Skip Foster

Mr. Foster is publisher of The Shelby (N.C.) Star, a 15,000-circulation daily located 40 miles west of Charlotte, N.C. Skip started his career as a sports writer at the Hickory (N.C.) Daily Record before moving to the Gaston (N.C.) Gazette, were he was eventually promoted to managing editor before coming to The Shelby Star. Since his arrival, The Shelby Star has been the most decorated small newspaper in North Carolina, winning more than 80 state press association awards in eight years. Skip was a Poynter Ethics Fellow in 2001 and has served on the North Carolina Press Association Legislative Committee and the Freedom Communications Journalism Task Force. Recently, Freedom chose The Shelby Star as an incubator for innovation. The paper’s efforts have been featured in a number of trade organizations and the paper has been visited by management teams from community newspapers in Georgia, West Virginia and North Carolina. Skip is married to District Court Judge Dina Foster and has three children, ages 11, 8 and 4. Skip attended the API City and Metro Editors seminar in 1995 and is a three-time discussion leader for API’s Storytelling Innovations seminar.