Booker Izell was not a journalist, but embodied those qualities: A knack for asking tough, probing questions. An eye for detail. Dogged persistence.
Izell changed the face of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and its parent company Cox Enterprises by championing diversity, attracting more employees of color and mentoring a generation of Black journalists.
As head of diversity and inclusion, he guided those changes with a combination of affability, compassion, ability to communicate and directness — when necessary.