Ashley Wimberley
Ashley Wimberley, the daughter of longtime northeast Arkansas newspaper publishers, has been named the permanent executive director of the Arkansas Press Association in Little Rock.
Wimberley had been the trade association’s interim director since the retirement of longtime director Tom Larimer in January. Formerly director of marketing, she was named to the leadership post by Byron Tate, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors and owner of the Sheridan Headlight.
The APA, formed in 1873, is the oldest trade association in Arkansas, serving some 110 newspapers in Arkansas and 130 associate members. “It’s an honor to be given the task and responsibility of continuing that tradition in my new position,” Wimberley told Arkansas Business. “It is my goal to help make certain that the critical role of newspapers in Arkansas continues to remain strong into the future.”
A graduate of Union College in Tennessee, Wimberley grew up in a newspaper family in Rector, in the very northeast corner of the state.
“My parents [Ron and Nancy Kemp] owned five weekly newspapers before selling to Rust Communications in 1997,” Wimberley said. “Even after the sale, they both worked for Rust, co-publishing several papers.”
Ron Kemp retired in November, he was overseeing papers in eight states as Rust’s vice president of operations.
Wimberley said that strong journalism is essential to democracy, and she’s dedicated to the APA’s mission of helping news organizations do reporting that holds powerful institutions accountable. For example, the APA has long been an ardent defender of Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act, an open records law.
“Journalism is more important now than ever,” Wimberley said, and one of her top priorities is helping to keep younger readers engaged.
“We just have to look at our news delivery mechanisms to provide content in their preferred format,” she said. “When we look at print circulation alone, we are no longer as an industry measuring our total audience.”
Wimberley is only the third leader the organization has had in nearly 40 years. Before Larimer took the reins in 2004, Dennis Schick served as director for 25 years.
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