Kenneth Shapiro, Vice President and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of TravelAge West, recently won the Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award, which is presented in honor of the late Marianne Dekker Mattera, the longtime Editor-in-Chief of RNMagazine and Medical Economics.
The award is part of the 2023 Jesse H. Neal Awards, which is given to “the best of the best in the business journalism industry” and is one of the most prestigious award series in the field of specialized journalism.
Our Analysis: Mentors Play a Vital Role in Shaping Next-Generation Talent
Just as it’s important to recognize an industry’s up-and-coming talent so, too, must we shine a light on the mentors and leaders who helped get them there. The Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award is meant to honor such individuals — those who have made it their mission to identify and shape next-generation talent. And as the editors of this publication know (all of whom are graduates of the TravelAge West internship program), there may be no better or more deserving recipient.
What They Are Saying: Shapiro Is “The Perfect Leader”
“As my boss and mentor, Ken has helped shape and sharpen my writing, personally introduced me to the movers and shakers in the travel industry and given me innumerable opportunities to write meaningful stories and challenge myself as a journalist and public speaker,” said Mindy Poder, Executive Editor at TravelAge West. “But, of course, I’m not an anomaly. At Northstar Travel Group, our parent company, Ken has earned a well-deserved reputation for cultivating talent. Upon Ken’s promotion to publisher and vice president, Bob Sullivan, the president and chief commerce officer at Northstar, called Ken “the perfect leader.” When I asked him to explain, he said that Ken — of all the chief editors and directors at the company — has a unique ability to identify and develop next-generation talent.”
Fast Facts
- The Jesse H. Neal Awards’ winners and their work were celebrated during an in-person awards ceremony on April 21 in New York.
- The Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award was created to honor the memory Dekker who, during the course of her more than 40-year career in business media, won 18 Neal Awards.
- A former teacher, Dekker mentored dozens of colleagues in B2B media.
