Poynter Institute Names Foundation President

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute has named Christine Martin as President of the newly formed Poynter Foundation. Martin will work closely with Poynter President Karen B. Dunlap and Brian Tierney, Foundation Board Chair, to significantly increase philanthropic support for the 37 year-old Institute. Additionally, she has been named Vice President for External Relations and will serve as a member of the Institute's senior management team.

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Martin joins Poynter from West Virginia University where she was Vice President for University Relations for eight years and prior to that, dean of the University's Perley Isaac School of Journalism. She was the co-director of Poynter's summer college journalism program from 1997 to 2004.

As a teacher, Martin was named a 1999 Freedom Forum Journalism Professor of the Year, and the 1998 CASE/Carnegie Foundation West Virginia Professor of the Year. As a dean, she spearheaded fundraising and development, leading advancement efforts that resulted in state and federal grants, endowed and funded professorships, scholarships, lectureships, internships, innovation support and capital improvements.

"I couldn't be happier to have Chris return to Poynter in this new role," Dunlap said. "She has the creativity and passion to greatly advance our efforts."

Tierney, former publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and an expert in branding, marketing and advertising said, "We wanted a leader who loves journalism and teaching, understands the unique role that Poynter plays, and has a proven record of development success. We found all that and more in Christine Martin."

"Poynter has always been the lodestar in my career, a bright light guiding my best work and smartest decisions," said Martin about her return to the Institute. "This move even trumps my first job as a reporter -- when I used to phone in extra police calls just so I could say out loud, that I worked for a newspaper.  This new position gives me a wonderful opportunity to combine my love for journalism, my passion for marketing and relationship building … and my love for Poynter."

Paul Tash, Chairman of Poynter's Board of Trustees and Chairman and CEO of the (Tampa Bay) Times Publishing Co., headed the search team of Dunlap, Tierney and Trustee Andrew Corty. "Our thorough search brings us to a leader and a steadfast friend of Poynter," said Tash. "Chris will help enlarge the circle of supporters who are glad to be part of Poynter's vital work, now more important than ever."

As Poynter's formal fundraising arm, the Foundation will build philanthropic support through major gift solicitation, annual campaigns, planned giving, special events, alumni relations and donor recognition programs. Once fully formed, the Foundation Board will be comprised of 20 members, both community and media leaders.

As Vice President of WVU's University Relations, Martin supervised and directed communications, media, marketing and branding operations. She led a nationally recognized integrated marketing communication division that developed a unique hybrid of multi-platform, journalism-based storytelling, marketing-driven communications and emergent media relations. Under Martin's leadership, her division helped the WVU Foundation to achieve record fund-raising for the fiscal year 2011-2012, garnering $173 million in contributions. 

Said Martin, "I am honored for this opportunity to help chart a future for Poynter worthy of its history."

About The Poynter Institute
Founded in 1975 in St. Petersburg, Fla., The Poynter Institute is one of the nation's top schools for professional journalists and news media leaders, future journalists, journalism teachers and citizens. Poynter offers training and events throughout the year in the areas of online and multimedia, leadership and management, reporting, writing and editing, TV and radio, ethics and diversity, journalism education and visual journalism. Poynter's News University (www.newsu.org) offers journalism training to the public through more than 200 interactive modules and other forms of e-learning. It has more than 200,000 registered users in 225 countries. Poynter's website, (www.poynter.org) is the dominant provider of journalism news, with a focus on business analysis and the opportunities and implications of technology.

CONTACT: 
Karen B. Dunlap
President
The Poynter Institute
[email protected]  
727-821-9494

Jessica Blais
Marketing Director
The Poynter Institute
[email protected] 
727-821-9494

SOURCE The Poynter Institute