IRE to launch search for a new executive director

October 8, 2020

The IRE Board of Directors will launch a national search to find a successor to IRE Executive Director Doug Haddix, who has announced his resignation, effective in early January.

“After four years in this demanding position, I am ready for a change,” Haddix said. “With IRE in solid shape, I feel confident that this is an appropriate time for a smooth leadership transition.”

IRE Board President Cheryl W. Thompson commended Haddix for his achievements. “The board is grateful for Doug’s service and all that he’s done for IRE over the last four years, including overseeing our recent first virtual conference, with nearly 3,000 attendees, the most in our history,” Thompson said. “He is leaving the organization in good financial shape and with a record-high membership of more than 6,500.”

During his tenure, IRE has developed several initiatives to address the organization’s diversity, including training and mentorship specifically for journalists of color, she said.

“We will miss Doug’s dedication and hard work,” she said, “and are thrilled that he has agreed to stay on until early next year.”

Haddix has worked as IRE’s executive director since October 2016. Previously, he worked as an IRE training director from 2008-11. He also served as an assistant vice president at Ohio State University and director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism. He worked for a decade as projects editor at The Columbus Dispatch, along with other editing and reporting jobs at newsrooms in Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

“It’s been a privilege to serve as executive director of IRE, an organization that I have loved since attending my first national conference in 1996 in Providence, Rhode Island,” he said. Coincidentally, that also was the first IRE conference for Thompson. “Her friendship has been invaluable to me through the years,” Haddix said.

If you are interested in learning more about the executive director’s position, please contact Thompson at cherylwt01@gmail.com.