Members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists elected broadcaster Dunia Elvir as president and ratified updated bylaws that reflect the evolution of the organization and the field of journalism.
In voting tallied at the close of the NAHJ 40th Anniversary Conference and Expo in Hollywood, Elvir and six other national board officers were elected for two-year terms.
“I am honored to be elected president of the NAHJ National Board as we embark on our next 40 years of growth,” said Elvir, an anchor for Telemundo 52 in Los Angeles. “Our anniversary celebration showed how far Latino journalists have come, and I’m excited about all the progress we can still make to build newsrooms whose staff and leaders reflect the communities they cover.”
NAHJ’s new bylaws include the following key changes:
- Gendered language has been removed.
- Membership classes and board positions have been updated to reflect today’s jobs, not just newspaper/TV.
- Enfranchisement has been expanded: Academic members can run for board positions, college students can vote for the student representative and regional directors.
- Membership categories have been broadened: Freelancers are now explicitly regular members, retired journalists can stay on as “retired members.”
- Important decisions no longer depend on a single annual, in-person membership meeting.
The bylaw update was a multiyear, consultative process taken across the finish line by board members Julio-César Chavez Andino and Arelis Hernandez, who led the bylaws task force. It was the first bylaw update since 2018, and the first comprehensive update in even longer.
“We are grateful to all the members who gave thoughtful input and who came together to ratify the new bylaws,” said Hernandez. A total of 281 votes were cast, achieving quorum, with 264 (94%) saying “yes” to the new bylaws, 10 saying “no” and 7 abstaining.
The National Board officers were all elected in uncontested races. Each received between 241 and 256 votes, with 1-2 write-in votes in each race.
View all elected national board officers here.
