The Chicago News Guild
Local Leadership
Local Officers
CNG’s President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer make up the Local Officers. Officers are elected biennially in even-numbered years by secret ballot membership referendum.
Andy Grimm
CNG President
Andy is a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, where he has worked since 2014. Previously, he worked at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Chicago Tribune, and the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune (where he served two terms as president of the Gary Newspaper Guild). Andy is currently serving his second term as CNG President.
Yiran Zhang
CNG Vice President
Yiran Zhang is a strategic researcher at SEIU Local 1, Secretary-Treasurer of the SEIU Local 1 staff union, and Vice President of the Chicago NewsGuild. Her work in the labor movement began back in 2016 with both community organizing and unionizing with her fellow grad student workers, and will continue until we all win our collective liberation! In her free time, she powerlifts, makes her 2 cats wear silly little outfits, and doomscrolls on twitter.
Tim Campbell
CNG Secretary
Tim Campbell has been a member of the Guild since 2007, joining the General Press unit. At the time, he worked with fellow Guild Member Kathy Devine producing Union newsletters, non-profit materials, political campaign literature and other printed communications. Currently serving his second term as Secretary of the local, he chairs the Election committee and is a member of the personnel and finance committees.
Omar Salem
CNG Treasurer
Omar Salem has been a Union Professional Issues Director with the Illinois Federation of Teachers since 2021. Prior to working at the IFT, he worked in public schools for over 13 years, serving as a department union representative and Equity Chair of the North Suburban Teachers Union. Omar's journey reflects his deep commitment to building a stronger collective voice. He is currently the Guild Delegate for the Illinois Organizers Union.
Local Executive Board
CNG’s Executive Board consists of all elected Local officers, all elected unit chairpersons, and unit delegates and alternates elected by each unit at the rate of one delegate and one alternate for every 50 members. Executive Board members serve as the connection between their unit and the Local. All Executive Board members are expected to sit on a CNG committee. Each unit shall receive nominations for, and elect annually, in January or February, unit delegates and alternates to Local Executive Board.
Unit board members (unit chair, unit delegate and alternate) can be found on each unit’s page.