ASBPE 2003 Young Leaders Scholarship Winners Announced.

Business Editors/Assignment Desks

NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2003

The American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) has just announced recipients of its third annual Young Leaders Scholarship. The award is open to all business-to-business publication editors under the age of 30. Applicants are required to submit a resume, short essays, letter of recommendation, and writing samples. Recipients receive hotel accommodations, meals, and complimentary registration for the annual ASBPE National Editorial Conference and Awards of Excellence Banquet to be held June 19-20, 2003 in Washington, D.C. Conference sessions will be held at the Marriott at Metro Center and the awards dinner will take place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The conference is packed with continuing education sessions for both novice and experienced editors and features lunch with White House Director of Media Affairs, Nicolle Devenish. This year's recipients, selected from the largest applicant pool in the scholarship's history, include Darin Painter, Meg Waters, Nsenga Byrd Thompson, Kristen Hampshire, and Jessica Harper.

Darin Painter is managing editor of Print Solutions, a monthly business magazine in Alexandria, Va., published by the Document Management Industries Association. He has won five awards from ASBPE (including two nationals) and three awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is a frequent contributor to several consumer magazines, including Heritage Travel, Writer's Digest and HOW. Three of his recent travel articles appear in Family Tree Guidebook (Betterway Books). In 1998, Darin was named Outstanding Graduating Senior of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. He enjoys contemporary short fiction, "Parrothead" music, and stand-up comedy.

Meg Waters is the managing editor of Business Finance, a monthly trade magazine for senior finance executives that is owned by Penton Media Inc. Meg graduated magna cum laude from Rice University in 1995 with a B.A. in English and economics. Her editorial experience includes stints as senior editor of InterActive Teacher magazine; director of publications for the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association; and associate editor with Windows NT Magazine. In early 1999, Meg joined Business Finance as an associate editor, and she has taken on increasing levels of responsibility ever since. A column she edits was a 2003 American Business Media Neal Award finalist.

Nsenga Byrd Thompson is currently staff editor for Paper, Film & Foil CONVERTER. Previously, she was on staff at the publishing company CCH Inc., Riverwoods, IL, as an associate production specialist for the company's Torts and Insurance Group. Nsenga received her undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL, in December 1994 and holds a Masters of Science in Journalism from Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL, where she graduated in 1999. Nsenga resides in Matteson, IL with her husband and two sons.

Kristen Hampshire graduated from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, in 2000 with a BSJ from Scripps School of Journalism in magazine editing and specializations in English and French. She works at GIE Media, Cleveland, Ohio, as Managing Editor of Commercial Dealer magazine, a publication launched last July that targets outdoor power equipment dealers. She also manages Lawn Care Professional, Bayer Environmental Science's quarterly publication. She began employment at GIE in July 2000, writing for Lawn & Landscape magazine, and still contributes to the publication, which serves 71,000 landscape contractor readers.

Jessica Harper, upon graduation from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., moved to Kansas City, Mo., where she edited for a Web publisher in the technology and telecommunications industries during the dot-com explosion. She then worked as associate editor at CraneWorks and Bridge Builder magazines, published by Chicago-based Mercor Media. After a year and a half, she gained the title of editor for both books. Harper also serves as secretary of ASBPE's Kansas City chapter.

ABOUT ASBPE:

Based in Naperville, Ill., ASBPE (www.asbpe.org) is a professional and educational resource for trade and association publication editors. The society is widely known for its annual Awards of Excellence in editorial, design, and Web sites, as well as its annual business publication editorial conference.

ASBPE currently has chapters in 17 cities, which host meetings and provide professional guidance to editors at the local level. The society sponsors an annual scholarship for young editors, conducts salary surveys on numerous editorial-related topics, and holds regional conferences. ASBPE's Web site features a popular job posting area, along with a members-only section.

Unlike other magazine associations, ASBPE is a professional society exclusively for business publication editors. Its focus is to help editors develop skills, especially editorial management skills, that will enhance their performance and that will prepare them to play larger roles in their publishing organization.