Dana Neuts Announces Candidacy for President-Elect of the Society of Professional Journalists

KENT, Wash. - July 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Freelance journalist Dana Neuts of Virtually Yourz announced that she is running for President-Elect of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) at the August 2013 Excellence in Journalism convention in Anaheim. Once elected, the President-Elect serves a one-year term as an officer on the SPJ Board of Directors and a member of the Executive Committee, and goes on to become the Society’s President upon completion of his or her term. The President-Elect must be elected by a majority of SPJ members. Neuts is currently unopposed.

Neuts joined SPJ in 2005 and has been a volunteer at the local, regional and national levels. She has served as the president of the Western Washington Pro chapter of SPJ, contest coordinator for the annual Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest and regional director for SPJ’s Region 10. Neuts is currently serving as the national SPJ Secretary/Treasurer. In this role, Neuts serves as the chair of the finance committee, is a member the Executive Committee and has been appointed to serve on the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation board. She works closely with SPJ staff, President Sonny Albarado and President-Elect Dave Cuillier.

“In the last 10 years, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the journalism and media industries and how our government handles transparency and accountability,” Neuts said. “I am running for SPJ president-elect so I can help the Society continue to drive positive change for journalists and to fight for the public’s right to know.”

Neuts’ goals for the coming year include supporting a federal shield law, increasing SPJ’s visibility by being on the forefront of important issues like free speech, open government and the public’s right to know, and increasing support to chapters and individual members through new initiatives like the creation of communities within SPJ.

After an 18-year career in the financial services industry, Dana Neuts became a freelance journalist specializing in business, lifestyle and community stories. Her work has appeared in dozens of media outlets including The Seattle Times, South Sound magazine, 425 magazine, Seattle Business, ShowCase magazine, and Computer Source. She is also the owner and publisher of iLoveKent.net, an award-winning community website focused on Kent, Washington.

Neuts volunteers for the Society of Professional Journalists, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation and the Kent Community Foundation. In 2012, she was named SPJ Regional Director of the Year.

For more information about Virtually Yourz, contact Dana Neuts at 360-920-1737 or visit the company’s website at www.VirtuallyYourz.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @VirtuallyYourz (http://twitter.com/virtuallyyourz) or @SPJDana (http://twitter.com/spjdana).