A New Executive Director for ASNE   

Former St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editor Arnie Robbins assumes the position as the editors’ group moves from the Washington, D.C., area to the University of Missouri. Mon., June 11, 2012.

Arnie Robbins, who stepped down as editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last month, will be the new executive director of the American Society of News Editors starting July 9.

Current executive director Richard Karpel, appointed in 2009, decided not to make the move from Reston, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., suburbs to the University of Missouri, the future home of the ASNE. He has been named president and CEO of the Yoga Alliance, an Arlington, Virginia yoga support and education company.

Robbins, who served as editor and managing editor at the Post-Dispatch for 13 years, has been an active member of ASNE, serving on committees and helping with recruitment. He also worked at Minneapolis' Star Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

"We are overjoyed to have such a distinguished news executive and champion of innovation join ASNE at this pivotal moment in our history," ASNE President Susan Goldberg said in a statement. "Arnie is an experienced and gifted leader, administrator and journalist who can help us build partnerships as we reinvigorate this important organization."

This summer, ASNE will move its headquarters from Reston to the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute on the University of Missouri's campus in Columbia.

Robbins cited ASNE's new relationship with the university as a major reason for making the move.

"I think that it's an exciting time for both ASNE and the University of Missouri in terms of a partnership, and I think both have an opportunity to build something bigger and better than either could do by themselves," Robbins said in an interview. "ASNE has a great history and tradition, but it's also building something from the ground up."

Robbins says he is excited to help develop innovative programs that can be beneficial to a wide variety of people in and out of academia.

"There's a lot more innovation occurring in news organizations around the country than we give ourselves credit for," Robbins said in a statement. "I really believe that this partnership can help boost that innovation even more by providing leadership, creativity and tools for the news industry, journalists, educators and students."