By Josh Barnett
Executive Sports Editor, Philadelphia Daily News
Chair, APSE Regions Committee
One region has a new chair and two regions have new vice chairs following appointments made at the APSE national convention in Chicago.
Jeff Rosen, sports editor of the Kansas City Star, is the new chair of the Great Plains region. He will serve a one-year term. Kevin Winters Morriss, sports editor of the Southeast Missourian in Cape Girardeau, Mo., is the vice chair.
They replace Reid Laymance, recently named an assistant sports editor for the Houston Chronicle, and Kirk Seminoff, sports editor of the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle.
Mike Szvetitz, sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News in Alabama, has been named vice chair of the Southeast Region. He replaces Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News sports editor Tommy Deas, who was elected third vice president. John Bednarowski, sports editor of the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal, remains the region chair for another year.
Also, at the Northwest Region meeting last month in Portland, Jerel Swening, sports editor of the Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic, was named region chair at the conclusion of Kevin Brown's term. Brown is sports editor of the Everett (Wash.) Daily Herald. Seth Prince, sports editor of the Oregonian, was selected as vice chair.
Region chairs serve two-year terms and are part of the organization's executive committee. Among the most important duties are planning and executing region meetings; providing information for the newsletter about happenings with members in the region; and recruiting new members. Vice chairs serve two-year terms and then serve a two-year term as region chair.
Rosen has been in Kansas City since December 2010 after more than six years in a variety of roles at the Houston Chronicle, including interim sports editor, deputy sports editor and weekend sports editor. Rosen was sports editor at the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, from 1998 to 2001, and also worked at the Journal of the San Juan Islands in Friday Harbor, Wash., and the Chaffee County Times in Buena Vista, Colo., early in his career. Rosen spent three years as the sports editor of the Kitsap Sun, a Scripps Howard newspaper in Bremerton, Wash., before joining the Houston Chronicle as a copy editor in 2004. He is a University of Washington graduate.
Winters Morriss started his professional career as a reporter at the Sulphur Springs News-Telegram in Sulphur Springs, Texas. He went on to become a reporter/copy editor at the Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald, and then assistant sports editor for the four Central Wisconsin Gannett newspapers before pursuing his master's degree at Syracuse University. After graduation, he was hired as assistant sports editor at the Southeast Missourian and was promoted to sports editor five months later. Winters Morriss has an undergraduate degree from Loyola Chicago.
Szvetitz has been the sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News since 2004. He started his career as a preps reporter for the Highlands Today in Sebring, Fla.. Six months out of college, Szvetitz was named sports editor of the Highlands Today, where he remained until moving to the Opelika-Auburn News. In 2011, the paper was an APSE Triple Crown recipient. Szvetitz is also on the executive board of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He is a graduate of Wingate University.
Swenning has been the sports editor in Yakima since 2004, when he was promoted from copy editor, and has been at the newspaper since 1998. He began on the news desk but quickly became a sports copy editor. He previously worked in the sports department of the Daily World in Aberdeen, Wash. He is a Washington State graduate.
Prince was named sports editor of the Oregonian in late March. He has worked at the paper in a variety of roles in news and sports since 2000. He had been an assistant sports editor since 1998, responsible for the daily operation, breaking news, and the planning and direction of six reporters, primarily covering the state's colleges and the Pac-12. He was out of the sports department for more than a year as a news and enterprise reporter, and assistant bureau chief. His initial six years at the paper were spent on the news and sports copy desks as an editor/slot. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma.
The remaining regions have incumbent chairs and vice chairs:
Northeast: Hank Winnicki, assistant managing editor/sports at Newsday, is the region chair. Judy Connelly, sports editor of the Middletown (N.Y) Times Herald-Record is the vice chair.
Mid-Atlantic: Paul Vigna, sports editor of the Patriot News in Mechanicsburg, Pa., is the region chair. Mike Harris, sports editor of the Washington Times, is the vice chair.
Atlantic Coast: Steve Trosky, sports editor of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, is the region chair. Colleen McDaniel, sports section editor of the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, is the vice chair.
Great Lakes: Jeff Kuehn, sports editor of the Oakland (Mich.) Press, is region chair. Eric Olson, sports editor of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., is the vice chair.
Southwest: Keith Campbell, deputy sports editor of the Dallas Morning News, is region chair. Jon Styf, sports editor of the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise, is vice chair.
West: Mark Faller, sports editor of the Arizona Republic, is region chair. Gene Warnick, sports editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, is vice chair.
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For APSE moves or news, Josh Barnett can be reached at barnetj@phillynews.com<mailto:barnetj@phillynews.com> or 215-854-5212.
