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On December 1, Brian Allfrey and the Utah Press Association (UPA) will replace Richard Karpel and Karpel Public Affairs as the executive director and manager of the Nevada Press Association (NPA) and Nevada Press Foundation (NPF).
Karpel announced earlier this year that he would be moving out of state to seek improved medical care for his wife, who suffers from a rare neurological disorder. Leadership of the NPF Board of Trustees and NPA Board of Directors have been negotiating with Allfrey and UPA for roughly two months , and each board agreed to separate management contracts during meetings held right before the Thanksgiving holiday. The initial contract terms run until December 31, 2023.
Allfrey is a former newspaper sales executive who took over as executive director of UPA in 2012, when it was suffering financially. Alffrey has been credited with turning the organization around by re-invigorating its for-profit ad network, and helping grow its non-profit arms.
In 2021, Allfrey also assumed management of the Montana Press Association through a contract that organization signed with UPA, his employer.
UPA is also party to the NPA and NPF contracts, with Allfrey and other staff serving as their management agents.
“Brian Allfrey stabilized and strengthened the Utah Press Association and Foundation, and we’re confident he can do the same for Nevada’s press organizations,” said NPF Chairman Glenn Cook. “He’ll bring the expertise and experience needed for Nevada’s executive director position.”
Under the new management contracts, Allfrey and UPA are responsible for providing the same services previously rendered by Karpel Public Affairs, except for advocacy work. During the same meeting the NPA Board of Directors signed off on the UPA contract, it approved a separate lobbying contract with Accretive Consulting and its president, Kami Dempsey, for the 2023 legislative session. Dempsey previously served as government affairs director for Cox Communications, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the city of Las Vegas, among other clients, and has done contract work for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
NPA and NPF will share a headquarters office with UPA. The organizations’ new address as of Dec. 1 will be:
8789 South Redwood Road, Suite 200
West Jordan, Utah 84088
“I am extremely excited about working with the Nevada Press Association and the Nevada Press Foundation,” said Allfrey, who is a member of the Newspaper Association Manager Board of Directors. “There is tremendous synergy and opportunity leading the Nevada, Montana and Utah press associations.”