Karen Ferguson Fuson

Karen Ferguson Fuson (BSJ92) was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2018.

Ferguson Fuson was one of the most influential female publishers in Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain. She became west group president at the Gannett/USA Today Network, where she oversaw 60 papers from Ohio to Guam, before stepping away to pursue a career in higher education.

Ferguson Fuson was also the president and publisher of The Indianapolis Star, senior vice president at the Arizona Republic, and a variety of other roles at papers throughout the country.

While publisher at The Indianapolis Star, her newsroom took on the governor and called for reform to a deficient religious freedom restoration act that had divided the state. She supported a front-page editorial demanding action that drew national attention and prompted the state legislature to change the law.

She is currently vice president for communications and marketing at Indiana University.