David Adams-Smith, a journalist for more than 30 years in two highlly competitive markets, has worked as a reporter, copy editor, photo editor and news editor at the Detroit Free Press and the Chicago Tribune. As Metropolitan News Editor at the Tribune for more than a decade, he was deeply involved in two major redesigns of the newspaper and the expansion of zoned suburban coverage throughout the metropolitan area. He coordinated the newspaper’s design and visual presentation with the reporting and writing on two yearlong projects undertaken by the Tribune, “Killing Our Children” and “Saving Our Children.” He created the centerpiece-style of design that combined photo layouts with well-written news and news-features as focal points on all the Tribune’s section fronts.

He attended seminars on design and news editing at the Poynter Institute in Tampa and represented the Tribune at community journalism and diversity projects sponsored by the Maynard Institute in Atlanta and Ft. Lauderdale.

After his retirement in 2001, David and his wife Jeanie, a professional photographer and Western Kentucky University professor, published a book, Survivors: Children of Divorce. David is currently writing director for WKU’s Mountain Workshops, assistant director for a series of multimedia workshops sponsored by the Dow Jones News Fund, and has worked on numerous book-publishing, web and multimedia projects for the university.