Minneapolis — Scott M. Libin, the Hubbard Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), has joined the NSPA/ACP Board of Directors.Libin has three decades of experience as a journalist, including jobs on camera and behind the scenes, as a news director and as an educator. He is a consultant, coach and communications professional, specializing in broadcast and digital journalism.“Scott, who has a passion for youth journalism, deep expertise and commitment to partnerships, is an ideal person to join a leadership board,” said Al Tims, Ph.D., president of the NSPA/ACP Board of Directors.
Libin joined the University of Minnesota in 2014 as the Hubbard Senior Fellow. His duties include teaching undergraduate courses in multimedia production, storytelling and reporting, guiding and overseeing directed internships and participating in the redesign of the multimedia journalism curriculum.
He joined SJMC from Internet Broadcasting in St. Paul, Minn., where he had been Vice President of News and Content since 2011. At IB, Scott led a newsroom serving top television stations from Boston to Honolulu with breaking news and enterprise content that engaged audiences and increased traffic to desktop, mobile and social platforms.
Libin has led newsrooms at WCCO-TV and KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities, and WGHP-TV in the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, N.C., market. He has twice been a full-time member of the resident faculty at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and has trained journalists from Newfoundland to South Africa to China.
He began his career as a congressional press secretary and as a bureau reporter in Washington, D.C. He was a reporter and weekend anchor in North Carolina before entering newsroom management.
He succeeds Seth Lewis, Ph.D., an assistant professor and the Mitchell V. Charnley Faculty Fellow at SJMC. Under board policy, the director of SJMC serves as president of the Board of Directors and at least two seats are held by faculty members. View details of the board’s composition and recruitment policy ?here.
Libin joins current NSPA-ACP board members Tims, who is director of the SJMC; Christopher J. Ison, University of Minnesota; Jeanne Acton, University Interscholastic League, Austin, Texas; Peter Bobkowski, Ph.D., University of Kansas; Laura York Guy, Garden City (Kan.) Community College; Ron Johnson, Indiana University; Laurie Hansen, Stillwater (Minn.) Area High School; Valerie Kibler, Harrisonburg (Va.) High School; Sara Quinn, Ball State University and affiliate, Poynter Institute; and Ann Visser, retired from Pella (Iowa) Community High School.
The National Scholastic Press Association, home of the Pacemaker, was founded in 1921. A 501(c)(3) organization. NSPA serves as the incorporated parent entity of Associated Collegiate Press and Minnesota High School Press Association. All are steadfast in their mission to serve student media and advisers, introduce new ideas and reinforce best practices, reward excellence, embrace diversity, and provide ample networking and partnership opportunities.