Cristi Kempf
NINA President John Lampinen passed the reins to longtime journalist Cristi Kempf to serve as NINA’s 2024 president.
The Northern Illinois News Association (NINA), which advances print and digital journalism through education and training in Northern Illinois, is pleased to announce its elected president and Executive Board leadership for 2024.
“It’s such an honor to lead NINA, with its 60-year history, showing just how crucial these types of organizations are,” said Kempf. “What’s especially exciting is that I get to serve as NINA’s president at a time when news literacy and preservation of local journalism are finally getting the attention of policymakers and legislative leaders.”
“Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, Illinois mandated that public high schools teach media literacy, opening a path for NINA to be even more active on this front,” Kempf said. “Our outreach efforts last year focusing on ways to assist Northern Illinois high school journalism advisers and teachers in this effort were just a start. NINA aims to find ways our organization can make an even bigger impact and will continue at full throttle this year.”
Kempf’s journalism career began in the vibrant Northern Illinois community newspaper scene at Lakeland Newspapers with long-standing NINA Board member Roger Ruthhart as her first boss.
She worked for Lerner Newspapers, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune, along with the Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Milwaukee Journal. As a freelance writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, while living in Rome, she reported on the installation of Chicago’s Archbishop Francis George to Cardinal. She remained in Rome for five years.
While in Rome she wrote speeches for political leaders, reported news for Vatican Radio, translated for touring American and British rock bands and traveled widely while working as editor-in-chief for tech magazine ESN, which was published in English, French and German.
Kempf returned to the United States to take a job at the Chicago Tribune where she held a variety of positions, including the masthead role of associate managing editor of editing and presentation. She oversaw a staff of more than 60 editors and was responsible for ensuring the paper, as well as all suburban dailies under the Tribune umbrella, got out on time each day.
Kempf is currently editing, writing and managing projects for M. Harris & Co., a creative marketing agency staffed with many former journalists from across the United States. A graduate of Drake University, Kempf lives in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood on the near West Side.
Joining Kempf on the NINA Executive Board are: 1st Vice President Mary Helt Gavin, Evanston Roundtable; 2nd Vice President Megan Jones Panek, Beacon-News (Tribune Publishing); Treasurer Roger Ruthhart, retired managing editor of The Dispatch-The Rock Island Argus; past President John Lampinen, retired, Daily Herald; Executive Secretary Jason Akst, Northern Illinois University Department of Communication; and Communications Coordinator Shelley Hendricks, Northern Star, Northern Illinois University.
Board members represent diverse newspaper, journalism, and media expertise: Sharon Boehlefeld, The Observer, Diocese of Rockford; Jim Killam, managing editor, Wycliffe Global Alliance; Madhu Krishnamurthy, Daily Herald; Julie Mann, Kane County Government; Margarita Mendoza, El Observador, Diocese of Rockford; Kelsey Rettke, Daily Chronicle (Shaw Media); Patricia Szpekowski, PR Strategies and Communications, Inc.; and Penny Wiegert, The Observer, Diocese of Rockford.
About NINA
Founded in 1962 to promote the newspapers of Northern Illinois, NINA develops programs and workshops to enhance the profession and recognizes journalistic achievements through a prestigious annual contest.
NINA’s ties with Northern Illinois University extend to its beginnings when it was founded by Dr. Donald Grubb, long-time chairman of the university’s journalism department. NINA remains affiliated with the Communication Department, which now houses NIU’s journalism programs.
Members are located throughout Northern Illinois and include individuals and newspapers ranging from independent weeklies with circulations under 2,000 to large chains with circulations over 200,000.
For membership information, contact Shelley Hendricks at shendricks@niu.edu.
Northern Illinois News Association 