Rafael Lorente, Dean of Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, was unanimously elected to serve as a Trustee for the Board of the MDDC Press Foundation. Rafael Lorente became dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism on July 1, 2023. Previously, he was the associate dean for academic affairs, director of the master’s program, and director of the Capital News Service Washington, D.C., and Annapolis bureaus. Lorente, a 1998 Merrill master’s alum, is a former reporter with the South Florida Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. As a reporter in Washington for the Sun Sentinel, Lorente covered the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, the attacks of Sept. 11 and U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America, particularly Cuba. He serves on the boards of the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute in addition to his work with MDDC. The MDDC Press Foundation focuses on the future of journalism by offering paid, 8-week “real world” summer internships with MDDC member newsrooms. Learn more about our programs here [https://mddcpress.com/mddc-press-foundation/]