Story posted on Aug. 20, 2009

Brad Lehman

Keith Campbell

APSE's Southwest Region traditionally has been one of the nation's strongest – not surprising, since Texas has been home to some of the nation's best sports journalism.

The region found itself without APSE leadership this past year, however, and for the first time in memory there was no region meeting – a key component to the APSE experience for many of the state's smaller papers in particular.

Two editors, a pair of Missouri graduates, have stepped up to fill the void and get the Southwest back on track.

Brad Lehman, sports editor of the San Antonio Express-News, is the region's new chair. Keith Campbell, deputy sports editor of the Dallas Morning News, is the new vice chair.

"I'd like to kick-start the regional organization, which has a proud tradition of great journalism and well-attended conferences," said Lehman, who is approaching the one-year mark of his appointment as sports editor following service as the Express-News' business editor.

"We may have to change," Lehman said, "to accommodate multitasking folks on a tighter budget."

Lehman was raised in California and held various news jobs in Virginia, Florida and Texas. His prior positions spanned business, Neighbors and city desks in Miami for the Miami Herald and similar editing and writing roles for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot and the Ledger-Star.

In Miami, Lehman was involved in planning news desk coverage of the Super Bowl and Orange Bowl and helped with editing on stories about Elian Gonzalez, the 2000 presidential election, 9/11, scams and hurricanes (not the variety from the University of Miami).

He met his wife Gigi at Missouri and they have two daughters, a senior at the University of Florida (majoring in journalism) and a sophomore at the University of Missouri-Columbia (majoring in accounting).

Like Lehman, Campbell didn't head directly into sports editing.

He's been at the Dallas Morning News since 1990 and has been a member of its sports section since January 2007. As deputy sports editor, he oversees high schools, colleges, Stars/NHL, Olympics and area running. He planned the paper's 2008 Olympic coverage and was its on-site editor in Beijing.

He spent several years directing the paper's news and copy desks as well as leading its newsroom technology department. He also served as the interim head of the paper's national/foreign operation for a period in 2003.

Prior to coming to Dallas, Campbell, who will succeed Lehman as region chair, worked at the St. Petersburg Times as well as newspapers in Kansas and Alabama.

Unlike Lehman, Campbell didn't marry a fellow Mizzou grad, settling for a Kansas Jayhawk. Despite the household uproar that erupts during college football and basketball seasons, he and Sara have been married for 20 years and have a 15-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. (One wants to go to Lawrence for college; the other, Columbia.)

"At a time when our field is undergoing dramatic change, it's essential to collaborate with our peers," Campbell said. "I'm excited about the role APSE's Southwest Region can play, and I'm committed to helping it succeed."

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