ESPN names Kevin Merida (’79) to lead The Undefeated

Kevin Merida (COM '79) is stepping down from the managing editor position at The Washington Post to become the senior vice president at ESPN and editor-in-chief of The Undefeated, a website that will explore the intersection of sports, race and culture.

"He sees journalistic possibilities when the rest of us are blind to them," wrote Martin Baron, executive editor at The Washington Post. “He is a wise and trusted counselor to legions of Post journalists – and journalists throughout the country. He played a central role in helping The Post build a talented, diverse staff. He has high expectations of everyone, especially himself. Above all, he is a man of abundant generosity and humanity.”

Prior to joining the Washington Post in 1993, Merida has worked at The Dallas Morning News and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he mostly covered crime and society. During his time at The Washington Post, Merida covered many sections, including national, foreign, metro, business, sports, investigations and The Washington Post Magazine. Throughout his career, Merida has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist was honored with the NABJ Journalist of the Year and Vernon Jarrett Award for Journalistic Excellence. Boston University recognized Merida as a Distinguished Alumni in 2005.

Merida, who is also a co-author of the biography “Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas” and co-author of the bestselling “Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs,” officially resigned from The Washington Post October 30.