Board of Directors - Investigative Reporters & Editors

Cheryl W. Thompson

IRE Board President

At-large member of the Executive Committee

Past Board Members

IRE appreciates the many journalists who served the organization as members of the Board of Directors.

See past board members

Meeting Minutes

The Board of Directors generally meets two times a year to discuss and vote on IRE business. The board also conducts conference calls periodically. After being approved, the minutes are posted online for IRE members to view and download.

View past meeting minutes

Board 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.

2020-21 Committees

Executive Committee

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

Cheryl W. Thompson, NPR, president
Mark Rochester, Type Investigations, vice president
Jodi Upton, Syracuse University, treasurer
Jennifer LaFleur, American University, secretary
Steven Rich, The Washington Post, at-large member

Audit Committee

Oversees accountability of the organization and the annual external audit by a certified public accounting firm.

Andrew Donohue, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting — Chair
Diana Henriques, Author
David Cay Johnston, DC Report
Marisa Kwiatkowski, USA Today Network
Katrease Stafford, The Associated Press

Awards Committee

Oversees the annual contests, including the IRE Awards, Golden Padlock, Don Bolles Medal and Philip Meyer Awards.

Jennifer LaFleur, Investigative Reporting Workshop – Chair
Bethany Barnes, Tampa Bay Times – Vice-chair
Cindy Galli, ABC News
Cheryl W. Thompson, NPR
Jodi Upton, Syracuse University

IRE Awards Judges (subcommittee of the Awards Committee)

Jennifer LaFleur, Investigative Reporting Workshop – Chair
Bethany Barnes, Tampa Bay Times
Fernando Diaz, The Chicago Reporter
Jessica Huseman, ProPublica
Zaneta Lowe, WREG-TV, Memphis
Eric Sagara, Big Local News, Stanford University
Kameel Stanley, USA Today

Conference Committee

Oversees conferences.

Cindy Galli, ABC News – Chair
Matt Dempsey, Houston Chronicle – NICAR
Kyle Jones, NBC Connecticut — IRE
John Kelly, ABC – NICAR
Marisa Kwiatkowski, USA TODAY Network — IRE
Steven Rich, The Washington Post — NICAR
Mark Rochester, Type Investigations — IRE
Brian M. Rosenthal, The New York Times–NICAR

Endowment Committee

Oversees the endowment and IRE investments.

Jodi Upton, Syracuse University – Chair
Jennifer Forsyth, The Wall Street Journal
Laura Frank, Colorado News Collaborative
Corey Johnson, Tampa Bay Times
Norberto Santana Jr., Voice of OC

Governance Committee

Examines issues concerning IRE’s organizational structure and operating rules.

Steven Rich, The Washington Post – Co-chair
Mark Walker, The New York Times – Co-chair
Ziva Branstetter, The Washington Post
Sarah Cohen, Arizona State University
Mark Rochester, Type Investigations

Member Services Committee

Responsible for member recruitment, reviewing training efforts and member resources.

Katrease Stafford, The Associated Press – Chair
Bethany Barnes, Tampa Bay Times
Kiran Chawla, freelance broadcaster, Baton Rouge
Jodie Fleischer, NBC4 Washington
Ana Ley, The Virginian Pilot
Emmanuel Martinez, The Markup
Topher Sanders, ProPublica
Mark Walker, The New York Times

Revenue Committee

The fundraising arm of the IRE Board.

David Boardman, Temple University – Chair
Jodie Fleischer, NBC4 Washington – Co-chair
Dana Chinn, USC Annenberg School of Journalism
Jennifer Forsyth, The Wall Street Journal
Manny Garcia, ProPublica-Texas Tribune
Brian M. Rosenthal, The New York Times
Mc Nelly Torres, Center for Public Integrity