New Club member Liz Spayd achieves big dreams on time at Washington Post

Liz Spayd believes in the power of big dreams -- and snail mail.

In 1988 -- at age 29 -- Spayd had already put in four years at the Detroit News, where she worked as business editor. With her 30th birthday in sight, a pushy friend who held her accountable convinced her to re-examine her long-term goals.

“All my friends knew I had this dream to work at the Washington Post by the time I was 30,” Spayd said in a Wire interview. “So a friend of mine called me on my 29th birthday and said, ‘You don’t have much time to get there.’”

Spayd, who joined the National Press Club this year, chuckles as she recalls the moment that shaped her career in journalism.

“I didn’t know anyone at the Washington Post then,” Spayd said. “So I wrote a letter to Ben Bradlee when I was at the Detroit News and told him about my dream to work at the Post.”

It was a hand-written letter, she’s quick to point out, not an email.

Things began to fall into place for Spayd when she received a phone call from Bradlee’s agent asking if he could meet with her over dinner in Detroit. That began a long process of securing a job at the Post. With her deadline rapidly approaching, Spayd accepted a job at the Post five months shy of her 30th birthday. She’s stayed 24 years.

Spayd, 53, has glided from editing on the business desk to reporting on the local staff to editing the Outlook section. She landed in the editor’s chair on the national news desk just in time for some wrenching and indelible moments in U.S. history. As editor, she oversaw coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a story that in many ways lasted a decade, she said.

In 2009, Spayd became the first woman appointed managing editor of the Washington Post. As the initial shock wore off, she began to realize how demanding this role would be. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The most challenging part of what I do is delivering good journalism to our readers every day with all the pressures that are collaborating to make it difficult,” she said. “But that’s also what’s most exhilarating about the job.”

This year, Spayd decided it was time to join the National Press Club. Prominent guest speakers caught her attention.

When she attended the Herman Cain luncheon last October, the Club’s executive director, William McCarren, invited her to sit at his table. As she learned more about the Club’s services and resources, she knew she had to join.

“Liz is a great addition to our Club,” McCarren wrote in an email. “She brings the kind of high level Washington experience that helps us in countless ways fulfill our mission to be the world's leading professional organization for journalists. In just a short time, she has already been able to help us in several ways. And, she is a fun person with a great sense of humor.”

When she’s not editing the Post, you can find Spayd, a native of Denver, soaking up the music at some of DC’s trendiest hotspots, such as the 9:30 Club or Black Cat. Her friends joke that despite her age, she still knows how to jam with the younger crowd.

She also enjoys biking in Rock Creek Park or hitting the ski slopes to unwind after a long work week. But don’t look for her locally—Spayd is a self-proclaimed snow snob.

In her inaugural year, Spayd looks forward to getting to know other Club members and offering guidance to younger members beginning their journalism careers.

“If you’re not so sure you have the stomach for it, now’s a good time to look for something else,” Spayd says. “But I do think it’s one of the most rewarding careers someone could choose.”