Barbara Hartung Journalism Leadership Award
Jerry McCormick
Jerry McCormick is a longtime journalist in the San Diego area. In 2000, he served as the first president of the newly founded San Diego Association of Black Journalists. SDABJ has awarded McCormick "Member of the Year" multiple times most recently in 2025 when the group celebrated its 25th anniversary.
From 1999-2009, he served as a copy editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune, followed by a stint as an associate producer and producer at NBC 7 San Diego, where he won an Emmy for News Special in 2014. In 2014-2015, he moved to Portland to work as an executive producer, but then returned to San Diego to work as a producer at Fox 5 San Diego. In 2017, he worked as a senior public information officer for the City of San Diego until 2024.
McCormick currently works as the Director of Strategic Communications for Cal State San Marcos. In addition to his work, McCormick has taught various journalism courses part-time at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, City College downtown, during the pandemic at San Diego State University, and now teaches at Palomar College in San Marcos.
About the Barbara Hartung Journalism Leadership Award
Barbara Hartung was a journalist, journalism professor and department chair at SDSU. She was interested in journalism at an early age- as a student journalist at Hoover High School. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at SDSU and was editor of the Daily Aztec newspaper. She was a reporter for The San Diego Union for 10 years. Later in her career, she earned her MS in Mass Communication at SDSU and went on to do her PhD at United States International University. During her 25-year career at SDSU, she devoted her time to multiple efforts and groups on campus such as Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars, Mortar Board Alumni Chapter, Black Student Journalists’ Association, Binational Association for Schools of Communication, among others. She also served as an executive assistant to two SDSU presidents. She received numerous awards for her contributions to the university such as the San Diego President's Council Woman of Achievement Award and the Distinguished University Service Award among many others. Barbara mentored hundreds of journalism students during her career at SDSU, leaving an impact on so many.
This year, JMS honors her legacy with the Barbara Hartung Journalism Leader Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize a local journalism leader/mentor for their efforts in making a difference in journalism in the region. This award recognizes a special leader who reflects the same passion and commitment Barbara had to journalism in the areas of education, the profession and the community.