Rhode Island Monthly Publisher John J. Palumbo Earns Lifetime Achievement Honor
Palumbo earned the nod from the City and Regional Magazine Association at its annual conference in Cleveland this week.
Rhode Island Monthly Publisher John J. Palumbo received a CRMA Lifetime Achievement award in May.
This week, John J. Palumbo, publisher of Rhode Island Monthly magazine, received the 2024 Milton W. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award from the City and Regional Magazine Association. He was elected by unanimous vote of the CRMA board of directors.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually to an individual who exemplifies outstanding commitment to CRMA and fosters positive ties to their community.
Rhode Island Monthly’s publisher since 1997, Palumbo has a long-standing commitment to CRMA. A past member of the board of directors, he has served as past president (and in other elected positions), chaired annual conferences, and is frequently called upon by CRMA to participate in a leadership role.
Locally, his volunteerism is well-known, earning him an honorary doctor of public service degree from Rhode Island College. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Press Association’s Hall of Fame and was the first recipient of the same honor from the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau. He has been a director of the Roger Williams Park Zoo for more than twenty-five years, where he also served as chair and was recognized for his contributions by having the zoo’s veterinary hospital dedicated to him.
A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he currently serves on the URI Foundation Communications Advisory Committee and chairs the Community Advisory Board for Rhode Island PBS.
“We are proud to honor John in person at this year’s national CRMA conference in Cleveland in May. I’ve worked at Rhode Island Monthly for more than twelve years and I am proud to say we are one of the last privately owned media companies in the entire state, thanks to John’s vision, dedication and leadership,” says Jamie Coelho, editor-in-chief of Rhode Island Monthly. “We’ve been around for thirty-six years thanks to John saving the magazine from the chopping block and we’ll be here many more years to come.”
CRMA represents nearly 100 city and regional magazines all over the United States. The organization facilitates professional development and training opportunities for member magazines and creates opportunities to exchange information and ideas.
Palumbo, a Warwick resident, accept the honor in May at the association’s annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio.
Rhode Island Monthly also earned four CRMA Finalist awards for three magazine features, and its food email newsletter, The Dish. Reporter Ellen Liberman earned a runner-up Finalist award for “Feature Story” for her in-depth article on suicide prevention, “Surviving the Stigma.” The edit team, including Dana Laverty, Kaitlyn Murray, Edelinda Baptista, Lauren Clem and Jamie Coelho earned a Finalist Award for “Reader Service” for our “Cannabis 101” feature package, and Ann Hood got Finalist recognition in the “Essay” category for her personal narrative “Building a New Nest.” Our email food newsletter the Dish, produced and written by Jamie Coelho with Lauren Clem, also earned a Finalist award for email newsletter.
