2024 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.
Alexis Berkey, Klein Cain High School
I serve as the faculty adviser for three dynamic journalism programs at Klein Cain High School in Klein, Texas. In my role, I support student editors in managing the broadcast, newspaper, and yearbook programs, all of which we have revitalized since August of 2023. I am in my fourth year of advising and will graduate with a Master’s in Journalism Education in December 2024.
Dorothy Bland, University of North Texas
Dr. Dorothy Bland is a journalism professor at the UNT Mayborn School of Journalism and a former dean. She was the 2023 recipient of the TAJE Friend of Journalism Award and founded the multimedia high school workshop at UNT in 2014. She also serves as the program director for the UNT Scripps Howard Fund Emerging Journalists Program. In addition to her academic career, she is an award-winning journalist with 25 years of experience in industry ranging from reporter to publisher.
Kelsey Bennett, Local Sales/Service Representative
A former Walsworth student turned teacher in Dallas, Kelsey is in her 4th year of servicing advisers across the Houston area. Her previous yearbook and classroom experience provide her with a specific understanding and eagerness to help yearbook advisers.
Alyssa Boehringer, ILPC Director, UIL Journalism Director
Alyssa Boehringer is director of ILPC, the student press association in Texas, and is director of journalism for the University Interscholastic League. Before that, she advised some combination of broadcasting, yearbook and online news at McKinney High School for 16 years. She is recipient of TAJE’s Trailblazer Award, ILPC’s Edith Fox King Award and JEA’s Medal of Merit. In 2017, she was JEA’s National Broadcast Adviser of the Year.
Ashley Brown, Brownie Photography
Ashley Brown is a 3-time global award-winning wedding photographer and filmmaker who brings a unique blend of artistry and business acumen to the world of visual storytelling. As a full-time creative professional, Brown captures life’s most cherished moments with a distinctive eye, blending emotion and elegance in every frame. Beyond the lens, Brown is a dedicated entrepreneur and the owner of Brownie Photography & Prouction LLC, where the heart of journalism and innovation drive every project. In addition to running a successful business, Brown shares a passion for education as a part-time college professor. Here, Brown inspires and mentors the next generation of creatives, imparting knowledge and enthusiasm for personal success. Whether behind the camera or in the classroom, Brown is committed to crafting compelling narratives and fostering a love for the art of visual communication.
Daniel Ryan Carr, Braswell High School
The region 2 representative for TAJE. I am the Journalism Adviser at Denton ISD’s Ray Braswell High School in Aubrey, TX. I advise the student yearbook, newspaper, and broadcast programs at my school.
Sean Claes, Akins High School
Sean Claes was born very little when he was very young. Since then he has made it his life’s mission to help good people become better known. As a journalist, copywriter, photographer, designer and marketing professional. This is his 9th year advising The Aerie of Akins Early College High School in Austin.
David Doerr, New Voices Texas
David Doerr is in his 15th 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.
Madison Dyer, Local Sales/Service Representative
Madison earned her marketing and communications degree from Ole Miss and began her journey with Walsworth three years ago. While at Ole Miss, Madison was on the yearbook staff. She utilizes her journalism education and years on middle school, high school, and college yearbook staffs to help her advisers successfully run a yearbook program and create a positive culture in the classroom and on campus.
Haley Gluch, McNeil High School
Haley Gluch is in her ninth year teaching/advising yearbook and newspaper. She went to the University of North Texas to study journalism and has a masters in mass communication from Texas Tech University. She now teaches at the school she went to – McNeil!
Stephen Green, Caney Creek High School
Stephen Green, CJE, is the adviser to Caney Creek Student Media’s yearbook, newspaper and news website. His students have won awards on the local, state and national level for reporting, design and photography. He was previously an award-winning journalist and has been named a TAJE Pathfinder, JEA Rising Star, and the Region 6 Teacher of the Year. He is also a lecturer of journalism at Sam Houston State University.
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.
Jim Jordan, Walsworth
After 35 years advising the Decamhian at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, Jim Jordan is now a Special Consultant with Walsworth Yearbooks. In 1996, he was named the National Yearbook Adviser of the Year by JEA. He finds joy helping advisers and staffs find their talents and create great yearbooks. In 2021 he received the Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award from JEA. SABRINA SCHMITZ Sabrina Schmitz CJE, Sabrina Schmitz, CJE, is a Walsworth Yearbooks representative, key accounts specialist and the former publications adviser at J.W. Mitchell High School in Trinity, Florida. Under her leadership, The Stampede yearbook earned multiple CSPA Crowns, an NSPA Pacemaker, and was a Design of the Year Finalist. She was Teacher of the Year in 2013, was a District Teacher of the Year Finalist, and teaches at workshops and conventions nationwide.
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.
Ed Larsen, Local Sales/Service Representative
After 23 years in the classroom, Ed joined Walsworth in 2022. His background includes high school student publications editor, two decades of radio broadcast work, and local church ministry. While teaching, he served as a TAJE Regional Rep from 2010-2014, coached two UIL Journalism State Champions, numerous regional and district medalists along with eight District UIL Journalism Team Championships. In 2017, UIL/ILPC recognized him with the Edith Fox King award for meritorious service to Texas Scholastic Journalism. With a collective 40 years of journalism classroom experience, Walsworth Team Houston reps, Kelsey Bennett, Madison Dyer, and Ed Larsen know how to do yearbook.
Kel Lemons, Jostens
Kel Lemons has her dream job as a Creative Accounts Manager at Jostens. She loves talking theme, design and photography. A yearbook nerd since high school, Kel previously worked as a newspaper photographer, journalism adviser and yearbook education manager. As a Texas adviser for 12 years, her publication staffs won 22 CSPA Crown and NSPA Pacemaker awards. She was selected as an ILPC Edith Fox King Award Winner in 2016.
Yary Lira, McKinney High School
Yary is a third year yearbook adviser. She teaches journalism and photojournalism at McKinney High School.
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, Online News Photojournalism, Photography and Digital Marketing. 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 and the JEA Mentoring Committee Chair.
Emily Mire
I graduated from Port Neches-Groves High School in 2023. I was a UIL All-State Journalist, two-time UIL 5A State Champ in Photography and was honored as one of TAJE’s “Best of the Best.” I am a Sports Photographer at Leo Weeks Photography in Port Neches. I am attending Lamar State College-Port Arthur majoring in Social Media and Digital communication Management. I have been shooting sports for 5 years now and hope to work for the Houston Astros organization.
Trina Moore, Rouse High School
Trina Moore, AV Teacher at Rouse High School in Leander has 30 years of public education experience. Passionate about creating an engaging classroom culture, she works with high school students in audio/video classes, facilitating real-world experiences. Her students have won national video awards and have been featured on PBS Newshour. PBS Newshour’s Student Reporting Labs praises Trina for supporting fellow educators with humor, tips, and good vibes.
Mark Murray, ATPI
Mark Murray is the Executive Director for the Association of Texas Photography Instructors, even though he lives in Santa Fe, NM now. He has known Bradley Wilson for Wilson’s entire teaching career. That’s how he lost all of his hair. TAJE has presented Murray with multiple awards over the years.
Spencer O’Daniel, Texas A&M University
Spencer O’Daniel, MJE, is in his 13th year of advising student media at the high school and college level. O’Daniel currently serves as the Associate Director of Student Media at Texas A&M University, where he advises The Battalion newspaper and website, Maroon Life magazine, and The Aggieland yearbook. Over the past decade, his high school students and collegiate journalists have won thousands of individual awards and team awards, including a team KSPA state championship, collegiate photographer of the year, All-Kansas publications, NSPA and ACP Pacemakers, along with STN’s Broadcast Excellence Award.
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
Adviser of the newspaper, yearbook and online news site at Kingwood Park High School. Former Houston Chronicle sportswriter. TAJE representative for Region 9.
Nancy Preyor-Johnson, San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists/San Antonio Express-News
Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson is the Deputy Metro Editor at the San Antonio Express-News. She previously worked as the deputy editor on the Express-News Editorial Board. An award-winning journalist and former journalism teacher, she holds a master’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. She serves as the vice president of print of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Margie Raper, Rock Hill High School
Margie Raper, MJE, is a 20-year journalism teacher and reigning JEA National Broadcast Adviser of the Year.. She is the broadcast journalism and publications adviser at Prosper-Rock Hill High School in Frisco. 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.
Karla Romero Paramo, Frisco High School
Karla is a fifth year adviser. She teaches journalism I and photojournalism while advising the school yearbook and newspaper at Frisco High. Yary is in her third year at McKinney High. She teaches journalism and photojournalism while advising The Lion yearbook staff.
Lisa Roskens, Prosper High School / TAJE
Lisa Musser Roskens has taught for 20-plus years, including time at one of the smallest – and one of the largest – schools in Texas. Before teaching in six-man-football-size Groom and her current gig as the multimedia news adviser in Prosper, she worked as a journalist, stay-at-home mom, and freelance writer. Her publishing credits span multiple genres, including National Geographic for Kids, Fort Worth Magazine and other newspapers and publications.
Hal Schmidt, Jostens
Hal has been working with student publication staffs for over 37 years helping them get the most from their software and their ideas on pages. He is the tech representative for the Houston Office of Jostens Yearbooks.
Sabrina Schmitz, Walsworth
Sabrina Schmitz, CJE (Walsworth Yearbooks Rep & National Key Accounts Rep) is a former award-winning adviser earning CSPA Crowns, NSPA Pacemakers, and was a Design of the Year Finalist. She was TOY, a District TOY Finalist, a FSPA Gold Medallion recipient and teaches at workshops nationwide.
Charlie Shanks, UNT
Charlie Shanks is the former co-editor-in-chief for the McNeil High School yearbook, is a freshman at the University of North Texas and works for the North Texas Daily, Mean Green Production crew that works with ESPN and Hatch. He’s been shooting photos and attending the ILPC Conventions since sixth grade.
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 finalist for Arkansas Teacher of the Year. She is currently an ambassador for Jostens, serving as an educational and creative consultant.
Mike Taylor, Walsworth
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 awarded the JEA Medal of Merit, Friend of Journalism, CSPA Gold Key and the Florida scholastic Press Association’s Gold Medallion.
Mike Tobias, Port Neches-Groves High School
Mike Tobias is the NDN Press advisor, 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. Beginning his 7th 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.
Mark Webber
Mark Webber retired from teaching after a 40-year career, the last 26 in journalism. He founded the print journalism program in 1993 at the then-brand-new Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts in Laredo, a magnet program of Laredo ISD, then took the newspaper online in 1998. He also worked part-time for 20 years at the Laredo Morning Times, where he was a news and copy editor and a translator for the paper’s Spanish-language reporters. In his last 3 years of teaching, he added the creative writing program and its magazine to his fifth-block journalism class. Now retired, he is a JEA-certified mentor and critique judge and is a member of the JEA Mentoring Committee.
Dr. Bradley Wilson, Leander High School
Bradley Wilson, Ph.D., is the publications adviser at Leander High School. He is also the editor of the national magazine of the Journalism Education Association — Communication: Journalism Education Today. TAJE named him a Texas Treasure in 2023.
Dave Winter, McCallum High School
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 three decades later, Winter is still at it. He has been at McCallum, advising newspaper and yearbook and teaching photojournalism, since 2015. For the better half of his 56 years, he has been married to his better half. He tries to avoid embarrassing his two amazing children on his social media account but occasionally fails.
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.