Hamrick Elected 104th National Press Club President; Officer, Board Seats Filled

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Associated Press broadcast journalist Mark Hamrick was elected the National Press Club's 104th president Friday. He will take office during the annual membership meeting Jan. 21, 2011, succeeding Alan Bjerga, Bloomberg News correspondent, for a one-year term.

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Club members also elected Keith Hill, BNA, vice president; Joel Whitaker, Kane's Beverage News Daily, secretary; Myron Belkind, retired Associated Press foreign correspondent who now teaches journalism at George Washington University, treasurer; and Angela Greiling Keane, Bloomberg News, membership secretary. All were elected for one-year terms.

In a three-way race for two three-year terms for Journalist members on the Board of Governors, Club members elected John Hughes, Bloomberg News, and Patrick McGrath, retired WTTG-TV journalist.

Shawn Bullard of the Duetto Group was elected to a three-year term as a Communicator member on the Board of Governors.

Since joining the National Press Club in 1996, Hamrick has served the organization in many capacities including Board chairman, membership secretary and the 2010 vice president. He was the founding chairman of the Club's Broadcast Committee.

Hamrick said he will focus on member retention and recruitment with an emphasis on diversity.

"We will make a concerted effort to reach out to professionals who might not have thought seriously of joining the National Press Club in the past," Hamrick said. "The breathtakingly rapid pace of change in journalism and communications in general means that there's never been a greater need for professional development, social networking in the real world and collaboration. The NPC is the place for all of that and much more."

The 2011 inaugural celebration, "We're Not in Kansas Anymore," will pay homage to Hamrick's Midwestern roots. Food and wine from his native Kansas and his adopted state of Maryland will be served. Special guests, including Hamrick's fellow Kansas-bred broadcast legend Bill Kurtis, will be on hand for the celebration.

The event will be held in the National Press Club's ballroom at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011. Tickets are $95 and can be purchased by calling the Club at 202-662-7501.

SOURCE National Press Club