Dunlap attended her first board meeting June 9 during Eckerd Youth Alternatives' Board Development Conference, June 8-10, at the Belleview Biltmore Hotel.

"Our board is thrilled to have Dr. Dunlap as a member," explained James T. Swann III, chairman of EYA's board. "She offers valuable insight to our organization to help us do what we do best: help kids."

"One of our goals is to make sure our programs promote the well-being of children and their families," said Dunlap. "EYA makes a difference in an area that is very important to me."

Dunlap is president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, in St. Petersburg, and a trustee; she began her tenure at Poynter in 1989. She also serves on the board of directors of the Times Publishing Company.

She is a teacher in writing and has led seminars throughout the U.S. and abroad. Dunlap has co-authored two books: "The Effective Editor" with Foster Davis, and "The Editorial Eye" with Jane Harrigan. She has twice served as a Pulitzer Prize jurist and publishes articles on award-winning writing.

Dunlap taught journalism at Tennessee State University in Nashville, and then joined the faculty at the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1985. She is a graduate of Michigan State university and Tennessee State University, and received her Ph.D. in mass communications from the University of Tennessee.

"Sadly, not every child in our country is given the opportunity to succeed," said EYA President and CEO Karen V. Waddell. "The kids in our programs have so much to gain from Dr. Dunlap's experience and contributions to our board."

Dunlap joins board members Ruth Eckerd, Eckerd Youth Alternatives' co-founder; Swann; Nancy Eckerd Hart; Joseph W. Clark; Ken O'Herron; Waddell; and Stewart Turley.

Dunlap is married, with four children and grandchildren.