FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison M. Stevens
(703) 854-3590
astevens@unityjournalists.org

UNITY ELECTS NEW LEADERSHIP
Elections held at fall board meeting

       
McLean, Virginia, October 14 - Rafael Olmeda, immediate past president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), has been elected president of UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.

Mr. Olmeda was chosen by UNITY's board of directors at its fall board meeting last month. Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) was elected vice-president, Michaela Saunders of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) was elected secretary and Jeanne Mariani-Belding, president of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) was elected treasurer.

Their two-year terms begin on January 1, 2009.

"I consider this an honor, and I'm fortunate to be part of such a talented leadership team," said Mr. Olmeda. "I look forward to working with our alliance partners and the industry, even in these challenging times, to advance UNITY's mission of increasing diversity and insisting on fair coverage of our people and issues."

In addition to being the immediate past president of NAHJ, Mr. Olmeda has served on both the UNITY and NAHJ board of directors.  He is a senior writer at the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale and an adjunct professor at Florida International University.  He previously worked as a reporter for the New York Daily News. 

"I am very happy to be turning over the leadership of UNITY to a committed and capable executive team, led by a strong president," said Karen Lincoln Michel, outgoing UNITY president. "Rafael takes over the presidency at a critical time when UNITY must expand beyond the perception that it exists solely to hold a convention every four years. Rafael is the leader who will take us there."

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About UNITY: Journalists of Color
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a strategic alliance advocating news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenging its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. UNITY, representing more than 10,000 journalists of color, is comprised of four national associations: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

In addition to planning the largest regular gathering of journalists in the nation, UNITY develops programs and institutional relationships that promote its mission. For more information on UNITY, visit www.unityjournalists.org, email info@unityjournalists.org or call (703) 854-3585.