Nevada Press Association The best in Nevada journalism since 1924
I’m assuming you already read a little about my background when NPA announced it had hired my company to manage the association.
So I’ll focus here on a few things you don’t know:
• I’m passionate about the role good journalism plays in improving our communities and making our world a better, more just place to live. If I could do it all over again, I would probably choose to begin my career as a reporter.
• I have a keen interest in business issues, especially the media business. I am a relatively new small-business owner but have always operated the associations I managed like businesses.
• I believe that government and corporate transparency enhance organizational performance and the strength of our democracy. That’s why I’ve always felt good about advocating for transparency and why I am so excited about working for it on your behalf.
• My company also manages the Public Notice Resource Center, so I’ve acquired the distinction of knowing more about public notice in the U.S. than anyone alive. On the other hand, there are folks who know more about public notice in Nevada than I do. I need to work on that.
• Despite admiring what they have been able to accomplish in their relatively modest lifespans, I think Google and Facebook should be broken up into smaller companies. Together, they Hoover up almost 60 cents of every dollar spent in the digital ad market, and their dominance and predatory behavior stifles competition and endangers small business.
• I’ve been married for almost thirty years (no kids) and my wife will be joining me in Nevada after she takes care of a few issues and we sell our home in the Washington, DC area. We’ve lived in that house for over 23 years, which still amazes me.
• I’m passionate about movies and music. I generally see about 50 films per year in movie theaters, and have eclectic taste in popular music, ranging from Thelonious Monk to Frank Sinatra to the Velvet Underground and Pistol Annies.
I’ve been in Carson City for almost two weeks now I love the small-town feel, which is new for me. I especially appreciate working in the historic Rinckel Mansion, which is just a block from the Nevada State Capitol, the Nevada Legislative Building and, crucially, my new apartment.
I’ve been fortunate to receive a great deal of help from many people in my first days at NPA and the Nevada Press Foundation, including former executive director Barry Smith, who will continue editing the NPA website and newsletter, and our able administrative assistant, Terri Rodefer, without whom I’d be completely lost. Several others also deserve a shout out, including Ande Engleman, NPA’s first executive director, who seems to know everyone in Carson City; Glenn Cook, who has spent an enormous amount of time leading NPA through this transition despite his heavy workload at the Review-Journal; and Scott Sibley of Nevada Legal News, who was my gracious host last month when I visited with board members in Las Vegas and Carson City, and who now serves on the boards of directors of two organizations I manage.
