Fishman honors Lance for her initiative, support

Nov 1, 2024

OMAHA, Nebraska — As his two-year term as National Newspaper Association Foundation president was coming to an end, R. Michael Fishman, publisher of the Citizen Tribune in Morristown, Tennessee, wanted to find a way to show his appreciation to Lynne Lance, the NNA executive director.

“Lynne was so great to work with,” Fishman said. “Her dedication and devotion both to the NNA and its foundation are unmatched. I could not have survived two years in the presidency without the hard work, support and organization of Lynne and her team.”

In honor of that work, Fishman created the President’s Award and presented it to Lance at the Annual Convention and Trade Show held in Omaha, Nebraska, in late September.

“She’s done an excellent job for our organization,” Fishman said. “She is a credit to our organization. She believes in the organization, its foundation and our mission. She is a champion for community newspapers across the country. She has helped our organization position itself for future success.”

Lance was named COO of the organization in 2017 as it partnered with the Illinois Press Association for operations. She took over leadership of the organization in 2019.

Fishman isn’t the only NNA leader pleased with Lance’s leadership. Tonda Rush, the organization’s general counsel who has worked with NNA since 1992 in a variety of roles, said she’s doing the jobs it took four or five people to do previously.

“She’s done a tremendous job,” Rush said. “I’m a big Lynne fan — absolutely. The NNA needed someone who cared about the organization. People who come to NNA and are successful are successful because they believe in the mission of NNA and the mission of community newspapers.”

Past president Matt Adelman agreed: “I think she’s done a fantastic job,” he said. “She stepped up to the plate.… The NNA and the NNAF are in a much better position now than we have been in any time since probably 2000.… I can’t say enough good things about the job she’s done, plus she’s a great human being.”

John Galer, past chairman of the NNA Board, said Lance is a treasure. “We’ll never have anybody who works as hard or as enthusiastically for the NNA and our interest,” he said. “She is a fount of knowledge. She’s got a get-it-done attitude. You can’t get anything done without Lynne. She gets you lined up. She’s special. She knows business. She knows how to make things happen, plus she loves what she does.”

Fishman said that ultimately, he wanted to create a way for future NNAF presidents to honor those who go above and beyond like Lance and her team.

“Because she does so well, I and the other volunteers are able to do our work for the association and the foundation — work that is critical for our industry,” he said. “I couldn’t have served in my role without her support.”