Breaking from a tradition of being led by former contestants, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has hired a nonprofit leader with no history in the competition as its executive director, signaling a new era for the nearly century-old showcase for the top spellers in the English language.
Cincinnati-based Scripps announced Monday that J. Michael Durnil will take over immediately as bee director. He replaces Paige Kimble, who stepped down last year.
Kimble, like many people on the bee’s leadership team, is a former speller, having won the bee in 1981.
By contrast, Durnil has spent much of his career leading nonprofit, educational and media organizations. Most recently, he was president and CEO of the Simon Youth Foundation, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that aims to help at-risk youth graduate from high school and pursue higher education. He has also held executive positions with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Durnil said in an email to The Associated Press that he has a form of dyslexia and spelling was a childhood struggle. However, he said he took part in math competitions in high school.