Dr. Deborah T. Givens, an assistant professor of journalism in the Department of Communication at Eastern Kentucky University, has been named to the Kentucky Press Association/Kentucky Press Service Board of Directors as the journalism education representative for eastern Kentucky.
The two-year term began at the end of the annual KPA Winter Convention, held recently in Louisville.
Givens attended her first KPA convention in 1975 as a new editor for Al Smith Communications Inc., a newspaper chain in south central Kentucky.
In 1982, Givens and her husband, Roger, founded The Butler County (Ky.) Banner and later purchased The Green River Republican, combining the newspapers. They sold the Banner publishing company in 1998.
Returning to college at the University of Kentucky to earn a Ph.D. degree, she joined the faculty at Eastern in 2006. She is currently vice chair of the Faculty Senate and co-president of the American Association of University Professors. She also serves on the board of directors of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors and just completed a term as Region 5 director and national board member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The western half of the state is represented by Leigh Landini Wright from Murray State University.
Givens has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ball State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Western Kentucky. She was named an Outstanding MPA Graduate Student at WKU and has received the Outstanding Journalism Alumnus Award from BSU. She has been named a Critical Thinking Teacher of the Year at EKU.
The Kentucky Press Association will soon celebrate its 150th anniversary, having been founded Jan. 13, 1869, in Frankfort. KPA is the nation’s 10th oldest state press association and represents newspapers and associate members from across the Commonwealth.