The Board of Visitors at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism serves as the primary ambassadors for the college. The board, established in 1983, is made up of experienced journalism and media professionals who provide a source of financial and professional support to help advance the mission of Merrill College.
This distinguished group meets twice a year to discuss the strategic priorities of the college and the role journalism should play on campus and beyond. Members of the Board of Visitors help the dean of the college anticipate industry trends, identify opportunities for innovation and participate in informal discussions or panels with students, faculty and staff.
To learn more about the Board of Visitors and how to get involved, contact Chief Development Officer Victoria Black at 301-405-2420 or vblack1@umd.edu.
The Board
- Chair: Richard Davis M.A. ’84, Retired Executive Vice President of News Standards and Practices, CNN
- Trif Alatzas, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, The Baltimore Sun
- Lori Beecher ‘87, Senior Vice President/Head of National and Region Media Relations, Wells Fargo
- Craig Bengtson ’83, President, CNBC International
- Bonnie Bernstein ’92, Founder, Walk Swiftly Productions
- Sara Bernstein ’95, Executive Vice President, Imagine Documentaries
- Guy Cecala M.A ’84, CEO and Publisher, Inside Mortgage Finance
- Ralph Crosby ’56, Founder and Chairman, Crosby Marketing
- Angela Davis ’90, Host, MPR News with Angela Davis
- Chris Frates '02, Founder, Storyline; former host of “Politics Inside Out with Chris Frates” on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel; former CNN investigative correspondent
- Etan Horowitz ’03, Global Innovation Programs Lead, Google News Partnerships
- Gerald Hroblak, President, Richard Eaton Foundation
- John Jenkins ’72, Founder and CEO, Law Street
- Jay Kernis ’74, Producer, CBS Sunday Morning
- Michelle A. Mahabirsingh ’97, Counsel, LambZankel LLP
- Catherine Merrill, CEO and President, Washingtonian Media
- Sara Murray ’07, Managing Director, FTI Consulting; former leading CNN correspondent
- Ron Nixon, Former Director, Local Investigative Journalism Program, The Associated Press
- Adam Ostrow ’04, Chief Digital Officer, TEGNA
- John Seng ’79, Principal, Grayscale, LLC
- Michelle Singletary ’84, Personal Finance Columnist, The Washington Post
- Sherrese Smith, Global Managing Partner, Paul Hastings
- Jennifer Gilbert St. John, Retired News Anchor, Fox 45
- Margaret Talev ’94, Kramer Director, Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship; Senior Contributor, Axios; Political Analyst, CNN
- Andréa Vieira ’98, Owner, Nailsaloon
Honorary Board Members
- Connie Chung ’69, Journalist and News Anchor, Board Member 2009-2015
- Marion Poynter, Times Publishing Co., Board Member 1990-2005
- Scott Van Pelt, Anchor and Reporter, ESPN 2012-2023
Past Board Members
- Joe Adams, President, The Adams Group
- Thomas Baden ’80, Editor, The Daily Record
- Arnold Barach, Secretary, The Kiplinger Foundation
- Jeanne Viner Bell, Public Relations Counselor
- Cathie Black, Publisher, USA Today
- Jerry Ceppos, Dean and Professor, Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University
- John Carroll, Editor, The Baltimore Sun
- Hodding Carter III, President Main Street TV Productions
- Barbara Cochran, President Emeritus, Radio Television Digital News Association
- Walter Cronkite, News Anchor, CBS News
- Paul Delaney, Senior Editor, The New York Times
- Robert Doherty ’79, Senior Communications Officer, The World Bank
- Hal Donofrio, President, Richardson, Myers and Donofrio
- Paul Duke, Senior Commentator, Public Broadcasting System
- Paula Lynn Ellis ’76, former Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Miami, Fl. and former Vice President for Operations, Knight Ridder, Inc.
- Constance Mitchell Ford, former Real Estate Bureau Chief at the Wall Street Journal
- Tim Franklin, Editor, The Baltimore Sun
- Geoffrey Gonella ’90, President, Cornerstone Government Affairs
- Donald Graham, Chairman, The Washington Post
- Mireille Grangenois, Vice President, Marketing and Interactive Media, The Baltimore Sun
- Christopher Harte, Journalist and Inventor, formerly the Chairman at the Star Tribune Company
- Jane Healy ’71, Editor and Columnist, Orlando Sentinel (retired, d. 2026)
- Arelis Hernandez ’09, Politics and Government Reporter, The Washington Post
- Gwen Ifill, Moderator and Managing Editor, “Washington Week”
- Tom Johnson, former president, CNN
- Bo Jones, chairman, The Washington Post
- Lee Levine, Senior Counsel, Ballard Spahr LLP
- William Marimow, Editor and Senior Vice President, The Baltimore Sun
- Doyle McManus, Washington Columnist, The Los Angeles Times
- Kevin Merida, Former Executive Editor, Los Angeles Times
- Eleanor Merrill, Chairman, The Washingtonian
- Reg Murphy, Publisher, The Baltimore Sun
- Jack Nelson, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times
- Susan Patrick, MBA ’85, Managing Partner, Patrick Communcations LLP
- Gene Patterson, editor and president, St. Petersburg Times
- Ken Paulson, Editor, USA Today
- Peter Perl, Senior Editor, The Washington Post
- Thomas Phillips, Chairman, Phillips Publishing International
- John Quinn, Senior Vice President and Chief News Executive, Gannett Co., Inc.
- William Raspberry, Columnist, The Washington Post
- Gene Roberts, Executive Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Charles S. Rowe, retired Co-Publisher and Editor, Free Lance-Star
- Roy Schwartz ’98, MBA ’01, Co-founder and President, Axios
- John Seigenthaler, trustee and former Chairman, The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, Vanderbilt University
- Claude Sitton, Editor, The News & Observer
- William Sutton, Jr., Reynolds Visiting Professor, Grambling State University
- Sandra Long Weaver ’74, former Vice President, Newsroom Operations, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Katharine Weymouth, Publisher and CEO, Washington Post Media
- DeWayne Wickham, Distinguished Professor of Journalism and Chair, Communication Studies, Morgan State University and former Columnist, USA Today and Gannett News Service
- Eun Yang ’95, Anchor and Reporter, NBC4
- Mortimer Zuckerman, Chairman and Editor-In-Chief, U.S. News & World Report