Overview
Ron is a former foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Illinois where he was also the Dean of the College of Media.
His award-winning book, "The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles," is the second in his Finding Billy Battles trilogy of novels and was published in June 2016. The first book in the trilogy, "Finding Billy Battles," was published in 2014. He is currently working on Book #3 of the trilogy (The Lost Years of Billy Battles) with an intended publication date in fall 2017.
Ron has been a presenting author at the Kansas Book Festival and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, among other venues. He is also the author of The Kikkoman Chronicles: A Global Company with A Japanese Soul, published by McGraw-Hill. Other books include Aboard the Tokyo Express: A Foreign Correspondent's Journey through Japan, a collection of columns translated into Japanese, as well as three journalism textbooks: The Journalist's Handbook, International Reporting and Foreign Correspondents, and Business and Financial Reporting in a Global Economy.
Before leaving the world of professional journalism where he toiled 27 years, Ron lived and worked in Japan, Southeast Asia, and both Central and South America where he covered several history-making events including the fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia; the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing; and wars and revolutions in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, among other places.
His work as a war correspondent resulted in several awards, including the Inter-American Press Association's Tom Wallace Award for coverage of Central and South America; the Peter Lisagor Award from the Society of Professional Journalists; three Edward Scott Beck Awards for International Reporting, and three Pulitzer nominations.
Ron is a proud graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas and a veteran of the U.S. Army where he served in the Army Security Agency.
He writes a blog entitled "ForeignCorrespondent" that can be found at: Website and authors pages can be found at: at the Authors' Guild: and
Amazon's Author Central page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KHDVZI/-/e/B00KQAYMA8/
Services
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Languages
Awards
- Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism
- Inter-American Press Association Tom Wallace Award (Exemplary Coverage of Latin America).
- Edward Scott Beck Award for Foreign Reporting (Coverage of fall of Vietnam and Cambodia).
- Edward Scott Beck Award for Foreign Reporting (Coverage of Japan).
- Edward Scott Beck Award for Foreign Reporting (Coverage of Pro-Democracy Movement in China and Tiananmen Square tragedy).
- Peter Lisagor Award for Excellence in Financial Writing
Work experience
R. E. Yates & Associates
Specializing in:
Editing. Freelance Writing.
Media strategy.
Crisis Management & Coaching.
Annual Reports
Website:
Blog:
University of Illinois
Dean, College of Media, Professor of Journalism August 2003 to Sept. 2010
Chief Executive Officer of the College of Media, engaged in the programmatic aspect of the Campus/University mission.
Responsible for all operations of the College of Media, including overall administration, development, coordination and implementation of programs, activities and professional services.
Formulated, initiated, implemented and interpreted policies related to the operation of the College’s 4 academic units (Department of Advertising, Department of Journalism, Department of Media and Cinema Studies, Institute for Communications Research), and WILL-AM-FM-Internet, the PBS/NPR affiliate in Central Illinois.
Moved College from 2-year to 4-year academic unit and doubled student population to 1,200.
Oversaw creation of a dedicated Student Services Center in College.
Created and administered College of Media budget.
Created Department of Media and Cinema Studies.
Established goals and objectives for units reporting to the Dean’s office.
Communicated with and served as a resource to colleges, departments, campus offices, community organizations, regarding media and issues.
Led Strategic Planning for College of Media.
Chicago Tribune
I am an author, former foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, and Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Illinois where I was also the Dean of the College of Media.
My award-winning book, The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles, is the second in the Finding Billy Battles trilogy of novels. In September 2016 it won 2016 New Apple Summer E-Book Award in the Action/Adventure Category and was one of five finalists in the U.K.’s Diamond Book Awards.
In addition to the Finding Billy Battles trilogy, I am the author of The Kikkoman Chronicles: A Global Company with A Japanese Soul, published by McGraw-Hill. Other books include Aboard the Tokyo Express: A Foreign Correspondent's Journey Through Japan, a collection of columns translated into Japanese, as well as three journalism textbooks: The Journalist's Handbook, International Reporting and Foreign Correspondents, and Business and Financial Reporting in a Global Economy.
During my career as a foreign correspondent I lived and worked in Japan, Southeast Asia and Latin America where I covered several major stories including the fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia in 1975; the 1989 Tiananmen Square tragedy in Beijing; the war in Afghanistan; and revolutions in Nicaragua, El Salvador an Guatemala.
My work as a correspondent was rewarded with several awards, including three Pulitzer nominations; the Inter-American Press Association's Tom Wallace Award for coverage of Central and South America; the Peter Lisagor Award from the Society of Professional Journalists; and three Edward Scott Beck Awards.
I served 3-1/2 years active duty with the U.S. Army Security Agency in Germany, where I was worked in communication intelligence (SIGINTEL). I am a proud graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.
Portfolio
