IRE Committees


Investigative Reporters and Editors committees allow board members and rank-and-file members to focus on specific areas or projects of interest and to explore new projects.

Committees are sometimes asked to address issues that come up in the full board meetings but that need more research. The committees then make recommendations to the full board.

Committee members are appointed by the board president.

2009-10 Committees

Executive Committee - Responsible for planning oversight, finance, personnel issues and board development.

    , Atlanta Journal-Constitution, president
    , broadcast journalist, vice president
    , author/journalist, treasurer
    , The New York Times, secretary
    , El Nuevo Herald/The Miami Herald, member
Member Services Committee - Responsible for member recruitment, reviewing training efforts and member resources.
  • Phil Williams WTVF-Nashville, chair
  • Rob Cribb, The Toronto Star
  • Andrew Donohue, voiceofsandiego.org
  • Laura Frank, Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network
  • Sharon Chan, The Seattle Times
  • Blake Morrison, USA Today
  • Deborah Nelson, University of Maryland
  • Norberto Santana, The Orange County Register
  • Steven Stock, WESH-Orlando, Fla.
  • Jeff Taylor, Detroit Free Press
Development Committee - Oversees fundraising.
  • Manny Garcia, El Nuevo Herald/The Miami Herald, chair
  • Leonard Downie, Jr., The Washington Post/Arizona State University
  • David Cay Johnston, author/journalist
  • David Dietz, Bloomberg Markets
  • James Grimaldi, The Washington Post
  • Brant Houston, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • James Steele, Vanity Fair
  • Kevin Keeshan, KGO-San Francisco
  • Darcy Spears, KVBC-Las Vegas
New Revenue Task Force - Examines revenue opportunities.
  • Lea Thompson, chair
  • Leonard Downie, Jr., The Washington Post/Arizona State University
  • Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times
  • Shawn McIntosh, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
Marketing Task Force - Oversees marketing efforts.
  • Lawan Williams, chair
  • Lea Thompson, broadcast journalist/producer
  • Ellen Gabler, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
  • Brian Joseph, The Orange County Register
  • Neal Shapiro, CEO/president, WNET.org
Conference Committee - Oversees conferences.
  • Mc Nelly Torres, independent investigative journalist, co-chair
  • Lawan Williams, E.W. Scripps, co-chair
  • Duff Wilson, The New York Times

Contest Committee - Oversees contests.
  • Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times, chair
  • Lea Thompson, broadcast journalist/producer
  • Neil Reisner, Florida International University
  • Stacey Woelfel, University of Missouri
  • Jim Schaefer, Detroit Free Press
  • Mc Nelly Torres, freelance
International Task Force – Oversees training and services for international members.
  • Lise Olsen, Houston Chronicle, chair
  • Zita Arocha, The University of Texas at El Paso
  • Sheila Coronel, Columbia University
  • Rob Cribb, The Toronto Star
  • Brant Houston, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • David Kaplan, The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
  • Stephen Miller, Freelance journalist
  • Mc Nelly Torres, independent investigative journalist
Endowment Committee - Oversees the endowment and IRE investments.
  • David Cay Johnston, author/journalist, chair
  • Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times
  • Brant Houston, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Mike McGraw, The Kansas City Star
  • Chris Adams, McClatchy Washington Bureau
Audit Committee - Oversees accountability of the organization and the annual external audit by a certified public accounting firm

  • Duff Wilson, The New York Times
  • Alison Young, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • David Dietz, Bloomberg Markets