Senior Advisor Rick C. Wade to Address the National Newspaper Publishers Association
MINNEAPOLIS– Rick C. Wade, senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, will deliver the keynote address at the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) tomorrow, Friday, June 26, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Radisson Plaza Hotel.
Wade, who served as a senior advisor on President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, will focus on how ethnic newspapers and the media can help ensure minorities are accurately counted in the 2010 Census, as well as the role newspapers play in encouraging readers and the community to stand up and be counted.
The NNPA, also known as the Black Press of America, is a coalition of more than 200 black community newspapers from across the United States. Its annual conference is the leading event for African-American publishers and sets a national agenda for editorial focus, advertising and outreach.
“We’re honored to welcome Rick Wade to Minneapolis for this tremendous gathering of dedicated newspaper publishers at the 2009 NNPA conference," said NNPA Chairman John B. Smith, Sr. "His presentation will provide attendees with the insight they need to develop strategies to help them move forward and reach their communities and increase U.S. Census participation.”
In his role as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff for Commerce Secretary Locke, Wade is responsible for creating an infrastructure that will promote job creation and improve living standards for all Americans. The Department of Commerce gathers economic and demographic data and has responsibility for the 2010 Census.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that every person living in the United States must be counted – both citizens and non citizens. The increasing number of first-generation minorities, specifically those of African and Hispanic descent, has caused the Census Bureau to seek new strategies to reach these often hard-to-count populations. Wade will address those challenges and present proven strategies and techniques to African-American publishers for targeting hard-to-reach audiences.
During his speech, Wade will explain that Census data inform critical decisions including congressional representation and the allocation of more than $300 billion annually in federal funds for schools, law enforcement and other vital services.
Publishers who actively engage readers to participate in the 2010 Census can directly impact job creation and help stimulate local business, which can significantly impact the national and global economy.
Following his keynote speech, the Census Bureau will conduct a 2010 Census Partnership Seminar on advertising and ethnic media, from 10:30 a.m. – Noon.
About NNPA
The National Newspaper Publishers Association, also known as the Black Press of America, is a 67-year-old federation of more than 200 Black community newspapers from across the :place United States . Since World War II, it has also served as the industry's news service, a position that it has held without peer or competitor since the Associated Negro Press dissolved by 1970. In 2000, the NNPA launched NNPA Media Services, a print and web advertising-placement and press release distribution service. In 2001, the NNPA, in association with the NNPA Foundation, began building the BlackPressUSA Network, the nation's premier network of local Black community news and information portals. The BlackPressUSA Network is anchored by BlackPressUSA.com , the national web portal for the Black Press of America.
About Rick C. Wade
Rick C. Wade is currently senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Wade served as a national senior advisor and national director of African-American vote on President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and also served on President Obama’s transition team. On the campaign, he successfully directed efforts to mobilize unprecedented numbers of African Americans across the country.
Wade is a former executive at Palmetto GBA, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, and served as State Director of the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges’ cabinet.
Wade is a Lancaster, South Carolina, native and attended: place Lancaster public schools. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree from Harvard University, where he also was a Kennedy Fellow. Wade also studied at both the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
