Rogers to lead Illinois Press Association

SPRINGFIELD — Jeff Rogers will become the next president and chief executive officer of the Illinois Press Association, IPA Board President Jim Slonoff announced last week.

Rogers will also remain as executive director of the Illinois Press Foundation.

He started his leadership role with the Illinois Press Association on Tuesday, July 21, focusing on member relations and programming, with an emphasis on growing the organization and its role in the state’s changing journalism infrastructure.

He replaces Steve Jameson, who left the Illinois Press Association last week.

Rogers’ prior leadership in the Illinois Press Foundation and Capitol News Illinois

Rogers has led the Illinois Press Foundation since 2018. He was the founding editor of its nonprofit news service, Capitol News Illinois. Under his leadership, the IPF has grown from one employee to 15 today. Capitol News Illinois has expanded to include journalists in Springfield, Chicago, southern Illinois and the Metro East. The Foundation also delivers grants to high school journalism programs annually, along with other programming.

“Rogers is uniquely qualified for this role, given his three decades as a newspaper editor and reporter and, more recently, his leadership of the Illinois Press Foundation,” said Slonoff. “His experience across both traditional and nonprofit newsrooms positions him to guide the Illinois Press Association as it adapts to the state’s rapidly changing journalism landscape.”

Slonoff would also mention Rogers’ role in the unprecedented growth and success of Capitol News Illinois. That growth and success comes at a time when many media outlets are shrinking or closing altogether.

Career resume

Before joining the Illinois Press Foundation, Rogers was a newspaper editor and reporter for 30 years with news organizations in Sterling, Dixon, Galesburg, Freeport and Monroe, Wisconsin. He is a current member of the board of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association.

“Having been in both the newspaper and nonprofit news businesses, I’m excited about expanding the impact the Illinois Press Association has in the state’s news industry,” Rogers said. “The Illinois Press Association has a talented team that I know well and respect. I’m looking forward to working with this team to help make the Illinois Press Association an even more effective advocate and supporter of the state’s journalists and news organizations.

“I specifically look forward to working with IPA Vice President Ron Kline and the IPA Board in growing the organization’s revenue streams,” Rogers added. “Which will in turn benefit all of our members through additional programming and services.”

Rogers will not be involved in legislative, lobbying efforts

Rogers will not be involved in the IPA’s legislative and lobbying efforts. Those duties will be handled by the IPA Board’s Government Relations Committee.

Rogers grew up in Lanark in northwest Illinois and has a journalism degree from Bradley University in Peoria. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Springfield and have four adult children and two granddaughters.

Jake Leonard, Executive Editor-In-Chief

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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