Coffey to Speak at MUW's Overby Forum

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Shelby Coffey III, former editor of the Los Angeles Times and television news executive with CNN and ABC, will be the speaker for Mississippi University for Women's Andrea Godwin Overby Forum on Friday, October 18, at 11:30 a.m. in the Hogarth Banquet Room.

This event is part of the annual Welty Weekend at The W events that are being held in conjunction with the inauguration of Dr. Claudia A. Limbert, MUW's 13th president.

Currently a senior fellow at The Freedom Forum, Coffey recently wrote "Best Practices: The Art of Leadership in News Organizations," a book on leadership that draws on the experiences of top media executives such as Arthur Sulzburger Jr., publisher of the New York Times, and Tom Johnson, former chairman of CNN. He writes about motivation, money, diversity, crisis management, the Internet and the futures of news.

Previously the president of CNN Business News and CNNfn, he was responsible for the overall leadership of CNNfn, which expanded to a 24-hour programming schedule under his leadership, and for all business and financial programming on CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN Headline News, CNN Airport Network and the news content of CNNfn.com.

Prior to joining CNN, Coffey was the executive vice president of ABC News. In addition to editorial responsibilities, he oversaw the editorial standards and practices, online activities, cable program development and ABC News productions.

Coffey was the editor and executive vice president of the Los Angeles Times from 1989 to 1997. He served as deputy associate editor when he joined the paper in 1986 and was named executive editor in 1988. The Los Angeles Times won five Pulitzer Prizes and was a finalist for the award 25 times while he was there.

In 1995, he was named Editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation in recognition of the Los Angeles Times' coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the 1994 O.J. Simpson trial. He also received the Ida B. Wells Award in 1995 for exemplary achievement in the hiring and advancement of minorities in the news media.

Other positions he has held include serving as senior vice president and editor of the Dallas Times Herald and editor of U.S. News & World Report. He began his career at The Washington Post where he held a variety of positions during his 17 years there.

Coffey, who received a bachelor of arts degree in speech and drama from the University of Virginia, is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the International Press Institute. He also has served on the board of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

The Andrea Godwin Overby Forum is funded by the Andrea Godwin Overby Journalism Excellence Fund, which was established in 1993 with a gift from Charles Overby, chairman and CEO of The Freedom Forum. Overby's gift in honor of his wife, Andrea, a 1968 MUW graduate and journalist, on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, was matched by The Freedom Forum.

The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. Its mission is to help the public and the news media understand one another better through educational programs, conferences, seminars, broadcasts and publications.

Tickets to the Overby Forum and Luncheon are $10 each. All other Welty Weekend and Inauguration events are free and open to the public. For tickets or information about any of the events, contact MUW's Office of Alumni Relations at (662) 329-7295, Office of Development at (662) 329-7146 or Office of the President at (662) 329-7100.

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