Tom Heslin was managing editor for new media at The Providence Journal and projo.com. He was promoted within a year after graduating the program to executive editor. He has been an editor in the Providence newsroom for more than 25 years. In 2005, he received the Yankee Quill Award for lifetime achievement in New England journalism. As managing editor for investigations, Tom directed the Journal’s probe of corruption in the state courts system, which was awarded the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. As the metropolitan managing editor, he directed the Journal’s coverage of the Station nightclub fire in which 100 people were killed -- which was acknowledged as a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

Heslin was a founder of ACCESS/RI, which has worked to raise public awareness of the importance of open government in Rhode Island. In 2006, he served as the president of the New England Associated Press News Executives Association, and helped found the New England First Amendment Coalition. He has served on the board of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, on the Freedom of Information Committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and as a regional coordinator for Sunshine Week in New England. He is a member of the News/Editorial Advisory Board of the American Press Institute, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Poynter Institute. In 2006, he participated in Poynter’s “Critical Issues Conference” concerning online ethics in newsrooms.