Richard Karpel named Nevada Press Association executive director

The Nevada Press Association has selected longtime industry advocate Richard Karpel as its new executive director.

Karpel and his company, Karpel Public Affairs, will take over management of the association starting Tuesday and will relocate from Washington, D.C., to Nevada.

The Nevada Press Association represents daily and weekly news publications in Nevada and the Lake Tahoe region of Northern California, as well as online news services and other specialized publications.

“I’ve always loved working with journalists, representing them,” Karpel said. “It’s about making the world a better place to live. To the extent we can contribute to that is something I feel good about going into the office every day.”

The shift in management comes after former longtime NPA Executive Director Barry Smith retired in October. The press association launched a national search for a new executive director in the summer, and its board of directors unanimously approved the appointment of Karpel Public Affairs on Dec. 18.

“The Nevada Press Association could not have found a better person to lead the organization than Richard Karpel,” said Glenn Cook, NPA board president and executive editor and vice president for news at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Richard’s experience leading news industry trade groups will ensure the NPA remains an influential voice and a powerful advocate for Nevadans’ right to know.”

Karpel Public Affairs previously was known as American Press Works. Karpel took ownership of American Press Works in 2017 after serving as chief staff officer of several trade associations and professional societies, including the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (previously known as the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies) and the American Society of News Editors. He received a business degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Karpel Public Affairs’ clients include the Public Notice Resource Center and American Court and Commercial Newspapers.

“Richard comes to Nevada with exemplary qualifications, and we are fortunate to have him joining us in the ongoing efforts to support local journalists and the fight for government transparency here in the Silver State,” NPA board member and Reno Gazette-Journal content strategist Peggy Santoro said in a news release from the NPA.

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-393-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.