Exit Interview: Kathy Times

By Naomi E. Prioleau
NABJ Monitor

As her term comes to an end, NABJ President Kathy Y. Times talks about her presidency and offers words of encouragement to the incoming president.

Challenges

“We had a tough start in 2009 because of the penalties we faced from the room blocks in Tampa not being met. We needed a lot of room space, but people weren’t splurging and that cut into our reserves and we ended up with a half million dollars in debt. We had to tighten our belts and cut employees. Our senior staff worked extremely hard, and we hit the ground running this year and were careful not to cut programs. We had to work hard for the San Diego convention and it paid off.”

Contributions

“The relationships I’ve been working on will be beneficial to the next president. We’ve extended our brand into the community and have done a great job with interacting with high school students. I’m very proud of how we’ve grown.”

Unfinished Business

“One thing we need is a portal or an online community that is for members to help get them training and get them recruited. It’s important for the organization to grow online. There’s more work to be done in terms of diversity in the newsroom, but the board works extremely hard to meet everyone’s needs year-round.”

Encouragement

“I want to pass the relationships I’ve been working on to the next person. If they embrace them, then they will benefit from them. I want the next president to extend a hand to people of color. I want the next president to think big when it comes to NABJ.”