The First Amendment Coalition is delighted to announce the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors, all working journalists who have made substantial contributions to their craft and to the cause of government transparency in California and beyond: Ed Chapuis, news director for KGTV-10 in San Diego; Katherine Ann Rowlands, owner of the Bay City News Service; and Juliet Williams, the Associated Press’s Northern California news editor.
Chapuis is currently news director at KGTV-10 in San Diego, and has worked for several other television news stations throughout California, including a ten-year stint as news director at KTVU in Oakland, four years at KTXL Fox 40 News in Sacramento and 11 years at KCRA, also in Sacramento. He previously worked on California’s Bench-Bar-Media Committee, taking part in efforts to effect positive change in the law with respect to cameras in the courtroom. Chapuis has earned three national Edward R. Murrow Awards, a national George Foster Peabody Award and two regional Emmy Awards.
Rowlands, a longtime Bay Area journalist, this year bought Bay City News Service, where she launched her career. Rowlands has held several senior editorial positions at Bay Area newspapers, including Deputy Business Editor at the San Jose Mercury News, where she oversaw business and technology coverage, and East Bay Metro Editor and Managing Editor for News at the Bay Area News Group. She recently served as Editor in Chief of Diablo Magazine and was a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford, where her work focused on how to strengthen local news in the region and improve diversity in newsroom leadership. She also served for two years as president of Journalism and Women Symposium, a national organization dedicated to supporting and advancing women in journalism.
Williams oversees coverage of Northern California for the AP, where she began as a reporter in Milwaukee in 2000 and later served as a Sacramento correspondent. While working from the California capital, she reported on politics, the Legislature, the governor, and education, in addition to overseeing coverage of the state’s 2016 election. Williams is well-known for her accountability journalism, including stories revealing the California Assembly’s practice of allowing members to alter their votes after they’re cast and the state’s failure to adequately track teachers accused of sexual misconduct. Williams has earned a National Headliner Award and been recognized by the Associated Press Media Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California, and CapitolBeat.
“We’re honored that each of these outstanding journalists is joining our board,” said Duffy Carolan, president of FAC’s Board of Directors. “FAC’s work has never been more important, and the vast experience this group brings from the journalism field will bring invaluable perspective and knowledge to our organization.” All three new members were unanimously elected to FAC’s board in May.
For more information, contact:
David Snyder
Executive Director
First Amendment Coalition
dsnyder@firstamendmentcoalition.org
The First Amendment Coalition is an award-winning, nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to advancing free speech, more open and accountable government, and public participation in civic affairs.