PNA, Oct. 21

Please welcome PNA's new Foundation Director Kathryn Sosbe

After a summer-long search, the PNA has named Kathryn Sosbe (pronounced SAHS-be) its new Foundation director. She started the position on Oct. 10.

Kathryn got her start in journalism as a U.S. Army field radio operator and Army journalist, working at an Army hospital as a writer, photographer and editor.

After leaving the Army, Kathryn moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., where she worked for The (Colorado Springs) Gazette as a reporter, and then as the home and garden editor and assistant city editor. As a reporter she won several state awards for coverage of breaking news. She is especially proud to have served as the paper's training and development editor, where she planned and delivered training for a newsroom staff of 125.

Her next stop was the (South Florida) Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where she was an assistant city editor. Kathryn was responsible for a five-member team of local government reporters, and was on the editing team for the 2000 presidential election as well as the anthrax outbreak in South Florida.

In 2002, Kathryn moved near Philadelphia to care for an elderly relative. While this was a quite a switch from the newspaper industry, she soon found an opportunity to receive training in American Sign Language, and decided to use some of her free hours to learn ASL. In a short time she began volunteer work for the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre in Swarthmore, Pa., and eventually became a grant employee, working to streamline operations and develop reference materials.

Kathryn is a big advocate of making the public understand its role in newspapers. Naturally, she wants the public to be informed about issues concerning the First Amendment, Right-to-Know and open records. This passion relates back to her time spent representing The (Colorado Springs) Gazette on the board of the Colorado Freedom of Information Council.

Kathryn will manage the PNA Foundation and its staff, and will also be a member of the PNA Operating Committee.

Kathryn currently resides in Hummelstown, Pa. She is an avid cook and jewelry making is her newest hobby. Kathryn has two daughters in their 20s, one in Colorado and the other in New York.

Feel free to get in touch with Kathryn to introduce yourself. She can be reached at (717) 703-3002 or kathryns@pa-news.org.