CHICAGO; Oct. 15, 2006 -- At Graph Expo 2006, the Tom McMillan Foundation presented its 8th Annual Tom McMillan Award for Editorial Excellence to Katherine O'Brien, editor of American Printer. The award is presented annually to the editor or writer who, according to their peers, exhibits the highest standards of journalistic integrity and professionalism; understanding of the industry, including its technologies and applications; and performs their duties in such a way as to act as a role model for other journalists. Dozens of industry communications professionals and industry journalists vote to select each year's winner. An expert writer with a quick wit and a strong sense of humor, O'Brien took over the editorial reins at American Printer in 2000 from former editor-in-chief and 2002 McMillan Award recipient Jill Roth, after joining American Printer as an associate editor and then serving as managing editor. Prior to joining the magazine in 1996, Katherine was the managing editor of Surface Mount Technology and Advance Packaging, trade magazines serving the electronic manufacturing industry. She also worked in the corporate communications department of Aon Consulting; a Chicago-based human resources and employee benefit consulting firm. Katherine is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in English. Katherine has written a wide variety of prepress, press and postpress and management articles for American Printer. A masterful editorial page contributor, she also is the winner of a 2000 Midwest Region award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) in the Signed Editorial category. "I always wanted to be a writer, but I didn't have a specific job in mind," said O'Brien. After taking extension courses in Journalism and Book Publishing at the University of Chicago, O'Brien gravitated to journalism and hasn't looked back. "At American Printer I enjoy the creative process, and I really enjoy printing," she said. "It's very tangible; you can clearly see the process develop from start to finish. And even though the printing industry is very large, it's also very congenial. Everybody knows everybody else, and everyone is willing to help each other." Katherine O'Brien's Contribution "Katherine O'Brien has helped chronicle the business and the personality of the printing industry for the past eight years, during one of its most difficult transition periods. And, for the past five years, one merely has to read a Katherine O'Brien editorial to understand and appreciate the contribution she regularly makes using words and personal philosophies woven into a brilliant tapestry that, each month, captures some essential aspect or subtlety that might otherwise be lost," agreed Tom McMillan Foundation cofounders, Helene Smith, Craig Kevghas and John Hebert. "Katherine's respect for individual talents, her ability to foster a sense of cooperation and teamwork, and acknowledging other people's efforts, has already left a strong mark in the annals of the printing industry. These and many other traits honor the spirit of Tom McMillan, and we are pleased to present the 2006 Tom McMillan Award for Editorial Excellence to Katherine O'Brien."