Making connections helped drive Meyers’ success as APSE president

As Naila-Jean Meyers’ Associated Press Sports Editors presidential term comes to an end in July, one theme sticks out: connections.

During her time as president, she’s helped organize communication infrastructure such as launching an APSE Instagram account and offering more connection points to help establish and build relationships among existing members.

She said that connecting is essential for success in the sports journalism industry.

“I find more and more that it's not about competition.” Meyers said. “It's about collaboration and connection in this industry, particularly because of the struggles that journalism in general, and in sports media in particular, has had in recent years.”

Her biggest collaboration was helping launch the Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage this past February. The annual prize honors reporting and writing on girls’ and women’s sports. The contest received more than 80 entries in its inaugural year.

Dan Spears, APSE’s first vice president, helped oversee the contest. He said that Meyers’ personality and desire for connectivity in the sports journalism industry have helped her thrive during her presidency. 

“She has continued to attempt to find ways to get more people involved,” said Spears, who will succeed Meyers as president in July. “People from places that we haven't gotten to previously —whether it's student journalists, HBCUs or women in sports— she's done everything she can to make that happen.”

Although Meyers' time as APSE president is ending, her organizational involvement will not. 

She will serve as a member of the APSE Foundation board for the next two years. In this role she will work closely with efforts involving training and education for newer journalism students, among other responsibilities.

“I'll always have connections,” Meyers said. “I'll always have those, whether I'm president or just sitting here at my desk in Minnesota.”

She will also be involved with planning next year's APSE convention in Minneapolis and might still run the APSE Instagram account.

She'll probably say to you: ‘Well, I haven't gotten as far as I want to do,’” Spears said. “But she's done a lot. My goal is to be able to take and continue these foundation things that she's done and make them stronger.”

‍Aaron Mammah will intern at the Naples Daily News/News-Press this summer.

‍