Journalism department honors two graduates

BOWLING GREEN, O.—The Akron Beacon Journal's top news executive is the newest inductee to the Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism Hall of Fame at Bowling Green State University.  

Mizell Stewart III, who was honored during an awards ceremony March 30, joined the Akron Beacon Journal as managing editor in February 2006, supervising day-to-day newsroom operations.   Previously, he helped lead a team of Knight Ridder journalists in coordinating coverage of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath at the Biloxi Sun-Herald. That effort was recognized with the 2006 Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service.

Stewart is also the former editor and vice president of the Tallahassee Democrat. He moved to Tallahassee as managing editor in January 2000 and was promoted to the top newsroom position in May 2003. He began his newspaper career as a 16-year-old summer photography intern with Sun Newspapers.  

“The journalism faculty unanimously supported Mizell's nomination. His distinguished career and commitment to journalism education have been and continue to be very impressive.   We are proud to present him with our most prestigious award,” commented Dr. Terry L. Rentner, associate professor and chair of the Department of Journalism.

Other honors awarded at the ceremony included the Currier Young Professional Award given to Bill Balderaz of Mechanicsburg, a 1997 public relations journalism graduate. As the president of Webbed Marketing, Balderaz helps leading organizations, including Cardinal Health, Dominion Homes, Netsmart Technologies and Bostech Corp., increase their presence on the Internet, drive more Web traffic and generate online “buzz.”

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(Posted April 06, 2007)