2010 Eugene Meyer Award winners
Karen DeYoung: Few reporters in the newsroom today better embody the Post's commitment to authoritative, comprehensive journalism than Karen DeYoung. Karen joined The Post in 1975 after working as a stringer in West Africa. In key editing roles over her 35-year Post career -- including as assistant managing editor for national news and as foreign editor -- Karen shepherded award-winning coverage of national, diplomatic and international affairs. A colleague known for collegiality, she has hired many of the newsroom's finest talents--including National Editor Kevin Merida. Her reporting career took her from Prince George's County to Latin America to London. Since 1999, as associate editor and senior diplomatic correspondent, Karen has become a leading authority on national security, writing with a subtlety and clarity that wins the admiration of sources and readers. Again and again, Karen has pried information from recalcitrant officials eager to hide their work from the glare of public scrutiny. She turns tidbits into facts and facts into reporting and reporting into stories that represent "the truth as nearly as the truth can be ascertained."Liz Finos: Liz has spent the past two decades faithfully serving and selling to the area's local performing arts community and in the process has become a part of it. When her clients are not sure how to market an upcoming performance, they call her for advice. When it comes to selling out the house, Liz is the expert. Liz began her career at The Post in 1972 in the Classified "phone room". She worked several roles in classified and recruitment advertising in the 70's and 80's before landing at the entertainment desk in 1989. Along the way, Liz has become a trusted friend not only to her clients but to many in the building. She has mentored new sales reps and new managers alike. Liz effortlessly makes sure our readers and advertisers are getting the most possible value from our products. She has been both the creator and keeper of the entertainment marketplace. Liz serves on countless committees, performs innumerable thankless tasks and never loses her cool or charm. Liz embodies passion and dedication. She and her career deserve a standing ovation.
Hugh Price: Hugh joined The Post in 1993. Since that time he has been involved in so many discussions, projects, analysis and decision-making processes, that Jim Coley says, "it is impossible to comprehensively describe his great impact." In any decision of consequence in Production for the last 17 years, Hugh has been a key voice. Among other things, he played an integral role in the decision to buy new presses and in deciding what our requirements for the presses were. He is an expert on all production matters at The Post and has become a recognized authority in his field. Hugh does the work of at least two people and is always ready to do more. The scope of his input and analyses stretches far beyond the scope of the production department. Hugh still gets excited when he comes up with a "fiendishly clever idea" or solution to a problem the business is facing. People from across the company turn to Hugh for assistance. Whether an executive needs a quick piece of analysis, the budget unit needs guidance on production costs or the Pressroom Superintendent has a question - Hugh never turns anyone away and always comes through with the answer.
Wes Tyeryar: Wes joined The Washington Post in 1999 as one of the first Digital Sales executives at a time when we were first building our sales team in the digital space. After achieving tremendous success building relationships with travel clients, Wes was promoted to Travel Category Manager in 2004 where he quickly honed his skills in advertising product development. He successfully launched Budgettravel.com when the brand came under the Newsweek umbrella a few years later. Wes embodies our digital philosophy of "mission ambition" over personal ambition. Wes has worked tirelessly to help shape our global vision as the business began moving beyond our regional borders. In 2006 he took on the challenge of building our international business, establishing a beachhead in London and working effortlessly with his Washington Post Media colleagues. At the same time, Wes focused on developing the Central US region, developing our client base and the sales teams in Chicago and in Texas. A whole team of professionals grew up in the field with Wes. Throughout, Wes has showed remarkable range -- the ability to think strategically at 30,000 feet while being able to act at the tactical level. Wes is a great example of the attributes of the Eugene Meyer award.