Profile: Mary Kimm
Mary Kimm is publisher, editor and chief operating officer of the Connection Newspapers, a group of 15 weeklies and parent company of the Potomac Almanac. Mary, who has lived in Potomac since 1967, began working for the Potomac Almanac (the only Connection paper in Maryland; the other 14 are in Northern Virginia, and members of the Virginia Press Association) as a writer in 1988. In 2001, she led the Potomac Almanac to 16 MDDC Editorial Contest awards, including Newspaper of the Year, an accomplishment she calls a "bright spot."

PERSONAL:
Born Feb. 25, 1955, in Brooklyn, NY. Divorced. Two children: Colin Kimm Dixon, 18, freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park and Emma Kimm Dixon, 14, freshman at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

Education: BA, Economics and Political Science, Swarthmore College.

PROFESSIONAL:
Favorite part of job: "The Potomac Almanac is one of my favorite things about my current job. Commitment and connections to the community have given us a chance to define issues in Potomac this year in a way that has helped the community get involved in critical processes that will define Potomac’s future."

List and describe your mentors: "My father, Peter M. Kimm, who taught me an important principle in journalism: If you haven’t made anyone mad lately, it’s probably because you’re not doing anything important. Washington Merry Go Round columnist Drew Pearson, who I was fortunate to know as I was growing up. His muck-raking taught me the power of the press. Kemal Kurspahic, who worked for me for several years, but who was the editor in chief of Oslobodjenje, the daily newspaper in Sarajevo during the siege. Kurspahic put out a newspaper every single day for 18 months in a city with no electricity from the bomb shelter of his destroyed high-rise office building."

Biggest challenge: "To provide the motivation, planning and organization to create stories, projects and newspapers that make a difference in the community, and to do this in the current very tight economic environment."

Most serious challenges for newsgatherers today: "Letting anything become routine. We can only write and publish a limited number of stories; each one should be for a compelling reason."

Main benefit you derive from MDDC membership: "MDDC writing and editing workshops have been excellent for reporters and editors. I also appreciate information on legislation in Annapolis, and the opportunities to share ideas with a diverse group of journalists."

FUN:
Favorite music: "I have eclectic taste in music; my children keep pushing the envelope of what I consider acceptable."

Last book read: "Either Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells, or The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson. I can’t remember which was most recent."

Last movie: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

Hobbies: "I own two horses and ride with my daughter; kayaking; bicycling; bird watching."

Favorite vacation: "Spent a week kayaking along very remote Baja coast in the Sea of Cortez, camping on beaches and snorkeling along the shore after a day of kayaking with whales, seals and hammerhead sharks. Couldn’t be reached by cell phone, e-mail, fax or any other method."

How would you most like to spend one day: "Along the Potomac River, in a kayak or on a bike or on a horse, with binoculars."

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