalists for their dedication and contribution to journalism at Auburn University and beyond. We invite you to nominate candidates for the Auburn Journalism Awards. These awards recognize deserving professionals in five categories with Alabama backgrounds.
Below are the awards categories and criteria:
• Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist. This honors a distinguished body of work, or career, past or present, achieved while practicing community-based, or local, journalism in Alabama.
• Distinguished Alabama Community Sports Journalist. This honors a distinguished body of work, or career, past or present, achieved while practicing community-based, or local, sports journalism in Alabama.
• Distinguished Special Achievement In Journalism. This honors a distinguished body of work, or career, past or present, enhancing or beneficially reflecting upon the practice of journalism, achieved in the state or by one who has lived, worked or attended college in Alabama.
• Distinguished Mass Media Achievement. This honors a distinguished body of work, or career, past or present, in mass media disciplines, achieved in the state or by one who has lived, worked or attended college in Alabama.
• Distinguished AU Journalism Alumnus. This honors a distinguished body of work, or career, past or present, by an AU Journalism alumnus, and is not restricted to the practice of journalism, recognizing that AU-J alums have succeeded admirably in other fields.
Please provide appropriate background information and make a case for your nominee, specifying her or his category. Each nomination requires a separate letter or email, even if you nominate someone for multiple awards. For each nominee, include current contact data if possible. If you nominated someone not chosen in the past, try again. Recipients have been chosen after multiple nominations. A panel of nine judges decides recipients, which are to be presented in fall.
The Advisory Council established these awards in 2005 “to recognize and celebrate the best and most enduring professionals in our field” who work inside or outside of the state, but have Alabama roots. Only the AU Journalism Alumnus award requires that the recipient has an Auburn University journalism connection, and it is not restricted to those in the practice of journalism. The advisory council realizes “numerous AU journalism alumni have succeeded admirably in a variety of fields.”
If you have any questions, contact Dr. Justin Blankenship at jzb0124@auburn.edu.
DISTINGUISHED AU JOURNALISM ALUMNI
2019 Kim Chandler, Alabama State Government Reporter, Associated Press
2018 Mickey Logue, Professor Emeritus of Journalism
2017 Kay Acton, Magazine Consultant
2016 David Housel, Athletics Director Emeritus, Auburn University
2015 Buddy Davidson, Sports Information Director, Auburn University
2014 Rob Rainey, Owner, Rob Rainey Video
2013 Ace Atkins, Novelist
2012 Vickey Hunt Williams, Senior Producer, al.com
2011 Dewey W. English Jr., Managing Editor, The (Mobile) Press-Register
2010 Paul Hemphill, Columnist, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Author
2009 Rheta Grimsley Johnson, Syndicated Columnist, Author
2008 Cynthia Tucker, Editorial Page Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2007 Jerry Brown, Dean of the Journalism School, The University of Montana
2006 Dennis Bailey, Attorney & Chief Counsel, Alabama Press Association
2005 Jack Simms, Journalism Professor Emeritus, Auburn University
DISTINGUISHED MASS MEDIA ACHIEVEMENT
2019 Carol Nunnelley, Founder and Executive Editor, BirminghamWatch
2018 Glenn Ellis, Media Health Advocate
2017 Tim Dorsey, Novelist
2016 Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist
2015 Bob Sanders, Radio Personality, WAUD-AM, Auburn, Ala.
2014 Mark Winne, Investigative Reporter, WSB-TV 2 (Atlanta)
2013 Phillip Rawls, Alabama Statehouse Reporter, Associated Press
2012 Jim Wooten, Reporter, ABC News
2011 Jim Stewart, Reporter, CBS News
2010 Howell Raines, Editor, The New York Times, Author
2009 John Logue, Founding Editor, Southern Living; Editor-in-Chief, Oxmoor House; Author
2007 Robert B. Ingram Jr., Columnist, Montgomery Advertiser; Publisher, ALABAMA Magazine; Ed. Director, WSFA-TV, Montgomery
2005 Don Logan, Chairman, Media and Communications Group, Time Warner
DISTINGUISHED ALABAMA COMMUNITY SPORTS JOURNALIST
2019 John Zenor, Associated Press
2018 Reggie Benson, Sports Writer, Huntsville Time
2017 Phillip Marshall, Sports Writer, Huntsville Times
2016 Mark Murphy, Publisher, Inside the Auburn Tigers
2015 Paul South,
2014 Bill Shelton, Sports Editor, The Cullman Times
2013 Mike Easterling, Former Columnist and Prep Sports Editor, The Huntsville Times
2012 Ron Ingram, Communication Director Alabama High School Athletic Association
2011 Jon Johnson, Sports Editor, The Dothan Eagle
2010 George H. Smith, Sports Editor, The Anniston Star
2009 Shannon Allen, Sports Editor, The Sand Mountain Reporter, Albertville
2008 Jimmy Smothers, Sports Editor, Gadsden Times
2007 John Pruett, Sports Editor, Huntsville Times
2006 Charles H. Land, Sports Editor, The Tuscaloosa News
DISTINGUISHED ALABAMA COMMUNITY JOURNALIST
2019 John Underwood, Gulf Coast Media editor/reporter
2018 Barnett Wright, Executive Editor, Birmingham Times
2017 Bill Keller, Former Executive Director, Alabama Press Association
2016 Gillis Morgan, Associate Professor Emeritus of Journalism, Auburn University
2015 Bruce McLellan, Online Editor, Decatur Daily?Florence Times-Daily
2014 John Ehinger, Editorial Page Editor, The Huntsville Times
2013 Guy N. Rhodes, Publisher and Editor, The Tuskegee News
2012 Cy Wood, Publisher, Valley Times-News
2011 Carol Pappas, Publisher, Daily Home, Talladega/Owner, Partners by Design, Inc.
2010 John W. Stevenson, Publisher and Editor, The Randolph Leader
2009 Jean Sutton, Managing Editor, The Democrat-Reporter, Linden
2008 Sam Harvey, Editor, The Advertiser-Gleam, Guntersville
2007 Alvin Benn, Reporter, Columnist, Montgomery Advertiser
2006 Joel P. Smith Sr., Publisher, The Eufaula Tribune
2005 Paul R. Davis, Columnist, Publisher, Davis Publications
ROY BAIN DISTINGUISHED SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN JOURNALISM
2019 Connor Sheets, Investigative Reporter, Alabama Media Group
2018 John Archibald, Columnist, al.com and Birmingham News
2017 Don Moseley, Political and Investigative Producer, WMAQ-TV, Chicago
2016 Ken Hare, Editorial Page Editor, Montgomery Advertiser
2014 Harvey H. "Hardy" Jackson, Professor and Eminent Scholar, Jacksonville State University
2013 Ed Williams, Professor, Auburn University
2012 Wayne Flynt, Professor Emeritus, Auburn University
2011 Ronald B. Casey, Editorial Page Editor, The Birmingham News
2010 David E. White, Alabama Legislative Reporter, The Birmingham News
2009 Kathryn Tucker Windham, Journalist, Author, Humorist
2008 Brett Blackledge, Reporter, The Birmingham News
2007 Dr. Edward Mullins, Professor, Journalism Chair, Dean of College of Communication & Information Sciences, The University of Alabama
2006 Dr. Bailey Thomson, Editorialist, Columnist, Journalism Professor, The University of Alabama
Note: Awards are not necessarily bestowed annually. Generally, the posts listed are those held at the time of recipients’ recognition and do not necessarily reflect current status.