BILOXI — The publisher of the Starkville Daily News was elected president of the state newspaper association during its 150th annual convention June 24 in Biloxi.
Don Norman, 69, who has served as publisher of the newspaper since 2000, is a native of Natchez and longtime newspaperman. After beginning his career in advertising at The Natchez Democrat, he later served as general manager and vice president of Natchez Newspapers before being named publisher of The Atmore, Alabama Advance.
He joined The Auburn Bulletin as marketing director in 1987, later becoming special project coordinator Thomson Newspapers’ Alabama division. Under his leadership, the Daily News has come major commercial printing hub, handling jobs for 23 daily and weekly newspapers. He currently also serves as publisher of the Daily Times Leader in West Point.
Norman will also a serve concurrently as president of Mississippi Press Services, an affiliated advertising and marketing unit of MPA.
He and his wife, Peggy, have two children, a son, Byron, who serves as associate publisher for the newspapers, and Lindsey, an admissions counselor for Mississippi State University.
The publisher of the Copiah County Courier in Hazlehurst was also elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors. Joe Coates, who joined the weekly newspaper in 1996 as advertising director, is a graduate of Mississippi State University and also serves as advertising manager for The Meteor, an affiliated newspaper in Crystal Springs.
Also elected as officers of MPA-MPS were Paul Keane, publisher of The Wayne County News in Waynesboro, who will serve as first vice president, and Kevin Cooper, publisher of The Natchez Democrat, who will serve as second vice president. James Arrington Goff, executive editor of The News-Commercial in Collins, was re-elected treasurer.
Joel McNeece, publisher of The Calhoun County Journal in Bruce, becomes immediate past president of the organizations and chairman of the board of the Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation.
]Founded in 1866 and celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2016, MPA is the trade group for Mississippi newspaper media. MPS, founded in 1978, is an affiliated advertising and marketing service. The MPA Education Foundation, founded in 1983, provides internships and scholarships to in-state students of journalism and communications.
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