CINCINNATI – Mike Philipps, a career newspaper journalist who for seven years guided The Post newspapers in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky as editor, has been named president and chief executive officer of the Scripps Howard Foundation, effective Feb. 1.
Philipps, 61, succeeds Judith G. Clabes, who last year announced her intention to retire from the foundation’s top operating role. Although retiring after 11 years as president and CEO, Clabes will continue her association with the foundation as chairman of its board of trustees. She will succeed Alan M. Horton as chairman when his term expires in May.
The Scripps Howard Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The E. W. Scripps Company.
“Mike Philipps has devoted his entire career to those values held sacred by the Scripps Howard Foundation,” said Kenneth W. Lowe, president and chief executive officer for Scripps. “He has been a tireless champion for journalistic excellence, a staunch defender of the first amendment and a persistent advocate for community leadership. He is a person of great integrity, who we believe has the proper sensitivities to build on the foundation’s effectiveness as a leading industry- and community-based philanthropic organization.”
The Scripps Howard Foundation is a non-profit organization that was created by Scripps in 1962 to promote excellence in journalism through endowments, scholarships and grants. The foundation also sponsors the annual National Journalism Awards program, one of the nation’s most prestigious journalistic excellence competitions. In communities across the country where Scripps does business, the foundation provides financial support for literacy and community-building volunteer programs.
Philipps joined Scripps in 1977 as a reporter for The Cincinnati Post. During his 30 years at the newspaper he served in roles of increasing importance, including assistant city editor, news editor, metropolitan editor and assistant managing editor. He was named editor of The Cincinnati Post and its sister newspaper, The Kentucky Post, in 2001. The Post newspapers ceased publication on Dec. 31, 2007, the date that a 30-year joint operating agreement with The Cincinnati Enquirer expired.
During his career at The Post, Philipps directed coverage of several high-profile news events, including the Home State Savings financial collapse and subsequent reforms affecting the savings and loan industry; the 1993 Lucasville prison riots; the Pete Rose gambling scandal; the Ohio River flood of 1997; and the civil unrest in Cincinnati in 2001.
In the community, and particularly in Northern Kentucky, Philipps has been a proponent for better public education. He served two years as vice chairman for education initiatives as a member of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He continues to serve on the chamber’s board and has served two terms on its executive committee.
Philipps also has served as chairman of the board of directors of the Educational Alliance of Northern Kentucky and is a member of the Northern Kentucky Regional Council of Partners in Education.
Other community leadership roles include his current service as board secretary of Northern Kentucky’s Tri-County Economic Development Foundation; his work on the United Way of Northern Kentucky’s Action Council; and his membership on the Kenton County Public Library Foundation’s board. Philipps serves as secretary of the board of directors of the Kentucky Humanities Council and is a member of the executive committee of Northern Kentucky’s Regional Stewardship Council, the volunteer organization charged with implementing the recommendations of the Vision 2015 community planning initiative.
At the Scripps Howard Foundation, Philipps serves on the Greater Cincinnati Fund contributions committee.
Philipps is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature. He was named a distinguished military graduate and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the military intelligence branch of the U.S. Army. He served 18 months in Vietnam and left the service with the rank of captain.
Before joining Scripps and The Post, Philipps worked as a reporter and photographer for his hometown newspaper, The Lima News.
About the Scripps Howard Foundation
Dedicated to excellence in journalism, the Scripps Howard Foundation is a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, literacy, minority recruitment/development and First Amendment causes. It is the philanthropic arm of The E. W. Scripps Company, a diverse and growing media enterprise with interests in national cable networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television stations, interactive media and licensing and syndication.