ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 11, 2021) — The nonprofit Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism education, fact-checking and media literacy, is proud to welcome two Tampa Bay leaders to its Foundation Board: Ramon Bosquez and Michael P. Silver.
“The Board is crucial to how we enact The Poynter Foundation’s mission — supporting journalists around the world with resources, training and tools to further hone their skills and serve the public,” said Brian Tierney, chair of the Poynter Foundation Board and CEO of Brian Communications. “Our country is built on the foundation of a free and independent press. Now more than ever, we need bold partners to advocate for quality and accessible journalism in every community, to hold our institutions accountable and ask the tough questions. I look forward to Michael and Ramon joining our cause.”
Ramon Bosquez
Bosquez, president of The Bosquez Group, LLC, brings his tremendous background in business and marketing to the Foundation Board. He is the former President & CEO World Duty-Free Americas, Inc. (formerly Duty-Free International, Inc.), the largest travel retail company in North America with sales exceeding $500 million. He has led numerous mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings as well as developed and executed growth strategies. Bosquez frequently supported Poynter by attending community events before he joined the Board.
Silver is a partner in the Tampa office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member of the Business Litigation Practice Group. He also serves on Shutts & Bowen’s Diversity Committee and Pension Committee. Silver has long been active as a leader in the Tampa Bay community and brings his strong connections to the Foundation Board. For over a decade, he has been involved with the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, the annual premier juried outdoor art festival in the Tampa Bay area, previously serving as the Festival Co-Chair and on the Board of Directors, and currently serving on the Advisory Board.
Michael P. Silver
“Poynter plays an essential role in our society. From training journalists and fact-checking to ensuring the ongoing vitality of news organizations, a strong and free press guarantees a strong and free democracy,” said Silver. “As the world grows increasingly complex and confusing, we need those who can clearly explain important facts and tell compelling stories. I am proud to serve on the Poynter Foundation Board in supporting Poynter’s critical mission — to make journalism better.”
The goal of the Foundation Board, which is composed of community and media leaders from both Tampa Bay and around the country, is to expand Poynter’s reach and influence in improving journalism as an essential tool of our democracy. With their fellow Board members, Bosquez and Silver will work to increase philanthropic support for Poynter. They will donate their time and resources to support the Foundation in its mission to advance philanthropic donations through campaigns, special events, and other advancement programs.
“The Foundation Board members are generous people who care deeply about journalism, democracy and about how Poynter can serve both,” said Poynter president Neil Brown. “We are very grateful for the board’s work and for Ramon and Michael being willing to join this important effort.”
In addition to Tierney, Brown, Bosquez and Silver, other Foundation Board members are:
- Paul C. Tash – Chairman and CEO of the Times Publishing Company and Chairman of Poynter’s Board of Trustees
- Michael Dreyer – President, The Tampa Bay Trust Company
- Frank “Sandy” Rief III – Attorney, Allen Dell, Attorneys at Law
- Elizabeth Sembler – Board Member, WEDU, and longtime board member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Poynter looks forward to expanding its Foundation Board in 2021 to reflect the national and international impact of its work.
About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st-century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at newsrooms, conferences and organizations around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, offers the world’s largest online journalism curriculum, with hundreds of interactive courses and tens of thousands of registered international users. The Institute’s website produces 24-hour coverage about media, ethics, technology and the business of news. Poynter is the home of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact, the International Fact-Checking Network and MediaWise, a digital information literacy project for young people, first-time voters and senior citizens. The world’s top journalists and media innovators rely on Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcasters. This work builds public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and discourse that serves democracy and the public good. Learn more at poynter.org.
Media Contact:
Tina Dyakon
Director of Marketing
The Poynter Institute
tdyakon@poynter.org
727-553-4343