Sharyn L. Decker

**** **** ****, ********, ****. 98532

360-***-**** or cell 206-***-****

abpn5q@r.postjobfree.com

News reporter

EXPERIENCE

Reporter, The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash. May 2001 - August 2009. Covered police, fire and courts beat for

almost eight years. Business and education reporter for final six months. Rotated with three other reporters for a

Saturday front page in-depth news feature and Friday night editor shift. Posted news on the Web and shot

photographs as needed.

Stringer, The Washington Post, August 1999 - 2006. Breaking news as needed for the national news desk.

Business reporter, The Herald, Everett, Wash. 1998. Wrote daily news stories, briefs and in-depth news features

on business topics including real estate, trade, small business, retail, construction and the business community.

Regularly contributed to The Herald s monthly business journal. Included a stint as a general assignment reporter

and briefly covered three suburban cities for one of The Herald s weekly newspapers. Long-term temporary

position.

Editor, Membership Directory / Handbook for Society of Professional Journalists local chapter, 1997.

Researched, wrote and edited handbook commemorating 50th anniversary of chapter.

Business Reporter, Valley Daily News, Kent, Wash. Summer 1996. Produced stories on topics such as labor,

high-tech, real estate, banking and consumer news. Temporary position.

Communities Reporter, The Herald, Everett, Wash. Winter 1995-96. Wrote daily news stories and features

covering six cities in south Snohomish County. Included government, police, schools, business, health. Intern-like

position.

Freelance Writer, Summer 1994 - 1998. Business and general news. Also features on health, foods, criminal

justice. The Herald, Shoreline Week, The Mill Creek Enterprise, West Seattle Herald and SPJ Newsletter.

Reporter, News Laboratory, University of Washington s classroom-based news service. Winter 1994. Covered

social issues beat. Wrote news stories for a variety of daily and weekly client papers in Greater Seattle area.

Grade: 3.9

EDUCATION

B.A. in Communications - Editorial Journalism and B.A. in Business Administration - Human Resources

Management, Double Degree, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash., June 1994 Magna Cum Laude

A.A. Shoreline Community College, Seattle, Wash., June 1989 Graduated with Honors

FOREIGN STUDY

Dublin City University, Ireland. Irish Media and Culture. Summer 1993

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Anthropology: Religion in Jerusalem. Summer 1992

ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS

Society of Professional Journalists, chapter officer 1995-98

(Honors and awards on reverse side)

HONORS AND AWARDS

Blethen Award for Distinguished Deadline Reporting, 2006. First place for Iraq ambush kills Centralian

Lead writer on four-person team with package of stories. The (Centralia) Chronicle

Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, for 2008. Third place for watchdog journalism from

the Society of Professional Journalists in competition with other small daily newspapers in Washington, Oregon

and three other states for Drug bust gone bad?: Maybe. The (Centralia) Chronicle

Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, for 2007. Honorable mention for spot news from the

Society of Professional Journalists for DeBolt receives ticket after crash, about a traffic accident which

followed state Rep. Richard DeBolt running a stop sign. Also, first place staff award for comprehensive one-day

coverage of Dec. 2007 flooding and second place staff award for comprehensive coverage over multiple days of

same. The (Centralia) Chronicle

Blethen Award for Distinguished Deadline Reporting, for 2007. First place staff award for coverage of Dec.

2007 flooding. The (Centralia) Chronicle

Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, for 2006. Third place crime and justice reporting for

story about metal thieves. Also, first place staff award for comprehensive coverage over multiple days about the

November closure of the TransAlta s coal mine outside Centralia. Second place staff award for comprehensive

coverage on a single day following the mid-December windstorm that swept through Southwest Washington. The

(Centralia) Chronicle

Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, for 2005. Two first place awards. Spot news:

Centralia sailor loses life in Iraq and short feature: Six pink flamingos missing The (Centralia) Chronicle

Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, 2003. First place for spot news. Fire in eight-story,

low income apartment building kills one and injures five. Lead writer, shared award with two other staff

members. The (Centralia) Chronicle

Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, 2001. Two second place awards. One for great

writing in a short feature about a misbehaving billy goat and another for a long feature about the consequences of

the easily homemade drug, methamphetamine. The (Centralia) Chronicle

Washington Press Association, 1998. Two honorable mentions for business news reporting. The (Everett) Herald

National Honors from Society of Professional Journalists, 1997. For overall membership recruitment efforts.

Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, 1995. Honorable mention for a profile of city of

Edmonds mayor-elect from judges in the SPJ contest of the largest daily newspapers in five Pacific Northwest

states. The (Everett) Herald

Distinguished Public Service Journalism Award for 1994 from the University of Washington School of

Communications. For a news feature about children and adults locked up in detention centers and prisons who

suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The (Bellevue) Journal American

Honor Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key National and Beta Gamma Sigma, for business students.

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