Yvonne Mintz accepts gavel as 147th TPA president

DALLAS – Veteran editor and publisher Yvonne Mintz accepted the gavel as the 147th president of the Texas Press Association at the group’s annual convention.

Mintz is editor and publisher of The Facts in Brazoria County and vice president of Southern Newspapers, Inc. with oversight of the newspapers in Bay City, Baytown, Nacogdoches and Lufkin.

She succeeds Lisa Chappell, regional executive for Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. and publisher of the Greenville Herald Banner as well as ten sister newspapers in Texas and Oklahoma.

A graduate of the University of Texas, Mintz has been with The Facts since 1997, starting out as a reporter, then senior reporter and city editor before becoming managing editor in 2004 and editor in 2014. She became publisher in December 2015.

She is active in the Brazoria County community, through Leaders Under 40, Shop Local Shop Strong and the Facts App. She has served twice as president of the Angleton Rotary Club, policies director for the Center for the Arts and Sciences and board member for the United Way of Brazoria County. At the state level, she is vice president for the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

Chappell, who continues on the TPA board as chairman, noted TPA was founded in 1880 with J.W. Fishburn of Marlin as the first president. “It took more than 100 years to elect a woman president,” Chappell said, citing Mary Henkel Judson, who served in 1990-91.

“Since then, we’ve had Sarah Greene, Wanda Garner Cash, Judy Johnson, Laurie Ezzell Brown, Ramona Ferguson, and I am the seventh,” she said, introducing Mintz as the eighth woman president of TPA.

In her first Messenger column as president, Mintz outlines her goals and the plans of the board in selecting a new executive director for the first time in decades. (See page 2.)

At the convention Mike Hodges announced he will retire next summer after 36 years with TPA.

The gavel was transferred to Mintz through the tradition passing of the gavel from past presidents in attendance at the convention, including Roy Eaton, who served from 1987-88; Mary Henkel Judson, who served from 1990-91; Larry Jackson, 1998-99; Phil Major, 2007-08; Russel Skiles, 2012-13; Greg Shrader, 2013-14; Randy Mankin, 2015-16; Randy Keck, 2016-17; Ramona Ferguson, 2020-21; Jim Bardwell, 2021-22; Leonard Woolsey, 2022-23; and Ken Esten Cooke, 2023-24.

New officers serving on the board with with Mintz and Chappell include First Vice President Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise and Greenbelt Intrepid; Second Vice President Kelli Barnes, Polk County Publishing; and Treasurer Ana Cosino-Mize, Navasota Examiner and Madisonville Meteor.

Elected directors include Lange Svehlak, CHNI; Thomas Edwards, Granite Media Partners; Tania French, Port Lavaca Wave; Michelle Robinson, The Daily News, Galveston; Paul Prause, Flatonia Argus; and Regina Keilers, Fayette County Record in La Grange.

Appointed directors are Mandy Farrow, Texas Local Media group; Clay Carsner, The Paris News; Past President Jim Bardwell, Gladewater Mirror; Past President Randy Mankin, Masked Rider Publications; Past President Randy Keck, The Community News, Aledo; Past President Patrick Canty, Odessa American; Past President Leonard Woolsey, Southern Newspapers, Inc.; and Scott Wesner, Wesner Media.

Also serving on the board are the presidents and vice presidents of TPA’s regional groups: North & East Texas Press Association President Abigail Bardwell, Pilot Point Post Signal and Vice President James Draper, Gladewater Mirror; Panhandle Press Association President Tara Huff, Fritch, The Eagle Press and Vice President Shane Lance, The Quanah Tribune-Chief; South Texas Press Association; President Meghann Garcia, Uvalde Leader-News and Vice President Marc Robertson, Pearsall, Frio-Nueces Current; and Texas Gulf Coast Press Association President Denise Squier, Caldwell, Burleson County Tribune and Vice President Ashley Keenan, Polk County Publishing.

TPA Executive Director Mike Hodges serves as an ex officio board member.