FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2025
CARY, N.C. – Morgan Harper, editor of the State Port Pilot in Southport, has been elected president of the North Carolina Press Association (NCPA). Harper was chosen by her industry peers during the association’s 152nd annual convention, held September 18, 2025, in Cary. Her one-year term as president begins immediately.
Harper succeeds Keven Zepezauer, president and publisher of Restoration NewsMedia, who now assumes the role of NCPA’s past president.
Harper’s election continues a proud family legacy of leadership within the NCPA. Her grandfather, James Harper, and father, Ed Harper, both served as presidents of the association, while her grandmother, Margaret Harper, served for many years as NCPA’s secretary-treasurer.
“Morgan’s leadership reflects both her deep personal commitment to community journalism and a remarkable family tradition of service to the North Carolina Press Association,” said NCPA executive director Phil Lucey.
Also newly elected to NCPA board positions: Taylor Batten, Charlotte Observer; Jessica Hendrix Brown, News-Journal; Allen VanNoppen, The Paper; Nicole Stockdale, News & Observer; Justin Smith (elected to NCPA Secretary), News Reporter.
Founded in 1873, the North Carolina Press Association is a nonprofit organization representing the interests of North Carolina newspapers, their employees, and the communities they serve. NCPA works to protect First Amendment freedoms, open government rights, and to support strong, independent journalism across the state.