Voting Runs March 28 – April 4
Voting for the SABEW Board of Governors opens Friday, March 28, and closes at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, April 4. Voting members will receive your ballot information direct from the online voting service provider Opavote.org. If you are the voting member for your newsroom and also have an individual membership, you will receive two separate emails. If your newsroom voting representation has changed, please contact Tess McLaughlin.
Ballots will be cast for six open seats with three-year terms ending in ending in 2028.
*Incumbents running for reelection.
*Mamta Badkar
U.S. Assistant Management Editor, Financial Times
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
One year.
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
Judging and DEI
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
I really enjoyed being a SABEW board member this past year and I think I can bring a diverse perspective to the board. I’d love the opportunity to continue to promote business journalism, to connect with fellow business journalists and give back to an industry that I’ve learned so much from.
I’d also like to represent the Financial Times, a global publication with a truly global perspective, and support the organization’s push to bring more international journalists into the fold.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
1. We should consider breaking out categories in the Best in Business for trade pubs / introduce new categories or expand existing ones like finance to include topics like professional services / audit / legal. I think there’s a lot of appetite for these stories and we shouldn’t overlook more niche beats. This would also allow us to broaden our membership and help increase revenues.
2. International chapters – I need to think about this more, but should we have more overseas chapters – one in the UK, one in Asia etc., model it off Canada if that has been successful.
Hilary Claggett
Senior Acquisitions Editor, Georgetown University Press
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
I just joined yesterday after learning that I was eligible, but I’ve followed the organization for several years.
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
None with SABEW.
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
I want to broaden my network of business, economics, and financial journalists, and I want to make additional contributions to the field beyond publishing books.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
I have a lot of ideas, but it would be presumptuous to say “here’s what I will do” when I’m new to the organization. It is quite possible that these initiatives are already under way.
1. I would look into strengthening ties with SABEW Canada and exploring opportunities to launch additional international chapters, while also studying whether SABEW has the staff capacity for meaningful expansion of membership.
2. I would try to learn whether there is a desire to make the job listings more robust and then look into how to accomplish that. One way might be to scour the newsletter Talking Biz News, which is all about personnel movement.
3. I would research whether SABEW would want to add an entrepreneurship contest for projects similar to those I evaluated for the Brown Institute on Media Innovation. However, this may already be covered adequately in the many awards and fellowship categories.
*Alan Deutschman
Professor and Reynolds Endowed Chair of Business Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
Seven years
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
For several years I have co-chaired the committee for the Best in Business Book Awards, and I serve on the Educators’ Committee.
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve on the SABEW board, and I am excited about continuing this work in the years ahead. As a board member I have co-chaired the Best in Business Book Awards, and I’m looking forward to expanding this thriving program into new categories of competition. I have also worked with colleagues on the Educators’ Committee to share ideas about how we teach business journalism in universities.
SABEW has offered me a wonderful way to connect with colleagues and to give back to the field that I’ve worked in for the past four decades, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to serve.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
While the SABEW membership is heavily concentrated in New York and Washington D.C., I would like to help develop more programs and encourage greater engagement for business journalists in the western states. (I’m based in Nevada). I would also like to work on more programming and outreach for our colleagues who work internationally.
*Nancy Farghalli
Executive Producer, Marketplace PM
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
Spring 2022
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
Membership and Training
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
I have served on the SABEW board for one term and have participated in skills development and training for fellow journalists. The trainings have focused on tools to do our job better—how to cover financial crisis, how to develop sources, how to analyze government data. But what we are facing now as journalists—is bigger—how to be a journalist when dealing with threats over independence, technology, and trust. Part of my goal is to facilitate those conversations and those trainings to provide the support that we all need to do the work—to inform and educate the public—and to not shrink from the challenges that we face.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
1. Continue to work to expand membership to include journalists at the beginning of their careers—to provide opportunities for mentorship and skills-based learning as folks start out.
2. Create workshops to understand the business of journalism —from underwriting, foundational support, hiring, payroll etc.—to give journalists the skills they need to learn how to create their own independent platforms.
Kathy Kristof
Editor/CEO, SideHusl.com
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
Off and on for more than 30 years
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
Executive and Membership. I was also the Treasurer and President at different points in time.
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
I became inactive for several years because I was dealing with ailing parents. But I’ve always been passionate about SABEW’s mission to improve the quality and reach of business journalism.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
I’d encourage SABEW to develop a partnership/symbiotic relationship with FinCon, which brings together financial bloggers and podcasters. And I’d encourage us to offer multi-media training.
*James Madore
Economics and Business Reporter, Newsday
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
Since 1989
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
Executive Committee, Finance Committee and First Amendment Committee
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
I’d like to continue working to strengthen SABEW’s finances – and that means identifying and tapping new sources of revenue without compromising our ethics.
I’ve had the privilege of helping to lead the Finance Committee. In that role, I helped secure $80,000 in PPP loans and a $150,000 COVID-19 EIDL loan that enabled SABEW to emerge from the pandemic stronger than other journalism organizations.
I also believe it’s vitally important for SABEW to speak out on issues affecting the coverage of business and finance, such the integrity of government data and access to top leaders. The First Amendment Committee, where I serve as vice chairman, has endeavored to build support for these issues and I know the committee’s work is valued by the membership. I want to continue to do this work.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
I would like to help our executive director to identify opportunities for grants and additional funding. I also would like to see SABEW amplify our First Amendment work.
Chana R. Schoenberger
Editor-in-Chief, American Banker
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
Since 2025
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
Not formally, but I was a judge for Best in Business in 2023 and 2024.
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
In this regulatory environment, business journalists are telling some of the most important stories about the government as well as companies. Our coverage area encompasses the intersection of money, people and power — essentially everything. The role of our professional association is to advocate for press freedom and to elevate the careers of business journalists through networking, training, and opportunities. I would be honored to help with this effort.
As a business journalist with 25 years’ experience, I would like to give back to the profession and help both my peers and newer colleagues achieve their career goals. I would also like to represent B2B journalists and to encourage more members to look at this sector of our industry as a vibrant career path.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
As a professional organization, a large part of our value lies in helping our members do their jobs better and move up in their careers. I would like to build on SABEW’s strong existing programming by adding more skill-building workshops for working journalists. These could be both technical (how to use FOIA, how to use graphic software to illustrate stories, a bootcamp on using AI tools) and illustrative (a journalist speaking about covering a particular beat or how they reported a specific important story).
We can also host more frequent in-person events in cities where our members cluster (NYC, DC, perhaps Chicago, SF or LA), with an eye toward strengthening connections, especially outside of the East Coast where our traditional focus has been. Happy hours, like the one in NYC in December, are often a draw for members, especially if co-hosted with another journalism organization. Members could also volunteer their corporate spaces (Arizent has a small one) for in-person events. Now that journalists are returning to the newsroom in person, after-work drinks or the occasional breakfast make for good social events to connect our community.
*Scott Wenger
Senior Economics Editor, World Bank
How long have you been a member of SABEW?
Approximately 25 years
Have you served on any committees and if so, which one(s)?
Best in Business Awards Committee, co-chair
Why do you want to be a SABEW board member?
Being on the SABEW board is both a privilege and an opportunity to bolster fellow business journalists in many realms, particularly skills building, networking and recognizing exceptional work. Growing the organization is essential, especially bringing in representatives of newer news organizations, smaller outlets and B2B publications.
What two ideas would you bring to SABEW as a governor?
1. Consistently reviewing the Best in Business Awards rules and categories to ensure the contest represents the latest ways content is being created by the full spectrum of news outlets, regardless of medium.
2. Boost outreach to representatives of newer news organizations, smaller outlets and B2B publications to ensure that SABEW represents the full breadth of business and financial journalists.
