tom kerley became president and and chief executive officer of associated press also known as ap.e 1, 2003, he's the 12th person to lead ap since its founding in 1846 and under his dynamic leadership, ap is evolving, really has evolved from a wire service into an interactive global news network. and at the same time that he worked on the changing technology of news, he has been deeply committed to the people's right to know and he's been one of the country's visible and aggressive advocates for open government. and in my other extracurricular role as a member of the steering committee of reporters committee for freedom of the press, we have worked very closely with tom, establishing coalition of news organizations, and journalism related groups pushing for accessible, accountable and open government. and just a quick bio on him. he started early like i did in journalism. i started at 17, he started at 15 writing for the easton express. pennsylvania hometown of easton. after graduation from rochester institute of technology he got a job as an editor at the rochester times union. he