Washington, D.C. (May 22, 2017) -- Cheryl W. Thompson, an associate professor at George Washington University and a journalist who writes investigative stories for The Washington Post, has been named the 2017 NABJ Educator of the Year.

"As a journalist, I've won awards, but being recognized by NABJ -- an organization that has meant so much to me over the years -- is simply the best," Thompson said. "It's validation that the time I spend helping students craft a story or acting as a surrogate parent, advisor or friend matters."

Thompson is no stranger to NABJ. She has won two NABJ Salute to Excellence awards and started the student chapter at George Washington University in 2014. She currently serves as the chapter's advisor.

She has received numerous awards, including an Emmy, National Headliner, and Investigative Reporters and Editors' Freedom of Information Medal. She was part of the Post team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.

As an investigative reporter, she enjoys having one foot in the classroom and one in the newsroom.

"I love being in the classroom as much as I love being in the newsroom," she said. "To get to do the two things that I'm most passionate about is more than I could imagine."

George Washington University junior Devan Cole praised Thompson as a teacher and journalist.

"Her insight as a skilled beat reporter and successful investigative journalist was invaluable and helped to make her classes some of the best at GW," Cole said.

Prior to working for the The Post, she was part of the the investigative team at the Kansas City Star, and a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, the Daily News of Los Angeles, the Gainesville (Florida) Sun and the News-Gazette in Champaign, Illinois.

A Chicago native, she also serves on the board of Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

Thompson will be honored at the NABJ Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans, Aug. 9-13, 2017. Register here.

About the National Association of Black Journalists: An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide. For additional information, please visit www.nabj.org.