Seattle, WA - The Seattle Professional Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) announced KING 5 news anchor Lori Matsukawa has been selected as the Communicator of the Year for 2009. The AWC also announced KING 5's Jean Enersen, Pat Duggan and Ken Jones are Clarion Award winners for their collaborative work on a feature news story about an Iraqi boy blinded by insurgent gunfire.
The Communicator of the Year award is given to an individual in the Puget Sound area who has made a significant community impact through communications excellence. The five member selection committee was particularly impressed by Lori's commitment to mentoring young professionals, her ongoing support of scholarship programs, her vision for Asian students coming into the communications profession, and her fund raising efforts on behalf of the Stanford Alumni Foundation.
Jean Enersen, Pat Duggan and Ken Jones will receive Clarion Awards recognizing excellence in communications for their KING 5 feature story on "Humoody", an Iraqi boy blinded by gunfire who received medical care at Seattle Children's Hospital to reconstruct his face and repair his nasal passages.
"We are so proud of Lori. The Communicator of the Year award is a tremendous honor. She does a great job as our news anchor and outstanding work in our community, said Pat Costello, Vice President and KING 5 Station Manager. "I'm also very pleased to see Jean, Pat, and Ken recognized by the AWC for their exceptional feature story."
AWC, founded in 1909 at the University of Washington, is a national professional organization that champions the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its membership at the forefront of the evolving communications era.
Lori will receive her award at the Chapter Awards Breakfast during AWC's Centennial National conference on Saturday, October 17th at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel. The event begins at 8:00 AM.
Later that same day at the Seattle Sheraton, Jean Enersen, Pat Duggan and Ken Jones will be recognized as Clarion Award winners at the International Matrix and Clarion Dinner and Awards Ceremony beginning at 6:30 PM. Journalist Ann Curry of NBC News and The Today Show will also be in attendance at the dinner to accept the International Matrix Award for achieving the highest level of professional excellence in the field of communications.
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