SPJ Madison thanks former President Mark Pitsch for his service

MADISON — The Madison Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists would like to thank Mark Pitsch for his dedication and service to the Madison journalism community and to the Society of Professional Journalists.

Pitsch has recently stepped down from his presidency at SPJ Madison after joining the UW-System’s Office of University Relations earlier this month. He previously worked as the Wisconsin State Journal’s assistant city editor.

Pitsch served as president of SPJ Madison since 2011 and played a strong role in activating the chapter. His accomplishments include: leading the chapter to fundraise thousands of dollars for journalism education opportunities and developing programming ranging from election post-mortems to reporting on specialized topics such as religion, finance and Wisconsin’s beer scene. He represented SPJ on Wisconsin’s Freedom of Information Council and helped create a traveling panel that explored the value of open government in Wisconsin.

“Mark Pitsch was one of our most active and engaged members,” said Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council President Bill Lueders. “It was his inspiration to launch the Open Government Traveling Show, in which openness advocates travelled across the state for three days in 2016, giving presentations in eight cities. His energy and commitment with be greatly missed. We are all very grateful for his service to the cause.

“Mark was there from the reactivation of the Madison Pro Chapter through its stature as nationally recognized SPJ chapter,” said Joseph Radske, Region 6 Director and former SPJ Madison Pro Chapter Vice President.

“Mark has been a remarkable advocate for journalism in Madison and around the state of Wisconsin. We will deeply miss his leadership and dedication to the causes of ethical journalism, a free press and open government,” said Lauren Fuhrmann, SPJ Madison Pro Chapter Vice President.

Fuhrmann will serve as SPJ Madison’s acting president until the end of the year; a new president will be appointed in January 2018. Elections for chapter positions will be held in April 2019.

For more information, please contact Briana Reilly and Breann Schossow: [email protected].