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Leading by example, driven to achieveBy Meredith Davis Monitor Staff Condace Pressley never planned to become NABJ president. She has a full-time job at radio station WSB in Atlanta and didn't need a second one heading the 3,300-member organization. But some NABJ members had other plans when she finished her two-year term as vice president-broadcast in 2001. "Members that I respect a great deal encouraged me to stick around, and felt that I had the skill set that was needed by our organization at this time," Pressley said. "I have always been someone who went out ... and got involved in things because it was the right thing to do, not because it was the right thing for me to do." Some board members and staff speak highly of her tenure. "I couldn't have asked for a better president to work with. She is a strong manager, she's focused and in tune financially," said Tangie Newborn, NABJ's executive director. Bryan Monroe, vice president-print, said, "Condace accomplished many of things she wanted to do. She professionalized operations ... and brought a high level of civility to the board." One of Pressley's goals was to strengthen existing programs rather than create new ones. She also had as a high priority the development of short courses for students and young journalists and the NABJ Media Institute, which offers training, historical documentation and entrepreneurial guidance. Pressley is satisfied with the execution of the short courses, but she was disappointed that a planned Media Institute program with Disney fell through the cracks. "It was certainly a task that I delegated out and was not satisfied with our performance in that area," she said. Under Pressley's leadership, the organization made financial gains, NABJ leaders noted. The board completely overhauled the budget, including setting earlier budget deadlines and examining the process of projecting convention attendance. At the beginning of her term, NABJ had a deficit but began 2003 with $170,000 on hand. "We had a running joke, we were the 'clean-up' women," Newborn said. "We came in and accepted a financial deficit and turned it around in six months." Monroe added, "I hope we continue to have financial stability." Pressley's team also worked on reclaiming lapsed members to NABJ; and, about 300 returned to full membership over the past year. In the fall, the effort will be expanded to the recruitment of new members. Pressley's administration also worked with associate members, who include free-lance and part-time journalists, journalism educators and public relations workers. Pressley thinks that there is a place in NABJ for associate members and that programs should be available for them. Meta Mereday, the associate representative to the board, said that during Pressley's term, she was allowed to do more to highlight what associate members bring to the organization. "A lot more people are aware of associate members, but there still is level of disharmony among the membership," In the future, Pressley wants minority journalism groups such as NABJ to work closer with other groups such as the Radio-Television News Directors Association and the American Society of Newspaper Editors to help make sure journalists of color are afforded opportunities to advance. As for her future, Pressley is returning to one full-time job - assistant program director and host-producer of a talk show at WSB. Staff writer Meredith Davis can be reached at meredithnabj@hotmail.com |
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