James N. Crutchfield
Trustee

James N. Crutchfield retired as president and publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal when the newspaper changed ownership in August 2006. He became a Knight Foundation trustee in June 2004 after serving two years as the chair of the foundation’s Akron Community Advisory Committee.

He is a member of the Program Committee.

An active member of the Akron community, Crutchfield is involved as a board member with a number of organizations including the Akron Community Foundation, Greater Akron Chamber, Summit Education Initiative and United Way of Summit County. He also chaired the 2004 fund-raising campaign for the United Way and is a board member of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Crutchfield is a native of McKeesport, Pa. He has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Duquesne University. He started his career in journalism in 1968 as a reporter for The Pittsburgh Press and has held numerous positions in newsroom management, including deputy managing editor for news at the Detroit Free Press and senior vice president and executive editor for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, Calif.

His professional affiliations include the American Society of Newspaper Editors, National Association of Black Journalists, Ohio Newspaper Association, National Association of Minority Media Executives and the Asian American Journalists Association.