Leonard Witt, assistant professor of media studies in the Department of Communication at Kennesaw State University, is the first holder of this newly endowed chair. Prior to accepting this position, which commenced in August 2002, Mr. Witt was executive director of Minnesota Public Radio's Civic Journalist Initiative. He brought together everyday citizens and stakeholders to talk about public policy issues and then amplified what they said on the radio, in print and on the Internet.

The projects ranged from welfare to work to philanthropy to racial disparities in the Minnesota criminal justice system to economic literacy. The projects can be found by going to the civic journalism web site at Minnesota Public Radio.

He has more than two decades of experience in print journalism. Prior to forming the Civic Journalism Initiative in 1995, Witt was editor of Minnesota Monthly magazine, an award winning regional magazine with a circulation of 84,000, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Sunday Magazine and the Allentown Morning Call's a.m. Magazine.

His civic journalism projects have won the Silver Gavel for radio from the American Bar Association; the Public Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalism; a Batten Award Honorable Mention; Maria Caleel Award for reporting on interpersonal violence, judged by the University of Missouri School of Journalism; a Silver Award from the City and Regional Magazine Association, judged by the White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas; and a first place award for in-depth reporting presented by the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists.

He is also editor of The Complete Book of Feature Writing (Writers Digest, 1991), and the founding editor of Style, the journal for the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Nonfiction Writing from the University of New Hampshire.