By SPJ COLORADO PRO

DENVER – Veteran journalist Doug Bell has been elected president of the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for 2020-2021, Election Chair Deb Hurley Brobst has announced.

Bell, who teaches journalism at Metropolitan State University of Denver, succeeds Tony Flesor, who chose not to seek re-election. Bell recently retired after a 40-year newspaper career, mostly as an editor, at various Colorado newspapers.

“I’m honored to lead SPJ’s Colorado chapter, and as president will continue my focus on outreach to the state’s college journalism programs,” Bell said. “Our scholarships and programming help young journalists find a foothold in our profession at a critical time for nurturing the next generation of journalists.”

Flesor, managing editor of Colorado Law Week, now will serve as immediate past president.

Ali Watkins was re-elected secretary. She is a multimedia journalist and artist based in Denver.

Robert W. “Bob” Burdick was re-elected treasurer. He is retired after serving as editor of the late Rocky Mountain News in Denver and publisher and president of The Gazette in Colorado Springs.

All four officers serve on the chapter board. The board terms for Bell, Burdick and Flesor end in October 2021. Watkins’ board term ends in October 2022.

Additional board members who were re-elected, with their term end dates: Fred Brown (2021), Cara DeGette (2021), Kristina Pritchett (2021), Beth Potter (2021), Brobst (2022), Dan Mika (2022) and Alfredo Sanchez (2022). The terms of the officers and board members are effective Nov. 1, 2020. One board vacancy exists, and will be filled by appointment of the board in December or January, Brobst said.

In addition to serving as election chair for another term, Brobst will continue as contest chair. In the latter role, she will supervise administration of SPJ Colorado Pro’s annual Top of the Rockies Contest, which honors the best in journalism from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Brobst is the news editor at Evergreen Newspapers, which publishes the Canyon Courier and Clear Creek Courant. She spent two decades as a journalism professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver and served on the SPJ national board from 1991-1996 and 2004-2008.

The Colorado Pro Chapter is dedicated to promoting freedom of the press and freedom of information, championing media ethical issues, providing continuing education for journalists, presenting panels (virtual during the pandemic) for the public, and providing thousands of dollars in annual scholarships to college journalism students.