Our Great Geniuses

John U. Bacon ’06 received the 2009 Golden Apple Award from the University of Michigan for his work as a lecturer in American Culture. The award is given annually, the recipient chosen by U-M students.

Scott Elliott ’05 has been named to the board of directors of the Education Writers Association. Elliott is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News.

Steve Fennessy ’08 has been appointed editor-in-chief of Atlanta Magazine. Fennessy previously served as the magazine’s deputy editor. In addition, Fennessy is a finalist in the Writer of the Year category in the 2009 National City and Regional Magazine Awards.

John Fountain

John Fountain ’00 founded “I Write A Dream,” a journalism program for young people in Pembroke/ Hopkins Park, IL. Fountain, previously a reporter for The New York Times and The Washington Post is a professor at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Kathleen Galligan

Kathleen Galligan ’09 won the 2008 Barry Edmonds Michigan Understanding Award from the Michigan Press Photographers Association. Galligan and Regina Boone, both of the Detroit Free Press, won for their work “The Boys of Christ Child House" series.

Sandra Gregg ’86 succumbed to uterine cancer February 2 in Fairfax, VA. Gregg was a former reporter for The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report. Since 2005, Gregg had been vice president of communications and external relations for Kaiser Permanente.

Graham Griffith ’06 has been awarded the University of Michigan’s Howard R. Marsh Visiting Professorship in Journalism for the 2009–2010 academic year. Griffith currently covers the financial crisis for Cengage Learning’s Global Economic Crisis web portal and serves as contributing editor for public media site The Mediavore.

Jon Morgan ’01 left The Baltimore Sun in August to join the Project for Excellence in Journalism at the Pew Research Center in DC as senior editor. Morgan spent 21 years at the Sun, most recently as assistant managing editor for enterprise reporting.

Mireya Navarro

Mireya Navarro ’88 has published her first book, “Green Wedding: Planning Your Eco-Friendly Celebration,” a guide for environmentally conscious couples planning their nuptials. Navarro is a style correspondent for The New York Times.

Gerard Ryle ’06 has been named news editor at the Sydney Morning Herald. Ryle, previously an investigative reporter for the paper, now oversees all news, investigations and special reports. In addition, Ryle’s book “Firepower: The Most Spectacular Fraud in Australia’s History” will be published in May.

G. Pascal Zachary ’89 helped form the Innovation Media African Network to create new print, radio, television and digital media. In addition, Zachary recently published the memoir, “Married to Africa: A Love Story.”