Who is Earl J. Wilkinson?

Earl J. Wilkinson
Executive Director and CEO
International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA)

Earl J. Wilkinson is chief executive officer and executive director of the International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA). During his career, Mr. Wilkinson has written books and reports related to the future of media, marketing, and the strategic outlook for the newspaper industry. The 42-year-old Texas native is the publisher of ideas magazine and The Newspaper Industry E-Newsletter, as well as a frequent speaker at newspaper industry conferences worldwide. His views on where newspapers fit into the new media landscape are sought after by the world's leading newspaper companies, and he is widely quoted in trade magazines, newspapers, industry web sites, and more.

Mr. Wilkinson joined the staff of INMA in 1990 as publications editor, and was appointed executive director and CEO in 1992. During his 18 years with the Dallas-based INMA, he has helped transform the association into one of the world's fastest-growing and most influential press associations. He was honoured for his work with the 2005 Silver Shovel Award for meritorious service to the global newspaper industry, as well as the 2001 Gilden Tie Award for contributions made to the European newspaper industry.

He has logged more than 2 million air miles visiting the leading newspapers in 45 countries: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the South Pacific. His broad perspective is unique in the newspaper industry.

His mix of global trend-spotting with passion for newspapers and a wry Texas wit make him one of the most popular speakers at newspapers and newspaper industry conferences. Mr. Wilkinson has spoken at more than 100 newspaper industry conferences, as well as dozens of corporate boards and town-hall meetings with newspaper employees and college campuses.

A native of the Northeast Texas city of Tyler, Mr. Wilkinson's professional career began in 1982 as a reporter with the Smith County Weekly, a 4,000-circulation weekly newspaper in the Tyler area. Between 1984 and 1988, he served as a reporter, editor, business editor, and political editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, a 50,000-circulation daily newspaper. A graduate of the University of Texas (Tyler) and the Institute on Political Journalism (Washington, D.C.), he later worked as press secretary and in communications capacities for the congressional campaign of Hampton Hodges (R-Texas), and the congressional staffs of U.S. Rep. Tom Tauke (R-Iowa) and U.S. Rep. Ralph M. Hall (D-Texas).

Mr. Wilkinson's hobbies are reflective of his professional background which include an insatiable appetite for media studies, politics, newspapers, the internet, and global travel. Lately, he can found trying to figure out the emerging social networking craze on Facebook.