Ball State University's Watson is New Executive Director of Business Editor/Writer Group

By: Joe Strupp The Society of American Business Editors and Writers has named veteran journalist Warren Watson as its executive director.

Watson had been the director since 2004 of J-Ideas, a journalism non-profit program at Ball State University serving high-school students, a SABEW release stated.

He was also at the American Press Institute from 1998 to 2004, serving the last four years as a vice president and acting co-president.

"SABEW is very fortunate to have recruited such an outstanding journalist and leader to help us grow the organization and support business journalism," SABEW President Greg McCune, training editor for Thomson Reuters, said in a statement. "Warren has a proven track record of developing programs that make a difference and managing them well. I see an exciting future for SABEW under his steady guidance."

As executive director, Watson will work with McCune and SABEW's board to expand training, grow membership, and keep the society's website current, the statement said.

Watson will oversee the society from its new headquarters at Arizona State University. SABEW will relocate there this fall, to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism from the University of Missouri Journalism School, where it has been based since 1984.