Thomas Curley (born July 6, 1948) is an American businessman and journalist who served as President of the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
, the world's largest news organization.Associated Press press release He retired in 2012.
Early life and education
Curley was born in
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware Ri ...
. At age 15, he started writing for ''
The Express-Times
''The Express-Times'' is a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. The newspaper provides national news and extensive local news coverage of the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855, ''The Express-Times'' is the lon ...
''.John K. Hartman, ''The USA today way: a candid look at the national newspaper's first decade, 1982-1992'', J.K. Hartman, 1992, p. 1 /ref>
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
from
La Salle University
La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle.
History
L ...
, where he served as editor in chief of the student newspaper, ''The Collegian'', and was a member of Sigma Phi Lambda fraternity. He earned an
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private research university in the town of Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional ...
. In 1994, Curley received an
Honorary Doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
from his undergraduate alma mater.
Career
In 1972, he worked as an editor for the ''
Rochester Times-Union
The ''Times-Union'' was a daily evening newspaper in the greater Rochester, New York, area for 79 years. It was published as an afternoon daily counterpart to the morning ''Democrat and Chronicle'' under the ownership of Gannett when it ceased ope ...
''.Peter Prichard, ''The making of McPaper: the inside story of USA today'', Andrews, McMeel & Parker, 1987, p. 9 /ref> He became director of information for Gannett Company, Inc. in 1976. In 1979, he was one of the original news staffers that founded ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''. In 1982, he became the editor of ''The Bulletin'', and in 1983, publisher of '' The Courier-News''. He served as the president and publisher of ''USA Today'' from 1991 to 2003.Thomas H. Davenport, Marius Leibold, Sven C. Voelpel, ''Strategic Management in the Innovation Economy: Strategic Approaches and Tools for Dynamic Innovation Capabilities'',
John Wiley and Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, in ...
, 2007, p. 19 /ref> In 1998, he became senior vice president of
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Leonard Mogel, ''The Newspaper:Everything You Need to Know to Make It in the Newspaper Business'', Leonard Mogel, p. 2 /ref> Curley served as the President of the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
from June 2003 until 2012.
He is a
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
of the
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.
RMHC has a global network of c ...
. He also serves on the executive board of ''the
Ad Council
The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-governme ...
'', and he is the former chairman of the
American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation (AAF), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest national advertising trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry ...