Web site editor Sarah Lourie of Needham, Mass.-based TechTarget is one of the five winners of ASBPE’s Young Leaders Scholarship this year.

The annual scholarship allows up to five editors age 30 and under -- who might otherwise be unable -- to attend the ASBPE National Conference. (This year's conference is scheduled for July 20-21 in Chicago.) Applicants must be sponsored by their chief editors, provide work samples, and write statements telling where they see their careers in the year 2013.

Sarah is site editor for SearchSMB.com and associate editor for SearchCIO.com and its associated print magazine, CIO Decisions. Here’s an excerpt from her application statement:

One of my favorite topics to cover has been regulatory compliance. The last few years brought us the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, HIPAA, SB-1386 and countless other IT-related legislative rulings. These acts have angered, frustrated and confused many companies. They’ve generated tremendous expense, and even led to the imprisonment of a few executives. ...

What I love about the business press is that the news we cover keeps us all a little ahead of the curve. We don't react, we inform. We're there as it's happening, as society is adjusting to business change. We know what people need to know before they know it. Our readers on SearchCIO.com, for example, come for advice on how to handle Section 404 of the SOX act and whether to use an internal or external auditor. They come to us to check up on the latest HIPAA deadline change or to check out how other states are following California's lead with the passage of SB-1386.

Here today in 2013, I've just finished editing yet another story about a Fortune 500 company fumbling because of shareholder lawsuits over intellectual property or lost customer data. I’ve just ventured from one of my increasingly regular visits to Washington D.C., where I can be in the middle of congressional sessions. I'm still mulling over the implications of the passage of the Clinton-Bush Act. Which Clinton do I mean? Which Bush? Just log onto my compliance blog (www.sarah-knows.com) and find out.

And here's what Sarah's supervising editor, CIO Decisions Media Group VP and editorial director Maryfran Johnson, says about her:

I've found Sarah to be an extremely dedicated, creative and hard-working editor. She has played an increasingly significant role in our media group... . Whether in story brainstorming sessions or editorial calendar planning meetings, Sarah always has good ideas, fresh angles, and knowledgeable sources to contribute to the group's effort.

In her capacity as our second-in-command (associate site editor) on the SearchCIO.com website, Sarah has worked directly with many of our experts, columnists and freelancers in shaping the editorial content on the site. She has developed expertise in a range of regulatory compliance topic ... and has an ever-widening circle of IT executive contacts who enrich our coverage of compliance. Her accomplishments as the associate site editor on SearchCIO.com recently led to her promotion to site editor for our SearchSMB.com site.

Please join us in congratulating Sarah.

Read more about Sarah the other winners of the Young Leaders Scholarship.

Note: This post was updated on Oct. 17, 2006, to include the entire story about Sarah; originally it included a shortened version and referred readers to the full story on the old ASBPE Boston web page. This blog has replaced that page.