A.B. Cruz III, , is the senior vice president and general counsel for The E. W. Scripps Company. Cruz joined Scripps in March 2004.

As the company's general counsel, Cruz is responsible for managing the company's legal function across all of its operating divisions and media enterprises. He also oversees the company's internal audit and corporate secretary functions.

Cruz came to Scripps from BET Holdings Inc. where he was vice president, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary. He played a leading role in BET's $3 billion merger with Viacom in 2001. Before joining BET, Cruz practiced law at several law firms in Washington, DC, including the law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding where his practice focused primarily on telecommunications matters, including mergers and acquisitions involving media and communications companies, and the regulation of wireless cable, commercial and private land mobile radio, paging and satellite services.

Before entering the legal profession, Cruz was a senior staff engineer with ARINC Research in Annapolis, MD, where he supported the development of various weapon systems for the U.S. Navy. He was also responsible for his department's marketing efforts. Prior to joining ARINC Research, Cruz served on military active duty for six years as a naval officer.

Cruz is currently a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves, and the commanding officer of Naval Inspector General Unit 106 in Washington, DC, his fourth command tour in his 26-year military career.

Cruz is on the board of directors of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. He is a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association's Standing Committee on Admissions. He also serves on the United States Tennis Association's National Hispanic Task Force.

Cruz received his juris doctorate from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC in 1992. Cruz also holds a master's of business administration degree in marketing from the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. and a bachelor's of science degree in engineering from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. He is a member of the District of Columbia, New York, Pennsylvania and U.S. Supreme Court bars.