Roland Park resident appointed executive director of Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association has named Rebecca Synder executive director, effective immediately. She replaces Jack Murphy, who retired last week.

Known more commonly as MDDC, the press organization serves the needs of 113 newspaper members by providing professional training and development, legislative representation and promoting First Amendment issues. Members of the association include all the daily and most of the non-daily newspapers in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

As executive director, Snyder is responsible for strategic and operational duties including staff, programs, expansion and execution of the organization's mission. She will serve as an advocate for member newspapers and for journalism in general.

"Finding the right person to build on the incredible accomplishments of Jack Murphy was key to filling this position," said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, president of the board of directors of the Maryland-Delware-DC Press Association and publisher of The Daily Record. "Rebecca Snyder brings a wealth of experience working in newspapers and other media companies. Her analytical and creative thinking and innovative attitude have brought success to all of those organizations, and I know she will do the same for MDDC."

Snyder was most recently vice president and general manager of NoticeCentral for The Dolan Company, where she was responsible for internal development of public notice websites. It was a start-up venture in which she worked with publisher and key vendor partners.

Prior to NoticeCentral, Snyder served as vice president and general manager of Federal News Service, where she was responsible for profit and loss of unit, developing and maintaining strategic client relationships in addition to initiating, designing and implementing a marketing program that included social media, a website re-launch and client engagement.

Snyder served as vice president and general manager of The Daily Record for 12 years, where she managed key corporate and governmental relationships, created and analyzed performance metrics and identified and implemented new methods to create a better quality press facility and operational procedures while controlling costs.

A 2003 graduate of the Greater Baltimore Committee's LEADERship Program, Snyder plays an active role in the community. Currently, she is secetary of Community Mediation and serves on the board of directors of The Loading Dock. Over the years, Snyder has served on the board of directors of the MDDC Press Association and as a trustee of the Photoengravers & Lithographers Health and Welfare Fund. She also organized the B4Students program at The Daily Record and was a fellow in the inaugural class of the Dolan Leadership Institute.

Snyder holds a bachelor's degree in English and classical archaeology from Bryn Mawr College. In addition, she has completed a 50-hour course in basic mediation training from Community Mediation Maryland and a 30-hour DC workshop series sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Facilitators' Network.

Her memberships include the American League of Lobbyists, Chesapeake Bay Organization Development Network, Mid-Atlantic Facilitator Network and Women in Government Relations.

"As someone who has been involved in the MDDC Press Association for many years, I am honored to be the new executive director. Our organization encompasses a variety of publications, from major dailies to niche and community newspapers," Snyder said. "While our industry is undergoing change, it is strong and stable, and my goal is to help newspapers grow and prosper."

For more information about the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, visit mddcpress.com.