CONTACTS:
Al Cross, SPJ President, 502/875-5136 ext. 14 or across@spj.org
Julie Grimes, SPJ Acting Executive Director, 317/927-8000 or jgrimes@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS – James L. Gray, executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, announced his resignation today.

“I enjoyed my time at SPJ, tackling the challenges the leadership put before me,” said Gray, a certified association executive who has been executive director since March 1999. “Now it’s time to move on to some new challenges,” he said.

Gray was instrumental in moving SPJ’s headquarters from rented space in Greencastle, Ind., to the new Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Center in Indianapolis, SPJ’s first piece of real estate. He oversaw successful national conventions in Indianapolis, Columbus and Seattle, and laid the groundwork for the convention to be held in Fort Worth Sept. 12-14, 2002.

“We thank Jim for all he has done for SPJ, and we wish him well in the future,” said SPJ President Al Cross, a political reporter and columnist at The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. “He put in place a highly professional staff that will continue SPJ’s missions of improving and protecting journalism.”

A national search for a new executive director will begin immediately. Gray’s deputy, longtime SPJ employee Julie Grimes, will serve as acting executive director in the interim.

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