Summary of Qualifications

Over the past decade, I have covered a variety of beats, as an editor and a reporter, in the United States and abroad. I have developed expertise in dealing with private and public companies, government bureaucracies and ordinary people. My background makes me as comfortable filing FOIA requests as I am delving into SEC documents and I can spend a morning designing a database to track train accidents and the afternoon talking to people injured in one. My wide-ranging experience -- including covering city government, religion, cops, business and more -- allows me to take a broad approach to enterprise pieces and projects, while my work as an editor, both at a magazine and at newspapers, has cultivated my story development and long-range planning skills.

Journalistic Experience

Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Fla.
August 2002 - present
Military Affairs Reporter: Write about issues of importance to the active-duty and retired military community in Jacksonville, home to the third-largest Naval base in the United States, the headquarters of the Navy's Fourth Fleet, an Air National Guard fighter wing and Army and Marine logistics commands. Also cover the defense industry presence in town, from Northrop Grumman Corp. and Boeing Co. to a host of smaller players.
Transportation & International Trade Reporter: Covered one of the country's 20 largest seaports, a growing airport system, a Class I railroad and a variety of transportation and logistics companies -- one of the largest industry sectors in Jacksonville. Examined how the rest of the world affects the local marketplace by writing about trade agreements, import/export issues and other concerns of companies that compete in a global economy. Also covered road construction and public transportation issues, such as infrastructure safety and highway capacity woes.
Workplace Issues Reporter: Covered a wide-ranging beat for the business section, writing about economic development, technology and "the intersection of life and the workplace." Headed up the newspaper's Sunday business section, a targeted publication aimed at the city's growing young professional community, a position that allowed me to help with editing, story selection and long-term planning.

Oskar's, Hamburg, Germany
October 2001 - May 2002
Redakteur (Editor): Led the English side of this bilingual magazine targeted at German and American high school students. Developed story ideas and worked with photographers, freelancers and layout artists to bring each piece to completion. Also wrote articles (in English) for the magazine and translated work from German to English.

Arthur Burns Fellowship, Berlin, Germany
July 2001 - October 2001
Fellow/Freelance Reporter: Wrote articles dealing with German history and culture, immigration issues and business affairs for the Berliner Morgenpost and Bild, the fifth largest paper in the world. Freelanced for a range of publications, writing about topics including German-American relations in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

The News-Journal, Daytona Beach, Fla.
February 1999 - August 2000
General Assignment Reporter: Served as the "heart attack" reporter for the western half of Volusia County, jumping on the news of the day for quick-turn-around, in-depth reactions to breaking events. Also developed my own long-range projects, mainly focusing on education and crime reporting.
City Government Reporter: Covered city council, zoning and planning committees and other bureaucracies in the suburban area between Daytona Beach and Orlando, fiercely competing with one of the largest papers in Florida.

The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
May 1997 - February 1999
Metro Reporter: Covered eight cities and towns in the highly competitive suburban Cleveland market. Responsible for writing about the work of various city agencies and political entities as well as digging out news and feature stories from among the communities covered.
Religion Editor: Supervised a team of correspondents, edited wire copy and took photographs for a weekly section. Also wrote features and news stories (for the metro section) about the local religious community.
Business Reporter: Covered a range of national and local businesses in three suburban Cleveland counties. Wrote several feature stories a week, handled breaking financial news from a number of public companies and produced weekly enterprise stories.

The Austin American-Statesman, Austin, Texas
Summer 1996
Copy Editor Intern: Served as a rim editor for the news, sports and feature sections. Worked full time, doing the job of personnel who were out of state working for the company's Olympic task force.

The Liberty Champion, Lynchburg, Va.
1995-1997
Editor in Chief: In charge of the university's weekly broadsheet. Directly supervised a 15-member editorial staff that oversaw about 45 reporters, photographers, copy editors and others. Wrote a column and several news stories each week. Held this position my junior and senior year, after serving as news editor my sophomore year and a news reporter my freshman year.

The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
1992-1997
Correspondent: Covered a variety of local government and school board meetings. Wrote general assignment news and feature stories for the city desk and feature articles for the business section. Served as lead sports reporter for a zoned edition of the paper.

Academic Experience

Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
2000-2001
Graduated with a Master of Science degree in journalism, concentrating on print media and focusing on international affairs and business. Rode freight trains to interview subjects for a long-form article looking at the lives of modern hobos. Served on the board of the school's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Designed and produced the online version of the Reuters Forum journal, collecting a range of articles on various aspects of globalization. Served as an editor of the journalism school yearbook.

Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va.
1993-1997
Graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in May 1997. Majored in journalism/news editorial and minored in history. Member of the university's honor program. Board member of the university chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta, a national honor society. Member of Phi Alpha Theta, a national honor society in history. Served as a Student Government Association senator, representing both my residence hall and the student newspaper.

Awards

• 2008 Florida Press Club: First place - General News
• 2008 SPJ Sunshine State Awards: Second Place - Deadline Business Reporting
• 2006 Florida Press Club: Third place - Breaking News Coverage
• 2006 SPJ Sunshine State Awards: Third place - Deadline Business Reporting
• 2001 Arthur F. Burns Prize for Reports and Features, recognizing reportage on German-American relations
• 2001 New York Financial Writers Association Thomas E. Mullaney Scholarship, recognizing outstanding potential in business and financial journalism
• 2000 Columbia University's Robert Reinhold and Hough Scholarship Fund scholarships
• 1996 Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Outstanding Internship Prospect

Miscellaneous

• Computer-aided Reporting: Proficient in building and working with databases and spreadsheets. Have completed advanced training in Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel.
• Electronic Media: Experienced in producing news for television and online venues. Hosted a weekly business news segment for a television station partner of the Florida Times-Union.
• Teaching: Since Spring 2003, have served as an adjunct journalism professor at the University of North Florida, teaching Advanced Writing for the Media and running the related writing lab. In Spring 2008, created and taught Business Journalism, a 3000-level course.
• Language: Read and understand German at an intermediate level. In the midst of coursework designed to move me to an advanced skill level.

References available upon request.

© Timothy J. Gibbons 1999-2007 |