Managing board

• Debra L. Mason, Religion Newswriters

  Mason is a former award-winning reporter who has covered, researched and written about religion in the news for nearly 30 years. She is executive director of Religion Newswriters and Director of the Center on Religion & the Professions at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Mason earned an MSJ degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication at Ohio University. She also holds an MTS degree.

• Amy White, Lehigh University
• Phil Haslanger, The (Madison, Wisc.) Capital Times

  Phil is the full-time pastor at Memorial UCC. He spent most of his adult life working in journalism for The Capital Times. He covered politics, education and religion, then served as city editor, editorial page editor and managing editor. In 2002, he was president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers.

Religion News Service

• Kevin Ekstrom, editor

  Eckstrom joined the RNS staff in 2000 and became editor in 2006. Prior to coming to RNS, he worked as religion editor at the Stuart/Port St. Lucie News in Florida. He was the winner of the 2000 Cassels Award for small newspapers from the Religion Newswriters Association. Under his leadership, RNS was named Best Wire Service by the Associated Church Press for both 2006 and 2007 – the only time RNS has won back-to-back years.

• Adelle M. Banks, senior correspondent

  Banks joined the Religion News Service staff in 1995 after working for more than 10 years at daily newspapers. She was a full-time religion reporter for six years in Orlando, covered the beat during part of her time in Syracuse and contributed to religion coverage at the other papers. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., Banks was a third-place winner in the Religion Newswriters Association’s Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year contest in 1997.

• Daniel Burke, national correspondent

  Daniel Burke joined Religion News Service in May 2006. Before working for RNS, he was a reporter for the Lancaster New Era, in Lancaster, Pa. In 2006, Burke won second place in the Cassels Award for religion reporters at small newspapers from the Religion Newswriters Association. In 2010, Burke won the American Academy of Religion’s Award for Best In-Depth Reporting on Religion.

• Tracy Gordon, editorial and publishing consultant

  Gordon joined the Religion News Service staff in 2004. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from The University of Louisville.

Community websites

• Tiffany McCallen, national community manager
• Tracy Simmons, editor/local community manager, Spokane
• Amanda Greene, editor/local community manager, Wilmington, N.C.

Religion Newswriters

• Debra Mason, executive director
• Michelle Stacho, business manager
• Yonat Shimron, development director
• Amy Schiska, administrative assistant
• Rachel Friel, administrative assistant
• David Herrera, web assistant

ReligionLink

• David Gibson, editor

  Gibson is a veteran religion writer who has worked chiefly for daily newspapers. He has won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, which is given to the nation’s top writer on the religion beat. He is a member of the board of the Religion Newswriters Association. He has also produced television documentaries, most recently a CNN program on early Christianity.

• Mary Gladstone, assistant editor

  Gladstone is a freelance writer and editor with more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist. Mary’s newspaper career includes The Dallas Morning News, where she was an assistant metro editor, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where she served on the city and copy desks.