AAN Accepts Three New Members, Fills Eight Board Seats

july 18, 2014 04:00 pm

Counting ballots.

At the AAN Annual Meeting in Nashville on July 12, members voted in three new publications and filled eight seats on the Board of Directors.

Three publications applied for regular membership and two received the two-thirds votes necessary for admission: Little Village (Iowa City) and Motif Magazine (Providence, R.I.).

In addition, three publications applied for affiliate membership and one publication — Wisconsin Gazette — was voted in.

Affiliate members have the same rights as regular members, but do not have voting rights and cannot serve on the Membership Committee. Affiliate membership was created last year to open the door to niche publications such as LGBT and ethnic news organizations (membership was previously limited to general interest publications).

In its report to members, the Membership Committee said of Little Village: "The dedication to the arts is impressive ... Everyone on the committee thought they would read this publication if they were in Iowa City. This is clearly offering an alternative voice in its community and gives a lot of attention to events going on in it."

Assessing Motif, the committee singled out the work of writer Jim Hummel, who "is routinely excellent in his reporting and writing."

Wisconsin Gazette received a unanimous recommendation from the committee due to its strength in news reporting and arts coverage. They added, "If it were to continue to move to more consistent general coverage from its LGBT base it would be a very good candidate for regular membership in AAN."

Members also voted on eight positions on the AAN Board of Directors:

Ellen Meany, creative director of Isthmus (Madison, Wis.), was re-elected as Treasurer, a seat she has held since 2009.

Blair Barna, advertising director of Charleston City Paper, was re-elected as Secretary. Barna has served on the Board since 2008.

Kyle Shaw, co-founder and editor of The Coast in Halifax, was elected as Membership Chair. Shaw takes over for Houston Press editor Margaret Downing, who has chaired the committee since 2010.

Leigh Anne Rehkopf, marketing and promotions director for Creative Loafing Atlanta, was elected as Marketing Chair.

Don Eggert, associate publisher and creative director of Seven Days (Burlington, Vt.), was elected as Design Chair.

Michael Hollett, editor/publisher of NOW Magazine in Toronto, was re-elected to an At-Large seat. Hollett has served on the Board since 2009.

Jeanne Exnicios Foster, associate publisher of Gambit in New Orleans, was elected to an At-Large seat.

Salt Lake City Weekly general manager Andy Sutcliffe was elected as Convention Chair, which means the 2015 AAN Convention will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Salt Lake City Weekly previously hosted the AAN Convention in 1996. AAN Board seats are two-year positions, with the exception of Convention Chair, which is a one-year position.