Dear NAHJ Members:

I have the duty to announce that two members of the NAHJ board of directors have left the business of journalism, and thus have resigned their positions on the board.

Online Officer Lavonne Luquis stepped down to pursue personal business, while Financial Officer Sam Diaz took a job in public relations in San Jose. Both their moves are voluntary, and both indicated a profound sadness at being unable to complete their terms on the NAHJ board.

Their departures are disappointing to me, not only because I value their friendship and input, but also because it means the field of journalism has lost two talented and dedicated Latinos. Retention of journalists of color remains a critical issue in our industry. We will always have those who leave journalism for one reason or another. It is for that reason that we as an organization and as an industry need to do our part to continue to feed the pipeline, to encourage Latinos to become a part of the world of journalism to help tell our story.

I offer my sincere thanks to both Lavonne and Sam in their future endeavors, and I trust they will not forget the importance of NAHJ and its mission. I'll miss working with you both.

Their positions on the board of directors will remain open for now. The Financial Officer is entrusted with the duty of reviewing NAHJ's financial position and helping set realistic goals for our budget year. The Online Officer represents the interests of those whose primary duty is the delivery of news over the Internet. I'm looking for volunteers to fill in the remainder of those terms, which run through the Unity convention. Feel free to contact me at rolmeda@sun-sentinel.com

Finally, I want to call your attention to the bottom of the NAHJ Web site home page www.nahj.org, where we have included a link to Media Moves, a blog maintained by former NAHJ President Veronica Villafaņe. Veronica has done a terrific job of providing updates of interest to journalists in general and Latino journalists in particular.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming 19th Annual Scholarship Banquet on March 13 in New York and many more of you at the Unity 2008 convention in Chicago, which promises to be a history-making event.

Until then, be well.

Rafael Olmeda
President
NAHJ