NAHJ members vote to approve major update to bylaws
National Association of Hispanic Journalists members approved a major update of its bylaws for the first time in at least a decade.
NAHJ garnered 264 votes — barely 10% of eligible voting members — in favor of the new bylaws by Saturday’s deadline, according to a press release. Ten said “no.” Seven voted to abstain. In total, 281 members voted this year.
The new bylaws remove gendered language, update membership classes, adjust board election requirements and expand voting opportunities beyond the annual, in-person membership meeting, among other changes.
These changes are years in the making. Julio-César Chavez Andino, who was reelected as vice president of broadcast, and Arelis Hernandez, former vice president of print, helped develop the changes over four years.
The board made some updates to the bylaws in 2018 before undertaking a campaign to implement a broader update. Those proposed amendments failed to pass in 2020 due to insufficient votes, despite overwhelming support from those who did vote.
“We are grateful to all the members who gave thoughtful input and who came together to ratify the new bylaws,” Hernandez said.
A new board will usher in the changes. NAHJ elected Dunia Elvir to serve as president for the next two years. Her election was uncontested.
“I’m excited about all the progress we can still make to build newsrooms whose staff and leaders reflect the communities they cover.” said Elvir in a press release.
The other board members, who also ran unopposed, include:
- Jaime Cárdenas, vice president of online
- Julio-César Chavez Andino, vice president of broadcast
- Nancy Preyor-Johnson, vice president of print
- Andres H. Martinez, Financial Officer
- Pedro Cabrera, academic at-large officer
Cárdenas and Chavez-Andino were reelected to their positions. Elvir and Preyor-Johnson served on the previous board in different positions.
Three roles – Spanish At-Large Officer, General At-Large Officer, and Student Representative — remain vacant after no official nominations were received by the deadline. The new board plans to review the write-in votes and appoint people to fill those positions.
Elizabeth Jazlyn Dieguez is a recent journalism graduate from San Diego State University. She is a California Student Journalism Corps reporter at EdSource and aspires to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Reach her at elizabethjdieguez5 [at] gmail [dot] com or on X at @Elizabeth Dieguez.
Sofia Mireles-Gonzalez is a fourth-year student at Michigan State University majoring in Journalism with a concentration in Broadcasting. She is interested in covering topics related to immigration and aims to become a bilingual immigration reporter in the future. Reach her at mireles.sofia14 [at] gmail [dot] com or on LinkedIn.
