News-Record publisher and owner Austin Lewter was recently named to the National Newspaper Association Foundation (NNAF) Board of Directors.
He was nominated to the board by fellow Texas newspaperman, and board president, Randy Keck, owner of the Community News in Aledo.
“Austin’s years of experience both in the industry and the college classroom make him a perfect fit for our board of directors,” Keck said. “His background in journalism education is especially welcome to our mission at the Foundation.”
Lewter’s nomination was made official at the National Newspaper Association (NNA) Annual Convention earlier this fall in Omaha, Nebraska.
Lewter joins Keck and fellow Texan Ken Esten Cooke, publisher of the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post on the board along with Julie Maglio, Hernando Sun (Brooksville Hill, Florida); Kate Oliver, Rappahannock (Virginia) Record; Kevin Olson, Teton Media Group (Jackson, Wyoming); Mark Rhoades, Enterprise Media Group (Blair, Nebraska); Matt Adelman, The Douglas (Wyoming) Budget; Martha Diaz Aszkenazy, The San Fernando (California) Valley Sun; John Galer; and The Journal-News (Hillsboro, Illinois).
In addition to his role at the News-Record, Lewter is an instructor of journalism at Tarleton State University where he also serves as the director of the Texas Center for Community
Journalism (TCCJ).
The TCCJ’s mission is to provide support and training to community newspapers across Texas.
“The work of the Center and the NNAF go hand-in-hand,” Lewter said. “And I am humbled by this appointment. We also work closely with the Texas Press Association and the five regional press associations in Texas to benefit community newsrooms across the state and now, across the country.”
A passionate community journalist, Lewter began his career at the News-Record while still in high school and college.
He has been a reporter, an editor, a publisher and now an owner.
He and his wife, Jennifer, bought the News-Record in 2023.
He has served in leadership roles at community newspapers across Northeast Texas, including stints in Paris, Jefferson, Muenster, Lindsay, New Boston, Atlanta, Pittsburg, Dangerfield and Linden.
He entered academia full-time as a second career in the fall of 2021 when he was appointed to the faculty at Tarleton State University.
He serves as the journalism program lead within the Department of Communication Studies.
Before Tarleton, Lewter worked as an adjunct instructor at Tarrant County Community College.
“I’m just passionate about community journalism,” Austin said. “I have built my career around it and have integrated it into every part of what we do. I want to help community newspapers thrive in a new age, and I’m excited about building relationships outside of Texas and across the country.”
Austin and Jennifer reside in Collinsville with their four teenaged children. He is a graduate of Collinsville High School, earned a bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Austin is also on the Board of Directors of the Collinsville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Collinsville Education Foundation and sits on multiple Tarleton faculty committees.
He and Jennifer are members of the Tioga High School Band Booster Club and the Tioga FFA/FCCLA Booster Club.
The NNAF is a nonprofit trade association that represents America’s community newspapers.
It is a sister organization of the NNA.
The two groups work together to protect, promote and enhance America’s community newspapers.