Gilbert Bailon

Gilbert Bailon started as a reporter at The Dallas Morning News in 1986, and later held positions as assistant metro editor, day city editor, metro editor and assistant managing editor/metro. In January 1996, he was named deputy managing editor for metro, state, and business coverage. A year later, he was named executive editor. In January 1998 he was named vice president and executive editor. In June 2003, he was named president and editor of Al Día, a Spanish-language daily that serves North Texas. In April 2004, he became Publisher and Editor of Al Día.

Bailon previously worked as a reporter at The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Los Angeles Daily News, The San Diego Union and The Kansas City Star. Among his reporting awards were: the 1988 Katie Award for Best Series and The 1987 Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Award for Team Effort for immigration coverage.

Gilbert Bailon was elected treasurer-designate of the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 2003. Bailon became treasurer of the group in April 2004, and will rise through the officer ranks each year until reaching the ASNE presidency in April 2007.

Bailon joined ASNE in 1994 and has been a member of the board of directors since 1999. He has also been active in ASNE committee work, including chairing the diversity committee.

Bailon is past president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and served for a number of years on the boards of NAHJ and Unity Journalists of Color, a consortium of the four national minority journalist associations. He also belongs to the National Association of Minority Media Executives. Bailon is a former member of the board of directors of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Bailon was on the nominating jury for the Pulitzer Prizes for 2000-2001 and also served in 1993-94.

He was selected as the outstanding journalism graduate at the University of Arizona in 1981 and earned his master’s degree in American History from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1992. He was selected to Arizona Daily Wildcat Hall of Fame at the University of Arizona in 2001. He has attended a number of professional development seminars including those at the American Press Institute, the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, the Advanced Executive Program at the Newspaper Management Center at Northwestern University and the Multi-cultural Management Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Bailon was twice named "One of the Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics" by Hispanic Business magazine.