Accrediting Committee

The members of the Accrediting Committee meet once a year to review the reports of on-site observations submitted by site visit teams. The Committee examines the reports thoroughly and makes recommendations for accrediting actions. The recommendations are forwarded to the Accrediting Council, which makes all final accrediting decisions.

The Accrediting Committee has 15 members. The Accrediting Council President serves as an ex-officio voting member of the Committee.

Rafael Lorente, Chair, Accrediting Committee
Dean and Professor of the Practice
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
University of Maryland
College Park, MD
‍rafael.lorente@acejmc.org

Diana Martinelli, Vice Chair, Accrediting Committee
‍Vice Dean, College of Creative Arts and Media
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
diana.martinelli@acejmc.org

Andrew Alexander
Foothills Forum, Board Chair
Sperryville, VA
andy.alexander@acejmc.org
andyalexander1@me.com
(Term expires 2028)

Cristina L. Azocar
Professor, Incoming Chair
Department of Journalism
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
cazocar@sfsu.edu
(Term expires 2027)

Kim Baca
President/CEO
KB Consulting
Albuquerque, NM
kim@kbacaconsulting.com
(Term expires 2028)

Peter Bhatia
Former newspaper editor in Portland, Cincinnati and Detroit
Phoenix, AZ
peterkbhatia@gmail.com
(Term expires 2028)

Laura T. Coffey
President, Society for Features Journalism
Seattle, WA
laura.coffey@gmail.com
(Term expires 2027)

Vince Duffy
News Director
Michigan Public
Ann Arbor, MI
vduffy@umich.edu
(Term expires 2027)

Kenn Gaither
Dean
School of Communications
Elon University
Elon, NC
tgaither@elon.edu
(Term expires 2026)

Kristin Gilger
Professor Emerita
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Arizona State University
Phoenix, AZ
kristin.gilger@asu.edu
(Term expires 2027)

Jackie Jones
Dean
School of Global Journalism & Communication
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD
jacqueline.jones@morgan.edu
(Term expires 2027)

Gracie Lawson-Borders
Professor and Dean Emerita
Cathy Hughes School of Communications
Howard University
Washington, DC
gracie.lawsonborders@howard.edu
(Term expires 2028)

Cheryl Procter-Rogers
APR, Fellow PRSA, MCC
Executive Coach and Associate Director
Ernst & Young, LLP,
  Americas Coaching Practice
Chicago, IL
Cheryl@cherylprocterrogers.com
(Term expires 2026)

Mark Nylander
Principal, Nylander + Partners
Cleveland, OH
mcnylander@gmail.com
(Term expires 2028)

Al Stavitsky
Professor
Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism
 and Center for Advanced Media Studies
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV
ags@unr.edu
(Term expires 2026)

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