LAS VEGAS — Naila-Jean Meyers, senior assistant sports editor since 2020 for the Star Tribune, is taking over one of the most important roles in American sports journalism. Meyers assumed the presidency of the Associated Press Sports Editors organization Wednesday at its annual conference.
Meyers is the 49th APSE president and the fifth woman to hold the position. In her one-year term as president, Meyers wants to focus on increasing connections and a sense of community within the organization.
“We need to be nurturing the journalists — the people,” Meyers said during her acceptance speech Wednesday. “Our greatest asset is our people.”
Meyers, the second Star Tribune editor (Glen Crevier, 2005) to hold the position, oversees the newspaper’s Vikings/NFL and Olympics coverage and drives the sports department’s digital and audience-focused initiatives. She previously worked at the New York Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Sporting News after graduating from Northwestern in 2000.
Meyers is involved in several initiatives beyond sports in the Star Tribune newsroom, including advising on hiring, grammar and style, digital strategies and more.
“Naila is a smart, solutions-driven leader with a sharp wit and big heart.” said Suki Dardarian, editor and senior vice president of the Star Tribune. “She is a model citizen of the newsroom, a reader-focused journalist — and a perfect choice to lead this respected organization at a time of transformation in the media industry.”
APSE award winners also were recognized in Las Vegas. The Star Tribune won APSE’s top honor, the Grand Slam, for its collective work in 2022. Sportswriters Ben Goessling and Chip Scoggins were recognized in the beat reporting and feature writing categories, respectively.
Additionally, Alex Kormann won first place in the feature photo competition
APSE, which serves large and small news outlets across the country, is urgently looking for the right path forward for not only its members but its 50-year-old organization as well — a challenge Meyers happily accepts.
“To everyone who gave me a nudge in my career,” Meyers said, “I hope I make you proud.”