Mike Shepard, president of the Seattle Times Washington Affiliate Newspapers and publisher of the Yakima Herald-Republic, is a 1985 Murrow School alumnus and a second-generation newspaper professional. While at WSU he was a reporter and then managing editor of the Daily Evergreen student newspaper.
He began his professional career in 1985 working as a courthouse reporter for the Idahonian/Daily News, in Moscow and Pullman. After working for the Kitsap County-based Sound Publishing for nearly 12 years and the Port Orchard Independent, Shepard joined the Seattle Times Company in 2000 as publisher of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and became publisher of the Yakima Herald-Republic in October 2003.
He has also oversight for The Issaquah Press, the Sammamish Review, the Newcastle News and the SnoValley Star.
His involvement in the community includes serving as president of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, chairing the Professional Advisory Board of WSU’s Murrow School of Communication and serving on the board of directors for Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington.