In 2006 the Region III (southeast) conference of the National Association of Black Journalists met in Montgomery, Ala. A fledgling group of journalists came together to host the convention. We were small, not very strong, but somehow, we managed to pull together a pretty good program of discussions about digital skills and covering civil rights in the South.

Among the highlights for me was the honor of being named to the Region III Hall of Fame for NABJ. In this photo, I am accepting the award.

This week I am heading to Charlotte, N.C., to attend the 2013 Region III conference, where I have been asked to be part of a discussion about how to get into newsroom management. Despite the drastic changes in the news business, there are still great opportunities and we need to keep teaching our younger colleagues how to become media leaders.

Region II is made up of NABJ members and chapters in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi.