Local lawyer David J. Bodney was recently named president of the Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees at the Walter Cronkite School.
The board, made up of more than 50 media leaders in the Valley, advises Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School and vice provost for the Downtown campus, on various issues facing the Cronkite School. Bodney will replace John Misner, the chief operating officer for Republic Media, who was president for two consecutive two-year terms.
“We’re just thrilled that (Bodney) is taking this on,” Callahan said. “He has been a very strong supporter of the school for a while now. He brings a great passion for journalism, for the Cronkite School and for ASU. This is just the next step.”
Bodney is a partner at the law firm Steptoe & Johnson, LLP in downtown Phoenix, where he specializes in media and constitutional law. He works to promote First Amendment rights for journalists and was the 2013 recipient of the Arizona Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award, which recognizes individuals who work for improved social justice and diversity.
He has been on the Endowment Board for about a decade and served on the Endowment Board’s executive committee prior to being named president. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Cronkite School and at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, which should be joining plans to open a new building in downtown Phoenix in 2016.
Bodney said a major responsibility of the Endowment Board president is fundraising for the school.
“One important part of the presidential role is to ensure the financial support of the Cronkite School, and I hope to continue that tradition and to increase the level of community support for the school,” Bodney said.
The president always advises advises Callahan on various issues facing the Cronkite School.
“We listen carefully to the dean and faculty and students at each of our quarterly meetings to get a sense of what the school is doing and where it might benefit from us,” Bodney said.
Bodney said he has plans to expand the Endowment Board’s fundraising, internship and recruiting projects.
“I’d like to see the board move outside the boardroom and into more of the classrooms to witness firsthand all that the Cronkite School students are achieving,” Bodney said.
Former board president John Misner said he feels Bodney is the perfect candidate for the position.
“The students at the school have already benefited greatly from his position as chair of the development committee,” Misner said. “His results as chairman of the development committee made him a natural choice to succeed me.”
Misner said he will still remain on the board in a development role after his term as president ends.
“It was time for a new leader to put his special imprint on the board,” Misner said.
Established in 1983, the Endowment Board plans the annual Cronkite Awards Luncheon, where one member of the journalism community is presented with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. Past recipients include Christiane Amanpour, Bob Woodward, Ben Bradlee and Bob Schieffer, the 2013 recipient.
Misner said Bodney will be particularly helpful in securing donations for the school and showing donors how important their money is to Cronkite School students.
“David is known for what he calls ‘the joy of giving’ in terms of helping potential donors know how meaningful their gifts will be to the school and the joy they will feel by digging deep for a donation,” Misner said.
While open to pursuing a second term as president, Bodney said he wants to focus on improving the Cronkite School in the present.
“I will be filling some large shoes … John Misner was outstanding (as president),” Bodney said. “I want to do the best job possible with the time I have before me.”
Contact the reporter at taylor.e.holmes@asu.edu
