John D. "Jack" Bates has been CNPA’s executive director since 1991. Bates graduated from Duke University with a degree in economics and business administration. Upon graduation, he began his newspaper career as the assistant to the publisher of the family owned Meadville (Pa.) Tribune, a 17,000-circulation daily newspaper. The newspaper was sold to Thomson Newspapers in 1972 and Bates became its publisher.

Career moves followed as he moved to larger newspapers as a professional manager. After serving as publisher and/or president of the Marion (Ohio) Star, the Morgantown (W.V.) Dominion Post, the Hagerstown (Md.) Herald Mail and the Champaign (Ill.) News Gazette, Bates moved to Sacramento where he was president of the Sacramento Union from 1985 to 1990.

In January 1991, Bates was recruited as executive director of CNPA. Early in his tenure, Bates initiated several entrepreneurial ventures to ease the association’s dependence on dues. A statewide classified advertising program now provides revenue for participating member newspapers and the association. A national advertising placement service was also begun in 1992. This service grew from nothing to become the premier placement service in the country with billings of $350 million in 1999. In October 1999, the CNPA board of directors voted to sell the service to the Newspaper Association of America, which sold it to The Associated Press. In 2003, CNPA began to rebuild the advertising placement service, and in its first full year sales topped $20 million.

Bates has been active during his career in a variety of community, civic and industry activities. He is a member of the Newspaper Association Managers, the National Newspaper Association and the Newspaper Association of America.

Bates and his wife, Lou, live in Davis. They have three daughters. Bates’ interests include travel, golf, newspaper management and family (including his four granddaughters and one grandson).