The election period for APSE second vice-president is open. The deadline to vote is Friday, April 13. Each member organization that has paid 2018 dues has one vote. So for those organizations with more than one member, please confer and cast one consensus vote.
The second V-P serves a three-year term, moving up to first V-P in Year No. 2 and APSE president in Year No. 3.
The second vice-president will assume office at the closing meeting of the summer conference in June.
Email your vote to: billapse707@gmail.com
Bios of the candidates — Josh Barnett, Chris Fickett, Robert Gagliardi, Jason Murray, Gary Potosky and Lisa Wilson — are listed below in alphabetical order.
JOSH BARNETT
CURRENT POSITION: Executive Sports Editor, Buffalo News
JOURNALISM BACKGROUND: Executive Sports Editor in Buffalo since September 2017; Assistant Managing Editor/Publications at 
USA TODAY Sports and Director of Content for USA TODAY High School Sports, 2012 to 2017; Executive sports editor at Philadelphia Daily News, 2008-2012; Sports Editor at Philadelphia Daily News, 2004-2008; Sports Copy Editor/Special projects designer, Philadelphia Daily News, 1999-2004; Assistant sports editor, Syracuse Post-Standard/Herald Journal, 1998-99.
APSE EXPERIENCE: Member since 2004. Contest judge for 11 years. National conference attendee four times and will be in Nashville. Multiple region conferences (Mid-Atlantic and Northeast). Former chair of Regions Committee, former Mid-Atlantic Region vice chair and chair. Wrote the On the Moves column for the APSE website for nearly two years. Previously involved in APSE mentor program.
OBJECTIVE: When I first started as a sports editor, the view of APSE from my boss was, “Of course you should be in APSE.” As times changed, finances became more closely scrutinized and fewer people were asked to do more, the question turned to, “Why do you need to be in APSE?” I imagine many sports editors are being asked that question by their bosses. To that end, anything APSE does should be directed to a compelling answer that can retain members and add new ones. APSE needs to be a resource for asking and answering questions, exchanging ideas, finding solutions to the short-term and long-term challenges and becoming an incubator for great ideas. Many sports editors became sports editors because they were good at journalism, not because they were experts in management or finance. We need to help each other in areas that go beyond best practices of content execution and delivery. APSE needs to continue to be a leader in the journalism business, not just the sports journalism business. Seeing so many great former sports editors and APSE colleagues now leading newsrooms, we know running a sports department can be a great training ground. Our departments are home to innovation at a time when our industry needs innovation. APSE needs to modernize policies and contest rules that reflect our daily digitally-focused working environment. Our jobs are digital first, our flagship organization must be too.
QUOTABLE: “The customer isn’t always right, but they are always the customer.”
CHRIS FICKETT
CURRENT POSITION: Deputy sports editor, The Kansas City Star.
JOURNALISM BACKGROUND: Deputy sports editor since 2011; Sunday sports editor from 2006-11; and sports copy
editor/designer from 2003-06 in Kansas City. Previously worked on the Des Moines Register and Topeka Capital-Journal sports desks.
APSE EXPERIENCE: Great Plains Region chair/vice chair last four years, organizing four region meetings and serving as panelist/host. Outreach committee chair. Attended first summer conference in 2006 and every national conference since 2013. Have judged on site at one winter conference and offsite this year and in one previous year; involved in discussions on how to modernize the digital contest.
OBJECTIVE: I will fight on two fronts: Journalism and membership. APSE should continue to stand for great sports journalism; uphold and demand high standards from our members (and even non-members who work in our industry); serve as a watchdog on access, fairness and diversity concerns; and honor the best work in our industry. While we are the AP sports editors, we need members from all facets of sports journalism who share our beliefs, and we must keep our organization relevant to them to survive. We have for many years served as a development and advancement tool for editors; we can do the same for reporters and others to grow our ranks.
QUOTABLE: “Maybe time running out is a gift. I’ll work hard ’til the end of my shift.” — Jason Isbell
ROBERT GAGLIARDI
CURRENT POSITION: Senior editor, WyoSports, the combined effort of the sports staff of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in Cheyenne and Laramie Boomerang.
JOURNALISM BACKGROUND: Started at the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in December 1993 as a sports writer. Served as outdoors
editor, assistant sports editor and became sports editor in 2002. In 2012, WyoSports was created. Has been the beat writer for University of Wyoming football and men’s basketball since the late 1990s
APSE EXPERIENCE: Been an APSE member since the early 2000s. Have been heavily involved in the organization since 2009, Am APSE third vice-president. Have attended every winter judging since 2010 and all but one summer conference since then. Have twice run for office in the Northwest Region.
OBJECTIVE: To continue to help APSE move forward in this digital-first world but also maintain the integrity of the print product upon which this organization was built. Help make decisions that best serve all members, which may mean significant change. I want this organization to thrive. To do so, it will take everyone – not just national officers or those who hold titles in their regions. We need to continue to try to boost membership by reaching out to current professionals and students.
QUOTABLE: “Change is never easy, but necessary to success.’’.
JASON MURRAY
CURRENT POSITION: Sports Manager, Syracuse Media Group
JOURNALISM BACKGROUND: Sports Manager of Syracuse Media Group since January 2013, Sports Editor of The Post-Standard
(Syracuse) from 2011-13, Assistant Sports Editor of The Post-Standard (Syracuse) from 2004-11, Sports Copy Editor of The Post-Standard (Syracuse) from 2003-04,
APSE EXPERIENCE: APSE member since 2013, Northeast Region Vice Chair 2015-16, Northeast Chair 2016-18
OBJECTIVE: In my first year as second vice president, my aim would be to make the website a resource for current members to come and get info on the organization as well as a place where members can connect with each other. The other objective of the website would be to make it an attractive place for prospective members to come and find the benefits of joining APSE.
As I moved on to run the contest as first VP, I would look to make sure we are reacting to the ever-changing landscape of our digital news environment (making sure we have appropriate categories and contest criteria). I’d also like to be a little more transparent with what we’re looking for from winning entries.
In my final year as president, I’d love to continue the mission of growing our membership. The best way to do this is actively engaging our current membership on what is keeping them with APSE and then bringing that message to dormant and prospective members.
QUOTABLE: “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.” Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
GARY POTOSKY
CURRENT POSITION: Sports Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Daily News/philly.com
JOURNALISM BACKGROUND: Sports Editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Daily News/philly.com since September 
2017. Previously Sports Editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer since 2015, Deputy Sports Editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2013-15. Deputy Sports Editor, Asbury Park Press, Neptune, N.J., 1995-2000.
APSE EXPERIENCE: Have attended judging every year since 2014. Have attended national conferences 2015-17. Will attend in Nashville. Participated in website judging, 2014-2018. Mid-Atlantic Region panelist, panel leader and attendee, 2015 to the present. Commissioner’s committee, chairman, 2017 to present. Website committee, redesign team and CMS operations, 2017 to present. Contest committee, 2016 to present. Futures committee, 2017 to present. Ran for APSE second vice-president in 2017.
OBJECTIVE: Lead APSE fully into the digital-first world we work in every day, while maintaining our loyalty to the legacy print editions that have been the foundation of this organization. APSE’s committees, regional conferences, judging panels, national conventions and, most importantly, our role as a leadership organization should reflect that work in every way possible. We should aspire to listen to and address members’ concerns, be aggressive about changing outdated policies or rules, seek and find solutions to digital challenges we face and communicate throughout the year to build consensus around great ideas. All of this will help us to convince non-members to join and current members to become more active.
QUOTABLE: “You file it. We’ll publish it.’’
LISA WILSON
CURRENT POSITION: Senior Editor, Sports, ESPN’s The Undefeated
JOURNALISM BACKGROUND: Senior Editor Sports, ESPN’s The Undefeated, since 2017. Executive Sports Editor, The Buffalo 
News, 2011-17. Assistant Sports Editor, The Buffalo News, 2007-11. Copy editor/layout editor/Sunday editor, The Buffalo News, 1998-2007. Sports Editor, Niagara Gazette, 1997-98. Features editor, Niagara Gazette, 1996-97. Sports reporter, Niagara Gazette, 1992-96.
APSE EXPERIENCE: Olympic committee, 2013 to present. Diversity committee, 2013 to present. Scholarship committee, 2015 to present.
OBJECTIVE: Every year I seem to get the phone call. “Hi, I’m with the Sports Journalism Institute and I’m working on a story for the APSE convention bulletin.” Sadly, I know what’s coming next. “Why aren’t there more black sports editors? Why aren’t there more women?” As your second vice president, my goal is not to answer these questions but help put an end to them. To continue the efforts of Michael Anastasi, Jorge Rojas and others to promote diversity within this group and in newsrooms across the country. Diversity of thought and experience are essential for gathering news, presenting news and growing an organization. And I want APSE to grow. I’ll work to add new members, both editors and writers, while serving the current membership. I’ll do my absolute best to give back for the friendship, guidance and support I have received since joining APSE. And, if all goes well, future SJI students will have new questions to ask and new stories to write.
QUOTABLE: “Representation matters.”
