WJEA announced its 2020-2022 executive board members after an election where two of the fields had multiple candidates running. The new board members are:

Anne Hayman, president
Scott Collins, vice president
Sandra Coyer, treasurer
Teresa Scribner, secretary

At the board retreat, which was held via Zoom in June, the members set forth their plans for their next term. The group agreed to continue working on three primary goals that were established in 2018. Those goals were:

• to make WJEA indispensable to advisers
• increase membership and activity level
• streamline WJEA practices

The new board is already hard at work, setting professional development courses to begin Aug. 10. The board also set forth three initiatives that will become a focal point of their energy for the year. Those plans are to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in journalism, inform students, advisers and administrators about press rights and create more student programs.

The board hopes all students and advisers around the state will make these initiatives an important part of their programs. Scribner, who has given presentations for WJEA about diversity, is especially excited about the new focus.

“I’m glad people are finally waking up to the injustices of the world, I just hope that everyone can see that these problems can’t be solved unless you invite Black and POC and LGBTQ voices to the table,” Scribner said. “Good journalism means everyone has a voice and that voice is heard.”