Conference Sessions:
Leroy Chapman Jr. serves as editor-in-chief of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he leads one of the South’s most influential newsrooms at a pivotal moment in its more than 157-year history. Appointed in 2023, Chapman became the first journalist of color to hold this role at the AJC, marking a historic milestone for the publication and the city it serves. As editor-in-chief, he is committed to ensuring the AJC remains a trusted institution, one that informs, engages, and empowers its readers.
A veteran journalist with nearly three decades of experience, Chapman has built a reputation for editorial excellence, strategic leadership, and a deep commitment to public service journalism. Prior to his current role, he served as managing editor, overseeing the AJC’s teams across government, politics, education, public safety, business, sports, and breaking news. Under his leadership, the newsroom earned numerous local, regional, and national awards for its coverage of critical issues affecting Georgia and the nation.
Chapman has also played a central role in the AJC’s evolution into a modern media company. He has championed innovative storytelling formats, including the AJC-produced documentary The South Got Something to Say and the launch of Politically Georgia, the AJC’s podcast that has become a leading source of political analysis in the state.
Throughout his tenure, Chapman has led coverage of some of Georgia’s most consequential news events including the Atlanta Public Schools test cheating trials, the collapse of the I-85 bridge, and elections that remind the public of Georgia’s place in the national political landscape. His editorial leadership has been instrumental during moments of national attention, including U.S. Senate races, major weather events, and infrastructure crises.
Prior to the start of his tenure at the AJC in 2011, Chapman was the governance editor at The State in Columbia, South Carolina, where he oversaw the newspaper’s politics coverage. He managed the 2008 coverage of candidate Barack Obama’s rise to the Democratic presidential nomination in early voting in South Carolina and coverage of candidate Nikki Haley, who made history as the nation’s first woman of color to be elected governor. Chapman led the team that broke the story of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s mysterious disappearance to Argentina being tied to an ongoing extramarital affair.
In 1999, at age 28, he became the first African American in The Greenville News’ 126-year history to join its opinion writing staff. He has covered each presidential election since 2000 and built a successful political blog, S.C. Politics Today, in the early days of digital media.
Chapman is a Leadership Gwinnett alum, and he serves on the board of VOX Atl, an Atlanta nonprofit that supports teens producing journalism. He is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Chapman is a U.S. Navy veteran and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. He joined the AJC in 2011 and has since become a respected voice in Atlanta’s civic and media communities. He lives in Gwinnett County with his family.