2007 Communicator of Achievement Jill Schramm

Minot Daily News staff writer Jill Schramm was honored as the North Dakota Professional Communicators’ 2007 Communicator of Achievement at the recent NDPC awards banquet in Bismarck. The award recognizes Schramm’s accomplishments in communications, service, and contributions to NDPC and the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW). Schramm, along with Communicators of Achievement from other states, will be honored at the NFPW meeting Sept. 20-22 in Richmond, Va.

Since December 1986, Schramm has been a staff writer for The Minot Daily News. As the government reporter, she covered four legislative sessions in Bismarck plus other city, county, state and federal issues. After a time as the health reporter, she returned to the government beat, focusing on city government but also working on state and federal issues and carrying out general assignment reporting. She also shoots many of her own photographs.

A Cathay native, Schramm earned a degree in journalism with minors in political science and sociology from the University of North Dakota. She interned at the New Rockford Transcript and the Williston Herald. After graduation from UND, Schramm worked for Borlaug Publishing in Washburn, which later became part of BHG, Inc., as a reporter and Underwood News editor.

A North Dakota Professional Communicators member since 1984, Schramm served as NDPC president 1992-1994. She has served several years as northwest district director, chaired the college contest, organized two state conferences, helped with the national meeting NDPC hosted in 2002, and won numerous NDPC, NFPW and North Dakota Newspaper Association awards for her work.

Schramm is secretary of the Mid-Dakota Chapter of the American Red Cross and has served as media representative on the Minot Mayor’s Council for a Safe Community and as a director of the Minot YWCA. She is active in her church, Grace Fellowship at Burlington, serving on boards and in music and children’s programming.

Schramm and her husband, Craig McCormack, live at Des Lacs and have two daughters, Hayley and Jocelyn.

View COA list>>