Draft:Jean Gaddy Wilson

Jean Gaddy Wilson, born on February 21, 1944, is a renowned figure in the field of journalism and media. She has made significant contributions to the industry, particularly in advocating for women journalists.

Early life and education
Wilson was born in Marshall, Missouri, to Herschel J. and Dona N. Stiles Gaddy3. Raised on a farm with her three siblings, Herschel, Mary, and Donald, she followed in her parents’ footsteps and attended the University of Missouri in 1962, acquiring a journalism degree in 1963.

Career
Wilson’s first journalism job was as the director of public information for Columbia College. This role, which involved managing a turnaround with “branded” writing, video, publications, and photography from photojournalism students, served as a launching pad for her national and international career.

She later became the CEO at Position the Future Consultants, where she counseled a variety of organizations – Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and contractors, human rights groups, colleges and universities, health care organizations – enabling them to create understandings of the future, develop media campaigns, create plans and strategies.

Wilson played a lead role in creating four national organizations: the Council of Presidents for newspaper editorial executives; the National Women in Media Collection; Journalism and Women’s Symposium; and the International Women’s Media Federation.

Contributions
Wilson is perhaps best known for founding the news think tank, New Directions for News, at the Missouri School of Journalism. This think tank initiated the first commercial online newspaper and produced one of the earliest websites on the Web.

Her study, “Taking Stock: Women in the Media in the 21st Century,” became a landmark that measured the employment of women across print and broadcast media. She also co-authored the book Working with Words, along with Brian Brooks and Jim Pinson4. Her chapter on “Sexism, Racism and Other Isms in the Language” is considered an industry standard.

Legacy
Wilson’s work continues to inspire women across all industries. Despite the media industry’s lag in hiring and promoting females since the 1970s, Wilson’s personal materials reveal women pushing better content forward into the world’s information streams.