Teri Hayt

Teri Hayt is Report for America's Director of Corps and Newsroom Excellence and Regional Manager, Region 5 (All corps members who are part of the Mississippi River Basin Project, also called the Ag & Water Desk). Hayt most recently was the interim executive director of the News Leaders Association. During 35 years in the publishing industry, she has held staff management positions at Time-Life Books, Inc., Sports Illustrated, The San Diego Union, Newsday and The Orlando Sentinel. Hayt helped merge the American Society of News Editors with the Associated Press Media Editors to form the News Leaders Association in 2019. Previously, Hayt was the executive editor for GateHouse Media Ohio and the managing editor at the Arizona Daily Star. She received the Society of Professional Journalists 2012 Sunshine award and directed coverage of “Barriers to Mental Health” which received APME’s 2011 Public Service award. The series documented the obstacles for seeking help for the seriously mentally ill. The project followed the deadly shooting in Tucson, AZ, that killed six and wounded thirteen, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Hayt is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, is a past president of the Arizona Newspaper Association, was the First Amendment chair and vice-president for the national Associated Press Media Editors organization and was a member of the APME board from 2010 to 2015. She served as a Pulitzer jurist in 2014.