Former Washington Post editor named Virginius Dabney Distinguished Professor

By Tom Gresham and Gayland Hethcoat

Jackie Jones, a former Washington Post editor whose journalism experience includes leadership positions at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and New York Newsday, is serving as the 2007 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginius Dabney Distinguished Professor.

In the professorship, Jones is teaching a weekly editing course to students in VCU’s School of Mass Communications.

“We're thrilled to have someone of Jackie's professional and teaching experience as our Dabney Professor this semester,” said Judy VanSlyke Turk, Ph.D., director of the School of Mass Communications.  “As an editor at The Washington Post, Jackie was tops at her professional game.

And when she was asked to teach at Penn State University – which has one of the best journalism programs in the country – she did a superb job in the classroom.”

The Virginius Dabney Distinguished Professorship was established in 1988 through an endowment from the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Media General Inc. in honor of the late Virginia newspaper editor, historian and Pulitzer Prize winner. Awarded annually, the professorship brings a distinguished print journalist to VCU to teach a writing intensive course to senior mass communications majors.

Jones was a senior lecturer in journalism at Penn State University, where she continues to instruct at the university’s annual Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Editing Program boot camp. Other schools where she held instructor positions include New York University and Wayne State University.

Jones currently heads Jones Coaching, LLC, a personal development and consulting service, and writes for BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Jones received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from George Washington University and has completed some post-graduate work in media studies at Penn State University.

Former Dabney recipients include James J. Kilpatrick, a columnist, author and former editor of the Richmond News Leader; David Shribman, a Pulitzer-winning reporter at The Boston Globe; and most recently, Leonard Pitts, also a Pulitzer Prize winner who writes columns for the Miami Herald.