Speaker Bios
Dr. Dorothy Bland
Dr. Dorothy Bland is a journalism professor at the University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism (MSOJ) and a former dean. 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 and diversity in media. 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. 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 15 years of experience in higher education. Bland has served on 15 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.
Alyssa Boehringer
Alyssa Boehringer is the Director of UIL Journalism and ILPC. Before that, she taught journalism and advised some combination of broadcasting, yearbook and online news for 17 years. She is a recipient of TAJE’s Trailblazer, ILPC’s Edith Fox King Award and JEA’s Medal of Merit. In 2017, she was named JEA’s Broadcast Journalism Adviser of the Year.
Amanda Brown
Amanda Brown is Mass Communication Program Head, Assistant Clinical Professor of Mass Communication, TV Studio Supervisor and a former journalist and news anchor.
Samantha Berry
Samantha Berry is the Director of Education for Cady. In her 12 years as an adviser, her students won Crowns, Pacemakers, and ILPC Stars as well as NSPA, CSPA and ATPI individual honors. She is a former TAJE board member, JEA Rising Star, TAJE Pathfinder, and Edith Fox King Award winner. Passionate about all things journalism, Samantha is happiest when she is with her favorite group of people – the scholastic journalism crowd.
Jill Chittum
Jill Chittum, MJE, is a Walsworth Yearbooks Rep based in Fort Worth. Prior to joining Walsworth 10 years ago, Jill was the yearbook and newspaper adviser at Blue Valley HS in Overland Park, Kan. Her staffs there won local, state and national awards, including the 5A state championship in 2012 and Pacemakers for both newspaper and yearbook. Jill got her start in yearbook as a staff member at Shawnee Mission North HS her freshman year. Jill lives in Fort Worth with her husband Adam, baby Lulu, and three ridiculous cats.
Curtis Christian
Curtis is the adviser for the broadcast program MHS1 and has taught photojournalism, commercial photography, AP Art Photo/Digital, Digital Interactive Media and A/V Production at McKinney High School over the last 9 years. His yearbook adviser was Lori Oglesbee and his broadcast adviser was Alyssa Boehringer, so that means they’re super old now.
David Doerr
David Doerr has taught journalism and career and technology classes in Austin ISD since 2010, serving as a faculty adviser for student publications. Currently, his students produce the award-winning printed and online student newspaper The Eagle’s Eye. Doerr, who is an ambassador for the News Literacy Project in Texas, has used Checkology and other News Literacy Project resources in Journalism classes since 2018. He encourages the use of Checkology in student journalism education in his classes and in those of others who teach core subjects related to media literacy.
Michelle Elizondo
Michelle Elizondo loves to talk to people about color and typography. She’s also a proud design geek and loves to watch movies with her husband and daughter on the weekends. She’s a also a proud dog mom. She’s in her twenty-third year advising the newspaper and yearbook at Tom C. Clark High School in San Antonio, Texas. Her students have earned Crowns, Pacemakers, TAJE, and ILPC awards. Michelle’s proudest moment is when she was named Krispy Kreme’s Teacher of the Year and received free donuts for an entire week.
Davis Gamble
Davis Gamble is a yearbook representative for Walsworth in Central and South Texas. He has been a student of journalism, collegiate publications editor and advocate for scholastic journalism. Now he tries to spread yearbook goodness wherever he goes. He loves communication and marketing, his two dogs, and good music.
Haley Gluch
Haley Gluch is the McNeil high school publications adviser where she advises yearbook and newspaper and teaches journalism and photojournalism. Before teaching she was in advertising and got her degree from University of North Texas.
Stephen Green
Stephen Green, CJE, is in his sixth year advising at the award-winning Caney Creek Student Media program in Conroe. He has a BA in multiplatform journalism and a BA in political science from Sam Houston State, and an MA in journalism from Kent State. Prior to teaching, he has had more than eight years experience as an award-winning reporter, columnist and editor at both collegiate and professional newspapers.
Michael Hatch
It all started in the ’80s with idolizing DJs on the radio, and newscasters on TV. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Radio Scriptwriting and Performance from Lyndon State College in northern Vermont, Michael Hatch began his journey through nearly 30 years of an on-air (and off-air) radio career that brought him from New England (Market #123) to Dallas, Texas (Market #5). “Hatch” (as his students call him) taught at American Broadcasting School from 2002-2017. An incredible opportunity led him to Prosper High School in 2018, where he’s still an adviser for Eagle Nation News (broadcast) and PHS The Talon (radio).
Hill Top News Staff
Hill Top News the weekly live student-run television program at Rock Hill High School in Frisco, TX. Launched in 2020, the show’s goal is to connect and captivate the students of RHHS and the surrounding community.
Shannon Kelly
Shannon Kelly is the adviser to Hawk Media at John M. Harlan High School in San Antonio, TX. She advises BUTEO yearbook, WINGSPAN news, KHHB broadcast, La Pluma literary magazine, Quill & Scroll and five UIL events.
Ed Larsen
Ed Larsen, CJE, is a Walsworth Yearbooks Rep based in Houston. Before joining Walsworth, he spent 23 years as a Yearbook, Newspaper adviser and English teacher at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, TX and in Winfield KS. He coached UIL 6A State Champions in News Writing and Headline Writing, as well as other state medalists, regional and district champions. Ed is also a Texas ILPC Edith Fox King Award recipient. His journalism passion began as a high school newspaper co-editor and led to a 15-year professional career in radio broadcasting before he began teaching. Ed lives in Katy with his wife Colleen who teaches kindergarten. They have seven adult children and 12 grandchildren scattered all over the globe.
Carey McCarthy
Our journalism program is in its fourth year and it is our second year of it including our Spanish section! Our goal is to provide more inclusive news to our community by sharing news in both English and Spanish due to the fact that our community is so diverse. Last year, we worked more on setting up the foundation of the Spanish section of our site, provided informative announcement segments and the occasional written piece about Latin culture. This year, we are hoping to work on producing more journalistic work in Spanish that highlights important issues that affect our students and community as well as celebrates and informs readers about Hispanic Heritage.
Alicia Merrifield
Alicia Merrifield is a YERD through and through! She teaches at The Village School, a private PK2-12 grade school in Houston. There she advises The Viking Press (online news), The Viking Yearbook (middle school and high school) and photojournalism. 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 Liaison, a member of the JEA Mentoring Committee and a JEA Critique Judge.
Jeff Moffitt
Jeff Mottirr, MJE, is a creative accounts manager for Jostens. Previously, Moffitt advised the award-winning Oracle newspaper and Torch yearbook at Olympia H.S. in Orlando, Florida. He is certified in career and technical education. He was OHS’s 2007 Teacher of the Year. JEA named him a Rising Star in 2006 and a Special Recognition Adviser in 2010.
Mark Muray
Mark Murray has been around for a while. Worked for Arlington ISD as a teacher and technology director. Serves as executive director of ATPI. Has won a few awards from TAJE and always likes coming to San Antonio for Fall Fiesta.
Katelyn Nash and Kate Hayes
Katelyn Nash and Kate Hayes are editors of the Hendrickson Hawk newspaper. They have written numerous pieces about gender and queer issues.
New Voices Texas
New Voices Texas is a student-led advocacy organization focused on enacting a state law that will remedy the problems with the 1988 Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court decision, which has resulted in censorship and prior review becoming commonplace in schools.
Lori Oglesbee
Lori Oglesbee advised high school students who produced national award-winning publications. Oglesbee was the 2009 JEA National Yearbook Adviser of the Year and the 2005 Max R. Haddick Texas Journalism Teacher of the Year.
Megan Ortiz
Megan Ortiz is a publications adviser at Kingwood Park HS, former Houston Chronicle sportswriter.
Emily Pyeatt Arnold
Pyeatt Arnold currently advises the Cat’s Eye online, Ledoian yearbook, Catalyst literary arts magazine and Bearcat TV at Aledo High School. She was named a Rising Star by the Journalism Education Association in 2015 and in 2022, she was awarded the JEA Medal of Merit, the TAJE Texas Trailblazer and named a UNT Mayborn School of Journalism and Scripps Howard Foundation Teaching Ambassador for the Emerging Journalists Program. She currently serves as the State Director for the Texas Association of Journalism Educators and enjoys teaching at journalism conventions and workshops across the country.
Margie Raper
Margie Raper, MJE. Raper is an 19-year journalism teacher. She is the broadcast journalism and publication 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 as 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
Michael Reeves, CJE, is the adviser of the Dispatch at James Bowie High School in Austin. With almost 20 years leading publications, one his favorite things to do is to work with other programs around the country to learn and share ideas.
Kevin Robbins
Kevin Robbins is a book author and former newspaper reporter who teaches at the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism and Media.
Lisa Musser Roskens
Lisa Musser Roskens has taught for about 20 years – with 17 of those being at one of the smallest school districts in Texas, and her last three 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. This school year will be her 11th to teach scholastic journalism and her eighth as a career/technical education instructor. Her publishing credits span multiple genres and sources, such as National Geographic for Kids, Fort Worth Magazine and local newspapers and trade publications. She has a degree in Journalism and English from Angelo State University and was trained one-on-one by award-winning instructors in the realm of educational journalism.
Mike Taylor
Mike Taylor, CJE, sees things differently, and as the Walsworth journalism specialist, he uses that creative edge to help yearbook staffs across the country to build the book of their dreams.
A former award-winning yearbook adviser, Mike has been awards the JEA Medal of Merit, a CSPA Gold Key and the Florida scholastic Press Association’s Gold Medallion.
Margaret Sorrows
Margaret Sorrows 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.
Mike Tobias
Mike Tobias is the NDN Press advisor, teaching advanced courses in journalism and photojournalism. On the journalism side, Tobias advises a staff of students charged with creating the annual War Whoop publication. A second staff is charged with producing printed issues of the Pow Wow newspaper and content for NDNPress.com. A third staff comprises the school’s first social media team and is tasked with creating content for each of NDN Press’ social media accounts. Each of those publications receive images from the advanced photojournalism classes. The fourth and final staff comprises NDN Sports, a digital media class which produces two online sports shows per week. Mr. Tobias came to PN-G 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 from 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.
Mark Webber
Mark Webber, CJE, retired in 2019 after 40 years of teaching and advising, the last 26 of those in print journalism, online media, and photojournalism. He eventually taught those through CTE classes. Webber founded the print journalism program at Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts in Laredo (Laredo I.S.D.) when the magnet school opened in 1993. In his final three years he was also the literary magazine adviser, having both the magazine class and a journalism class during 5th block. He also worked for 20 years at the Laredo Morning Times newspaper as a part-time news/copy editor and Spanish-to-English translator, where he prepared designated Spanish-language stories written by staff for use in English. He now lives in San Antonio, is a JEA-certified mentor and critique judge, and a member of the national Mentoring Committee. His teaching certifications include journalism, Technology Education, and English as a Second Language.
Dave Winter
Dave Winter has been advising publications since well before his current students were born. In the spring of 1993, while a floating first-year teacher at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., he was asked this question: “Would you like a classroom?” After answering affirmatively without hesitation, he was told he was the new yearbook adviser. Three schools and more than two decades later, Winter is still at it. He has been at McCallum, advising publications and teaching photojournalism, since 2015. For the better half of his 55 years, he has been married to his better half. He tries to avoid embarrassing his two amazing and now college-age children on his social media accounts but occasionally fails.
Scott Winter
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.
Tiffany Womack
Tiffani Womack, CJE is a Walsworth Yearbooks Rep based in DFW. Prior to joining Walsworth four years ago, Tiffani advised yearbook and newspaper for nine years. In addition to advising yearbook, Tiffani sponsored Student Council, taught leadership classes and coached cheerleading. Tiffani led her staffs to Best in Show awards and state journalism honors. She utilizes her journalism and student leadership expertise to help her advisers successfully run a yearbook program, and a create a positive culture in the classroom and on campus. Tiffani lives in Keller with her golden retriever Cooper and spends her free time with her nieces and nephews.
