Missouri Press Association Elects 2023 Officers, Directors
Beth Durreman, advertising consultant at the Laclede County Record, Lebanon, was elected president of the Missouri Press Association Friday, Sept. 16, during the 156th Annual MPA Convention in Lake Ozark.
Durreman got her first job with newspapers by accident in July 1988, when she went to interview with the general manager of the Lebanon Daily Record, the Laclede County Record’s predecessor newspaper. After a short visit, she was offered a job in the classified department and what followed was a lifetime love with the industry.
From Lebanon, Durreman’s career took her to various roles at newspapers of all shapes and sizes and across multiple states. That variety of experience, she said, will be critical to supporting each of the Association’s members, no two of which are exactly the same.
Working with former MPA Board members, including presidents Dalton Wright, the late Robert “Bob” Smith, Gary and Helen Sosniecki, and Bill Miller Sr. has also helped her better understand what it means to take the reins of the Association leadership.
Beth and her husband, Carl, enjoy traveling and exploring new out of the way places. But their most favorite activity is spending time with their son and two granddaughters and can confirm Disney World is the best waste of money ever.
Durreman will succeed Roger Dillon, publisher of The Shannon County Current Wave, Eminence, as MPA president Jan. 1. Dillon will continue on the MPA Board of Directors through 2023 as immediate past president.
Other 2023 MPA officers and directors elected Sept. 16, include First Vice President, Amos Bridges, Springfield News-Leader; Second Vice President, Peggy Scott, Leader Publications, Festus; Secretary, Kimberly Combs, Wayne County Journal Banner, Piedmont; Treasurer, Mike Scott, NEMO News Media Group, Kahoka.
Directors for three-year terms include Tim Schmidt, Montgomery Standard, Montgomery City; Bryan Chester, Columbia Missourian; and Lucas Presson, Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau.
Hannah Spaar, The Odessan, Odessa, was elected as the National Newspaper Association state chair.
Continuing on the MPA Board in 2023 will be directors: Gary Castor, Jefferson City News Tribune; Bryan Jones, Morgan County Statesman; Kevin Jones, St. Louis American; Donna Bischoff, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; and Sandy Nelson, Courier Tribune, Liberty.
Retiring from the MPA Board in December 2022 is Liz Irwin, Missouri Lawyers Media, St. Louis.
