Jorge Rojas to continue diverse vision for APSE

APSE’s leadership will undergo its annual change during its summer conference on June 26 via Zoom. At the conference, Jorge Rojas will be introduced as APSE’s second vice president and will serve under Lisa Wilson and Gary Potosky, who will be introduced as president and first vice president, respectively.

Rojas has been an APSE member for more than 20 years and is the managing editor at The Athletic Florida.

The second vice president of the organization is responsible for the content and information on the APSE website. After his one-year tenure, Rojas will move on to the first vice president role in 2021 and eventually president in the summer of 2022.

As second vice president, the Miami native said his job is to help realize Wilson and Potosky’s vision first.

Meanwhile, Rojas, the son of Cuban immigrants, will continue to work toward improving diversity in newsrooms across the country. In addition to working with other journalism organizations, Rojas mentioned he wanted to work more closely with The Association for Women in Sports Media and see more women in an industry that is predominantly male.

He co-founded the APSE Diversity Fellowship along with Michael Anastasi, a former APSE president, and served as the APSE diversity chairman for over a decade. The nine-month program is geared toward mid-career professionals who are interested in managerial positions in sports journalism.

Larry Graham, the current diversity chairman, says that Rojas will thrive in his new role and cites his “passion for diversity” as a main proponent.

Garry Howard, director of Corporate Initiatives at American City Business Journals, is also a former APSE president who spoke highly of Rojas’ character.

“He is about bringing people together, Howard said. “His best gift is an ability to communicate with everyone, no matter what race, and his ability to do things on such a high level.”

Howard has known Rojas for about 30 years and says they are “kindred souls” because of their shared passion for diversity. Both have played their part in furthering APSE in the past, and Howard believes Rojas’ vast network and experience will undoubtedly aid in his new position.

“There’s not anybody who has been in sports journalism over the last 20 years that Jorge does not know personally,” Howard said. “And that is going to serve him well.”