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Release: Journalists Arbetter, Seiler and Attorney General Underwood among those being honored by the Women's Press Club on October 24.
NYSNYS News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2018
Contact: Deborah Sturm Rausch | womenspressclubnys@gmail.com

Susan Arbetter, Elisa Streeter and Barbara Underwood Headline
The Women’s Press Club of New York State’s 2018 Awardees

Mary Alice Molgard, Casey Seiler and Akum Norder to also receive awards; Jazmin Goodwin to receive the $1,000 Annual Betty Flood Morrow Women’s Press Club of NYS Scholarship at Oct. 24 Dinner

ALBANY, N.Y. ... The Women’s Press Club of New York State (WPCNYS) will confer local and statewide persons of distinction with its awards at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, at the WPCNYS’Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner at Treviso by Mallozzi located at the Italian Community Center in Albany, N.Y.

Emmy Award-winning host and producer of the syndicated public radio program the Capitol Pressroom, Susan Arbetter will be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Honor joining the ranks of many notable women including our most recent inductees Chris Jansing (2017), Benita Zahn (2016), Liz Bishop (2015), Judy Sanders (2014), Jill Abramson (2012) and Barbara Walters (2011). New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood and Akum Norder, author and journalist, will both be honored with the Club's Woman in the Media Award. Elisa Streeter, who recently announced her retirement from NEWS10-ABC, will receive the Media Person of the Year Award, Mary Alice Molgard, assistant professor at The College of Saint Rose, will receive the award for Excellence in Career Achievement; Times Union Senior Editor and Columnist Casey Seiler will receive the Club’s first Standing O! Award; and Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY student Jazmin Goodwin will receive the $1,000 Betty Flood Morrow WPCNYS Annual Scholarship.

Given the popularity of the honorees, the WPCNYS has opened ticket sales to the public in addition to WPCNYS members. Everyone is welcome, and one does not need to be a member of the media or in the field of journalism to attend. Tickets are $47 for members and $52 for non-members. Please note that tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made through Event Brite at [CLICK HERE]

In addition to the presentation of its awards and the scholarship, the WPCNYS slate of officers for 2018- 2019 including: President – Lisa Robert Lewis, Secretary – Barbara Kipniss, Treasurer – Mary Alice Molgard, Vice President/Awards - Deborah Sturm Rausch, Vice President/Membership – Barbara Lombardo, Vice President/Media – Danielle Sanzone, Vice President for Programs – Joann Crupi, Vice President for Scholarship – Lauren Halligan, Member at Large – Trudi Schaffer, Member at Large – Lianne Webster-Kim, will be presented and voted upon by members.
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About this year’s honorees:

Susan Arbetter - 2018 Hall of Honor Inductee
The Hall of Honor was established in 1997 to honor Newswomen of Distinction who have charted the course for others and helped to shape our field. It is the highest award given by The Women’s Press Club of NYS.
Susan Arbetter is an outstanding model for professionals in the field of journalism and communications. She is the Emmy Award-winning host and producer of the syndicated public radio program the Capitol Pressroom, which broadcasts live from the third floor of the state Capitol in Albany weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon. Beyond
that, she also holds the title Director of News & Public Affairs for Syracuse public broadcaster, WCNY. She is no stranger to Capital Region and Central New York political junkies, as before joining WCNY, she hosted the award-winning New York Now, which originated from the Albany PBS affiliate WMHT and was carried by all nine PBS affiliates across the state. Prior to WMHT, she served as News Director for six years at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, also based in Albany. The Women’s Press Club is pleased to add its Hall of Honor award to Susan’s long list of more than 30 awards for electronic journalism, including – but not limited to - a 2013 Emmy Award for Best Public Affairs Series for the television show “Insight” which she produces for WCNY Public Broadcasting weekly; her radio broadcasting awards including those from Edward R. Murrow, Scripps-Howard, AP, PRNDI & NYSBA, and, the Albany Times Union’s “Best Local Radio Personality” and Berkshire Living’s “Favorite Voice.” The Women’s Press Club has previously honored Arbetter with its Media Person of the Year and the Excellence in Career Achievement awards for her work.

NYS Attorney General Barbara Underwood - 2018 Woman in the Media
The Woman in the Media Award recognizes contributions of women in public life who have presented a positive image in the media.
Barbara D. Underwood has served as New York Attorney General since May 2018, when she became the first woman to serve in that role in the State’s history. Throughout her career, she has held some of the most vital roles in the legal profession. After finishing first in her class at Georgetown University Law Center, Barbara served as law clerk to two of the nation’s most brilliant legal minds -- Chief Judge David L. Bazelon
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court. She has held executive positions in the Queens and Brooklyn District Attorneys’ Offices, and served as a trial attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. From 1998 to 2001, Barbara served as the Acting Solicitor General and Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States – the first female Solicitor General in American history. She has argued 20 cases in the United States Supreme Court. After serving as Chief Assistant to the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) from 1993 to 1998 and 2001 to 2003 and EDNY Counsel from 2003 to 2007, Barbara was appointed in 2007 to serve as New York’s Solicitor General and has held that position ever since. She has also served as Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Executive Committee and Council on Criminal Justice. She was a tenured Professor of Law at Yale Law School, a visiting Professor at New York University School of Law, and an adjunct Professor at Brooklyn Law School. Throughout her career, Barbara has been a guardian of equal justice for all. Among many cases, she has fought against racially discriminatory jury selection, argued that federal law protects employees and students of federally-funded educational institutions from sex discrimination, and defended the constitutionality of reasonable buffer zones around women’s health clinics to protect a woman’s right to choose. AG Underwood has received media recognition for her noteworthy accomplishments as a professional, a leading seeker of justice and as a woman.
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Akum Norder - 2018 Woman in the Media
The Woman in the Media Award recognizes contributions of women in public life who have presented a positive image in the media.
Akum Norder, an Albany writer and journalist, has been a Capital Region resident for 24 years. She is an advocate for walkable neighborhoods and historic preservation. Her 2018 book, “The History of Here: A House, the Pine Hills Neighborhood, and the City of Albany,” uses the histories of her house and its residents as a frame for telling the story of Albany’s 20th-century development. That story, in turn, shapes Norder’s
argument for city neighborhoods: their value, their preservation, and the grassroots involvement that turns a jumble of houses into a community. Through her writing, her talks to school and community groups, and walking tours, she encourages others to explore their community and its history. Norder, who is also a content editor at the Times Union and write for other Capital Region publications, is an avid volunteer and has garnered media coverage for her work throughout the area.

Mary Alice Molgard – 2018 Excellence in Career Achievement
The Excellence in Career Achievement Award recognizes a person whose body of work has been consistent and has inspired others.
Mary Alice Molgard has mentored and taught countless journalists and communicators who are now practicing the profession in the Capital Region and beyond as a tenured Assistant Professor at The College of Saint Rose for the past 30 years. She is a true leader in the field. She has served as Department Chair, and Coordinator of the Graduate and Intern Programs for the college. Her specialty areas are teaching Communication and Broadcast Law, Media Ethics, Mass Media History, Broadcast
News and Copywriting, and, Film and Documentary Film. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including but not limited to the Community Service Award from The College of Saint Rose; Thomas A. Manion Distinguished Faculty Award, from the Alumni Association of The College of Saint Rose; the Excellence in Communications and the Communicator of the Year awards from the American Red Cross of Northeastern New York; the Anne Frank Education Outreach Award from Holocaust Survivors and Friends; and the John Peter Zenger Media Award: New York State Bar Association. Molgard has produced, directed and written numerous videos, broadcasts, scripts and other creative works. She has been a guest on many shows, including WAMC’s Roundtable and The Media Project, among others. She has served more than 15 years as a Fire Commissioner of the Berne Fire District and is an active firefighter. As a dedicated Board member and leader of the Women’s Press Club of New York State, she has helped countless members of our profession and furthered the mission and legacy of the organization.

Elisa Streeter – 2018 Media Person of the Year
This award recognizes the accomplishments of a person who is active in print or broadcast journalism in New York State.
Elisa Streeter currently hosts the 4, 4:30, 5:30 and 11 p.m. newscasts for News10ABC. She announced her retirement in September and will leave the station in December. Elisa brings professionalism, compassion and caring to her coverage of the issues that shape the lives of all New Yorkers, especially those in need. Elisa is familiar with the newsmakers and organizations that make a difference in the lives of people throughout
the Capital Region and across New York State, and brings her sensitivity and sense of humor to her broadcasting. Elisa, who has a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Missouri, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, worked with deaf and blind children at the Missouri School for the Blind prior to her career in journalism. She plays host to numerous events and fundraisers for community organizations, and generously volunteers her time to local school, library and community organizations in the Capital Region. Elisa has been honored by the YMCA, receiving its President's Award.
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Casey Seiler – Standing O!
The Standing O! Award recognizes a person for achievements and contributions in the field of journalism outside of the other award categories.
Casey Seiler is a Senior Editor and Columnist for the Albany Times Union. He previously served as State Editor and Entertainment Editor. He is Co-Host of WMHT's weekly political roundup “New York Now.” Casey served as Capitol bureau chief from 2008-2017. In 2011 he was awarded the Hearst Eagle Award, the highest recognition for an employee in the Hearst Corporation. Before arriving in Albany in 2000, Seiler worked at the Burlington Free Press in Vermont and the Jackson Hole
Guide in Wyoming. Seiler has served on numerous panels for the WPCNYS, and has keynoted presentations for organizations, including the WPCNYS, throughout the region and the State. Known for his knowledge, wit, wisdom, and experience, and due to his ongoing quintessence of the WPCNYS mission and purpose, Seiler is Club’s inaugural recipient of the Standing O! Award. A graduate of Northwestern University, Seiler is a Buffalo native who grew up in Louisville, Ky, and lives in Albany.

Jazmin K. Goodwin – 2018 Betty Flood Morrow Women’s Press Club of NYS Scholarship Winner
The Betty Flood Morrow Women’s Press Club of NYS Scholarship was created in 1967 and is presented annually to a student in the communications field who is a resident of New York State, enrolled full-time in a college or university located within New York. Jazmin Goodwin graduated magna cum laude from Howard University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in graphic design. She formerly served as editor-in-chief of The Hilltop, Howard University’s award-winning, student- run newspaper co-founded by Zora Neale Hurston. Additionally, she has written and
contributed digital content for various publications including Axios, Washington City Paper, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, CRWN Magazine, Her Agenda and SheKnows Media. Born in Germany, raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and now a New York State resident, Jazmin has a knack for storytelling and solving problems at the intersection of women, tech and entrepreneurship. She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY as the first-ever Ida B. Wells Society Scholar.

The Women’s Press Club renamed its annual scholarship the Betty Flood Morrow Women's Press Club of NYS Scholarship to memorialize this co-founder’s dedication to journalism in 2012. The WPCNYS has awarded more than 60 scholarships to deserving students with exemplary records of study and a commitment to a career in the communications field.
For more information, contact the Women’s Press Club of NYS at womenspressclubnys@gmail.com.
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About the Women’s Press Club of New York State, Inc.

The Women’s Press Club of New York State, Inc. is a nonprofit organization formed in 1966 by a small group of women journalists committed to supporting women in journalism and communications. Today, the organization’s members include women and men who work for radio and television stations, digital media, newspapers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private companies, as well as freelance writers, entrepreneurs and students. The WPCNYS provides support, professional development, programming, mentoring and networking opportunities for New Yorkers in the field. Further information may be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wpcnys or WPCNYS website at https://womenspressclubnys.com/.
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