The Spokane Colleges Foundation has named Paul Read, publisher of the Spokane Journal of Business and Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, as the 2026 Distinguished Alumni of the Year.

Read got his start in journalism as the editor for The Communicator, the longtime student newspaper at Spokane Falls Community College, where he enrolled in 1979 and earned a degree in photography, before going on to get a bachelor's degree in journalism at Eastern Washington University.

In a video made by Spokane Colleges Foundation, Read says his experience at the student newspaper directly steered him into the career he has today.

"You learn not just about journalism but about leadership, and you meet so many great people from such diverse perspectives," Read says of his time leading The Communicator.

Read, whose career in journalism spans over four decades, helped launch the Spokane Journal of Business in 1986 and supervised the acquisition of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business in 2022.

Beyond his journalism work, Read remains active in the community and involved on multiple boards in the area.

Last year's winner, Larry Soehren, retired president and CEO of Spokane-based commercial real estate company Kiemle Hagood, was part of the selection panel for this year.

"I was so excited to see Paul Read show up as a candidate for this award," says Soehren. "Paul is one of the great guys in Spokane, and he's done so much for the community in so many different organizations, and I can think of nobody better to win this award."