Julie Pedretti, President
The Press Club of Southwest Florida Annual Meeting and Young Journalist Awards program was special in so many ways. Four members were installed as new board members, two young journalists were recognized for their excellent work, and members provided items and experiences for the raffle, which raised more than $425 for the Press Club’s Terrence J. Miller Journalism Scholarship Fund.
New board members include:
- Joel Banow, Principal, JNB Productions, retired producer at CBS News/60 Minutes
- Frank Cipolla, broadcast journalist, media/PR consultant
- Jill Jaffe, former corporate communications executive
- George Lehner, George Lehner Productions
Devan Patel and Rachel Pierce
At the Dec. 5 event we also honored 2019 Young Journalist Award winners: Devan Patel, print, and Sara Girard, WINK News, in the broadcast category. Thank you to Membership Co-chair and NBC-2 Morning News Anchor Rachel Pierce for serving as master of ceremonies for the awards. We also extend our appreciation to the two co-chairs of the committee, Cary Barbor and Bob Orr, and judges Gregg Ramshaw, Mary Ramshaw, and Carole Greene.
For several months, we’ve encouraged members to become more involved in the Press Club. Your expertise and enthusiasm will help us support the First Amendment and current and future journalists. In January, we will be making phone calls and sending e-mail messages to those who previously expressed interest in assisting in some way. There is a variety of opportunities, including serving on the board, joining the program committee, joining the journalism scholarship committee, assisting with PR, and serving as a correspondent to write summaries of the monthly lunch programs and other events.
Our members are key to creating a more vibrant and relevant organization.