'Robert Decherd' is the Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of
Belo Corp. of
Dallas, which owns six daily newspapers, including ''
The Dallas Morning News,'' ''
The Providence Journal'' and the (Riverside, Calif.) ''Press-Enterprise''. Belo also owns 21 network-affiliated television stations and three cable news channels.
He graduated from
St. Mark's School of Texas and
Harvard College, where he was orator of his class and President of ''
The Harvard Crimson''.
He is a recipient of the Media Institute's 1999 Freedom of Speech Award.
Decherd has been Belo's chairman and chief executive officer since January
1987. Robert became President of Belo in January
1994, and previously served as President from January
1985 through December
1986. From January
1984 through December 1986, he served as Chief Operating Officer. Robert is a member of the board of directors, lead director, and chairman of the Executive Committee of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. He also serves on the Advisory Council for Harvard University's Center for Ethics and the Professions, and is a member of the Media Security and Reliability Council which is part of
President Bush's
Homeland Security initiative.
Decherd, a member of the company's founding family, oversaw Belo's listing as public company with the
New York Stock Exchange in
1983, as well as the biggest transaction in the company's history, Belo's acquisition of The Providence Journal Company in
1997.