2023 Speaker Bios

Jeanne Acton

Jeanne Acton started her journalism career as a sophomore in high school when she heard the Journalism I class was a blow-off. It was no blow-off, but she loved the work and caught the journalism bug and never left (except for that brief three-year stint as a high school administrator). Jeanne taught journalism for a decade, and from 2004 to 2021 she was the Texas scholastic press director. While Jeanne isn’t in the classroom anymore, she continues to teach writing and still practices the trade. She both freelances and keeps a not-so-regular blog.

Samantha Berry, CADY

Samantha Berry, CJE, is the Director of Education and Curriculum for CADY, the premier school photography company. She advised newspaper and yearbook publications for 12 years during which time her students garnered CSPA Crown, NSPA Pacemaker and ILPC Star nominations and awards as well as numerous state and national individual awards. She is a recipient of the JEA Rising Star, TAJE Pathfinder and Edith Fox King awards. She recently moved to Georgia, and don’t get her started on how Publix is nowhere near as good a H-E-B.

Jasmine Binion, Cypress Ridge High School

My name is Jasmine Binion, a native of New York City and a proud Teach for America Corps member. I started my mass communication career during my undergraduate time and now continue it through education in secondary schools. I am new to Texas and have been granted to work as the new Journalism and Yearbook Adviser at Cypress Ridge High School. I am more than excited to be a part of an inclusive staff.

Dorothy Bland, University of North Texas

Dr. Dorothy Bland is a journalism professor at the University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism (MSOJ), a former dean and former publisher. She is the UNT Scripps Howard Foundation Emerging Journalists Program director and founded the UNT Multimedia High School Workshop in 2014.

Bland is passionate about student success, journalism education, equity and inclusion in media. She is the 2023 recipient of TAJE’s Friend of Journalism Award and was the 2022 national SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award winner. She has completed the Solutions Journalism Workshop and is a certified Workplace Integrity trainer. She has taught a variety of classes ranging from reporting classes to the Race, Gender and Media class. This fall, she is teaching the Comparative International Media Systems class and Intro to Media Writing. Prior to joining UNT, she was a professor and journalism director at Florida A&M University, which earned the National Association of Black Journalists student chapter of the year when she was the adviser. UNT also earned the NABJ student chapter of the year in 2022. She has more than 16 years of experience in higher education. Bland has served on numerous Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications site teams ranging from New York University to American University in Dubai.

In 2019, she was honored as one of the top 35 women in higher education by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine. Under her leadership, the MSOJ launched the 100% online master’s degree in digital communication analytics, grew enrollment, faculty, staff, and revenues. Her long-term commitment to diversity is evident in her teaching, research, and service. In 2016, the Mayborn earned the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Equity and Diversity Award. Her research interests also include digital/social media and management/leadership. She has served as a mentor in AEJMC’s Minorities and Commission Division and is active in the Commission on the Status of Women. In addition to her AEJMC and ACEJMC service, she maintains industry connections with a variety of organizations including the Online News Association and Society of Professional Journalists.

Bland’s industry experience includes working for USA Today as well as news organizations ranging from the Commercial Appeal in Memphis to the Fort Collins Coloradoan. She earned three Gannett rings for outstanding performance as a publisher. Bland earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University, M.B.A. from George Washington University, and journalism B.S. from Arkansas State University.

PJ Cabrera, Judson ISD

PJ Cabrera is a nationally recognized educator with nearly 12 years of experience in journalism education and education-specific communication. He has managed a nationally recognized journalism program, which included creating multiple publications, managing various digital media platforms, developing sales and marketing plans, and growing journalists. Recently, he earned a Doctor of Education, defending a study that focused on prior review.

David Doerr, New Voices Texas

David Doerr is in his 14th year as a student publication adviser and fourth year as the Adviser Officer of New Voices Texas. Doerr works with student journalists advocating for a state law that will bolster student press rights by clarifying the roles of student journalists, advisers and administrators in the student publication process in Texas. Doerr is also an ambassador with The News Literacy Project, which promotes free curriculum and resources for educators to improve news literacy for young people.

Haley Gluch, McNeil High School

Hi I’m Haley Gluch and I am the publications adviser at McNeil High School. I went to University of North Texas to study journalism and have a background in advertising. I love everything about graphic design and communications.

Stephen Green, Caney Creek High School

Stephen Green, CJE, is the adviser to Caney Creek Student Media’s award-winning website, newspaper, magazine and yearbook publications. He was recently named a TAJE Pathfinder and JEA Rising Star. Before teaching, he was a professional newspaper reporter and editor.

Paula Griffin & Davis Gamble, Walsworth Yearbooks

Paula Griffin and Davis Gamble’s yearbook love story started 8 years ago when they met in a training class for Walsworth Yearbooks. She had taught and advised for 20 years; he had served as editor for his college’s award-winning yearbook program. She’s a licensed counselor, and he should be required to have a license for how quickly he can next level design and storytelling ideas. They both love talking to people, and their mutual passion for publications has kept them working together, making sweet yearbooks across south and central Texas.

Michael Hatch, Prosper High School

After more than 30 years of on-air (and off-air) radio experience and teaching at a private broadcast school for over 15 years, life (and an awesome fate) brought Mike Hatch to Prosper High School—where he advises the multiple international award winning PHS The Talon radio and Eagle Nation News broadcast television stations. On the side, he’s the co-host and producer of “Faithspotting,” a movie-related podcast, that’s nearly 90 episodes in.

Bobby Hawthorne

Bobby Hawthorne is a popular speaker, writer and writing coach. Among other awards, he’s received JEA’s Carl Towley Award, NSPA’s Pioneer Award and ILPC’s Edith Fox King Award. He will be recognized as a “Friend of Journalism” at the 2023 JEA/NSPA national convention in Boston. He is the author of “The Radical Write,” “Copy That: Writing for Yearbooks | A Guide for Beginners,” and “Debbie Number Three,” his first novel which is available on Amazon.

Kate Hayes, Hendrickson High School

Kate Hayes is a senior at Hendrickson High School and co-Editor-in-Chief of her school newspaper with extensive experience covering gender and queer issues.

David Knight

David Knight is an old, retired, public information director for Lancaster County School District — used to teach high school newspaper courses and a couple of broadcast journalism courses. He also advised newspapers at the high school and middle school level and a high school literary-arts magazine and a student-produced cable TV station for a high school. When he’s not waiting on someone to change his Depends, he’s still teaching a couple of college mass comm classes at USC Lancaster and he still teaches summer workshops all over the country, including the Gloria Shields Workshop in Dallas. David has won a few awards, but he’s so old, he can’t remember them.

Kel Lemons, Jostens

Kel Lemons is a creative accounts manager for Jostens. She began her career as a newspaper photographer at the Waco Tribune-Herald. Lemons was a Texas journalism adviser for 12 years, with her newspaper and yearbook staffs at Connally H.S. and Rouse H.S. earning Crown and Pacemaker awards. She was selected as an ILPC Edith Fox King Award Winner in 2016.

Landry Long, Prosper High School

He is an NSPA Pioneer winner and a popular workshop instructor and convention speaker.

Alicia Merrifield, The Village School

Alicia Merrifield teaches at The Village School, a private PK2-12 grade school in Houston, Texas. There she advises The Viking Press (online news), The Viking Yearbook, photojournalism, Intro to Graphic Design, Digital Marketing and Intro to Entrepreneurship. She brought a yearbook club of 10 to the ever-growing Viking Media program that Village School has now. Alicia is the TAJE Private School Rep and the JEA Mentoring Committee Chair.

Mark Murray, ATPI

Mark Murray retired in 2019 from the Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas, after 35 years as a classroom teacher and district technology director. He is the Executive Director for the Association of Texas Photography Instructors. Murray is a Joseph M. Murphy and Gold Key recipient from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, a Pioneer Award winner from the National Scholastic Press Association, has been awarded the Carl Towley, Medal of Merit and Lifetime Achievement awards by the national Journalism Education Association, and has been named a Trailblazer and Texas Treasure by the Texas Association of Journalism Educators.

Laura Negri, Alief Kerr High School

Laura K. Negri, MJE, has taught journalism, photojournalism, newspaper, yearbook and technology for over 30 years in Texas public schools, since 2001 at Alief Kerr High School in Houston. Prior to teaching, she was a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor. She judges for several state journalism organizations and is a 2002 Reynolds High School Journalism Institute participant, a 2005 Radio Television News Directors Foundation Teacher Ambassador and a 2012 Fund For Teachers Fellow. She serves as Education Chair for the Texas Association of Journalism Educators and CTE Chair for the Journalism Education Association and is a member the Association of Texas Photography Instructors.

Spencer O’Daniel, Texas A&M University

Starting in his new role in mid-July, Spencer O’Daniel serves as the Associate Director of Student Media at Texas A&M University. He has advised and taught journalism and media courses for 12 years at the high school and college level. His students have won over 1000 individual awards and team awards including a Kansas Scholastic Press Association 6A state championship, collegiate photographer of the year, All-Kansas publications, NSPA Pacemakers at the high school and college level, and STN’s Broadcast Excellence Award. In 2022, O’Daniel was named a JEA Distinguished Broadcast Adviser through the Maize Career Academy, followed by the 2023 Jackie Engel Journalism Teacher of the Year through the Kansas Scholastic Press Association.

Lori Oglesbee, CADY

More than 4,000 students can agree that Lori Oglesbee is a true advocate and scholastic journalism legend. Now she is an Education Ambassador for Cady. For more than 30 years, Lori taught high school students the art of reporting fairly, creative design and photographing with courage. Her publications won Crowns, Pacemakers and ILPC Gold Stars. She was Texas Journalism Teacher of the Year in 2005 and the Journalism Education Association National Yearbook Adviser of the Year in 2009.

Megan Ortiz, Kingwood Park High School

Seniors Maya Ortiz, Arleigh Doehring and James Pham are national and state award-winning photographers for Kingwood Park HS. Ortiz was the 2021 and 2022 NSPA Photojournalist of the Year. The trio have combined for more than 80 photography awards.

Nancy Preyor-Johnson, San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists/San Antonio Express-News

Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson, president of the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists, is the deputy editor and an opinion columnist at the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board. An award-winning journalist and former journalism teacher, she also serves on the National Association of Hispanic Journalists board of directors. Preyor-Johnson holds a master’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. A native of the South Texas town of Mathis, she has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where she worked as editor-in-chief at TAMUK’s student newspaper, The South Texan.

Margie Raper, Rock Hill High School

Margie Raper, MJE, is an 20-year journalism teacher. She is the broadcast journalism and publications adviser at Prosper-Rock Hill High School in Frisco, Texas. She is proud to share her passion for scholastic journalism with her students, see them grow as storytellers and celebrate their achievements. She serves on the National Scholastic Press Association board and on the Gloria Shields NSPA Media workshop committee. In 2019, Raper was named the ILPC Max R. Haddick Texas Journalism Teacher of the Year. She has also been named a JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser, Medal of Merit and ILPC Edith Fox King honoree.

Michael Reeves, James Bowie High School

Michael Reeves, CJE, is the adviser of the Dispatch at James Bowie High School in Austin. With almost 20 years leading publications, one of his favorite things to do is to work with other programs around the country to learn and share ideas.

Parker Reynolds, Prosper High School

I am the Producer and a main anchor for Eagle Nation News, which is a top program in Texas. I have won and placed within numerous TAJE categories and awards and am a superior on air talent against my peers. I also have confidence in leadership and as a leader in my program and have taught my younger peers some on-air and editing tips I use everyday.

Karla Romero Paramo, Frisco High School

Since graduating with a Bachelor’s of Journalism in 2020, I’ve been teaching and advising journalism courses/publications in the North Texas area. I currently advise the yearbook and am reviving the newspaper at Frisco High School.

Lisa Roskens, Prosper High School / TAJE

LISA MUSSER ROSKENS has taught for about 23 years — with 17 of those being at one of the smallest school districts in Texas and her last five being at one of the largest. Prior to teaching in six-man-football-size Groom High School and her current gig as the online newspaper adviser at Prosper High, she worked as a full-time journalist, stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. Her publishing credits span multiple genres and sources, such as National Geographic for Kids, Fort Worth Magazine and local newspapers and trade publications.

Alice Scott, McCallum High School

Alice Scott is a senior in her second year as Co-Editor-in-Chief for McCallum High School’s student newspaper, The Shield. Last fall, Scott was named the 2022 NSPA Broadcast Journalist of the Year. Scott’s work has been published in the Austin-American Statesman, PBS NewsHour and the On Our Minds podcast. In addition to her work for The Shield, Scott is the Legislative Officer for New Voices Texas, a grassroots organization working to restore student press freedom.

Clint Smith, Texas High School

Clint Smith teaches at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas, where he co-advises the student newspaper the Tiger Times and the Tiger yearbook. Smith teaches journalism, digital media, commercial photography and a convergent media class.

Margaret Sorrows, Jostens

Margaret Sorrows, CJE, retired in June 2015 after 36 years of advising yearbooks and teaching digital photography, most recently for 24 years at Bryant High School in Arkansas. She was the 2014 JEA H.L. Hall Yearbook Adviser of the Year. Her yearbooks won Gold and Silver CSPA Crowns and NSPA Pacemakers, including selection to the NSPA Hall of Fame in 2008. Her honors include a JEA Lifetime Achievement Award, NSPA Pioneer Award, CSPA Gold Key, TAJE Texas Trailblazer Award and runner-up to Arkansas Teacher of the Year. She is currently an ambassador for Jostens, serving as an educational and creative consultant.

Mike Tobias, Port Neches-Groves High School

Mike Tobias is the NDN Press adviser, the high school student media program and also the district communications director for Port Neches-Groves ISD. Tobias advises staffs of students in CTE classes, such as Commercial Photography, Graphic Design and Digital Design & Media. Ultimately, they’re charged with creating yearbook, newspaper (online and print), social media content and two weekly sports shows. Now in his sixth year of teaching, he came to PNG after 16 years of professional journalism experience, working in varying newsroom roles — most recently as the sports editor of The Beaumont Enterprise. Among his more memorable career moments are covering the area’s hurricanes and tropical storms, NCAA and professional sports — including Houston’s Texans, Rockets and Astros — and many nights of high school athletics. He has made a career living on deadlines and instills the same level of urgency in his students. When he manages to pull himself away from work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Paige, his daughters Addison and Andie and is an avid guitar and music enthusiast.

Bradley Wilson, Midwestern State University

An associate professor at Midwestern State University, Bradley received his doctoral degree in public administration. He got his start working as a photojournalist for a weekly newspaper in Austin. He is the editor of the national magazine, Communication: Journalism Education Today, for the national Journalism Education Association and state director for UIL Copy Editing and UIL Current Issues and Events. This year, TAJE selected him to receive the Texas Treasure Award.

Scott Winter, Bethel University

Scott Winter failed at becoming the next Flannery O’Connor or John Steinbeck. In high school, he air-balled a hook shot, dropped a relay handoff at a state track meet and got fired as editor of his high school newspaper, three times. He now has a sports book out and earned his Ph.D., but only his wife has to call him “doctor.” He teaches reporting and writing at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. He wears terrible, floppy hats, or ripped baseball caps. Enjoy.