April 13, 2012
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism has named Randy Picht as its executive director. Picht will be the second executive director for the institute, which was created in 2004 with a $31 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. He succeeds Pam Johnson, who retired at the end of 2011.

"We're delighted to have persuaded Randy Picht to take this job," said Dean Mills, dean of the Missouri School of Journalism. "He's a perfect fit, having worked on both the news and business sides of journalism at a national level. And he has an impressive history of both innovating and bringing innovation into practice—precisely RJI's mission."

Picht, 52, has worked closely with newspapers and other media outlets during his nearly 29-year AP career. He is a former business...