President
Michael Reeves
James Bowie High School, Austin
Years Advising: 21
Media Advised: Newspaper, Yearbook, Online News, News Magazine
BIO: Michael Reeves is the adviser of Dispatch Media at James Bowie High School in Austin. His students produce the Dispatch newspaper, thedispatchonline.net online newspaper, as well as a pair of digital magazines called the Drive and the Directive. Students in his award-winning program create content across the journalism spectrum from long form, feature-based pieces to podcasts, videos and robust social media offerings. After 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. Reeves is married to his wife Katie, and they have one amazing daughter named Flannery. Reeves is a former Edith Fox King recipient, a TAJE Trailblazer, a CSPA Special Recognition Adviser and is also a JEA Master Journalism Educator. He has served on the TAJE board off and on for over a decade, writes for the JEA Digital Media website, and has been involved with multiple JEA committees.
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President-Elect
Stephen Green
Caney Creek High School, Conroe
Years Advising: 8
Media Advised: Newspaper, Yearbook, Online News
BIO: Stephen Green, CJE, advises the Caney Creek High School Student Media program in Conroe, Texas. He has a B.A. in multiplatform journalism from Sam Houston State and an M.A. in journalism from Kent State. He also has more than eight years in collegiate and professional newspaper experience as a reporter and editor for daily newspapers. The Caney Creek Student Media program has been recognized on the local, state and national level for its photojournalism, reporting and design. He lives with his husband Hunter and two dogs, Draco and Wicket (who both say hello).
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Secretary
Alexis Prieto-Berkey
Klein Cain High School, Klein
Years Advising: 3
Media Advised: Yearbook, Broadcast, Online News, News Magazine
BIO: My name is Alexis Prieto-Berkey, and 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. We’ve relaunched the broadcast and newspaper initiatives entirely and have innovated the yearbook production process and design.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of guiding numerous students to win awards from the Texas Association of Journalism Educators (TAJE). Many of my students have been inspired by their experiences that they’ve chosen to pursue journalism beyond high school.
One of my most rewarding coaching experiences involved assisting a student with an investigative piece on locker room culture. Her dedication and talent led to recognition by TAJE and the prestigious title of Journalist of the Year. I’m proud of her achievements and the small role I played in her journey.
My life’s mission is to educate and ignite a passion for journalism in my students. I believe that my enthusiasm for the craft and dedication to student success shine through in all of our collaborative endeavors.
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Treasurer
Margaret Edmonson
Smithson Valley High School, Spring Branch
Years Advising: 23
Media Advised: Newspaper, Yearbook, Broadcast, Online News
BIO: I advise student publications at Smithson Valley High School, a 5A high school just north of San Antonio. My staffs have received recognition from National Scholastic Press Association, Texas Association of Journalism Educators, Interscholastic League Press Conference and Jostens in my 18 years at my current campus. I previously taught at Burbank High School where two of my journalism students advanced to state UIL competition for the first time in the school’s history. Prior to that, I spent 13 years reporting and editing at two small daily newspapers in central Texas.
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State Director
Lisa Roskens
Prosper High School, Prosper
Years Advising: 11
Media Advised: Online News
BIO: Lisa Musser Roskens has taught for more than 20 years. Prior to teaching, she worked as a full-time journalist, stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. This school year will be her ninth to teach scholastic journalism and her fourth as a career/technical education instructor. Her publishing credits span multiple genres and sources, such as National Geographic for Kids, Fort Worth Magazine as well as trade magazines and local newspapers. She has a degree in Journalism and English from Angelo State University and was trained one-on-one by Texas Association of Journalism Educators and Interscholastic League Press Conference-recognized and honored instructors in the realm of scholastic journalism.
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Past President
Kari Riemer
Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville
Years Advising: 34
Media Advised: Newspaper, Yearbook
BIO: My passion for journalism grew from my love of the written word and the belief that the press gives a voice to the voiceless. I have over 30 years in the public school classroom and have advised school publications for most of them. For the last decade, I have been the publications adviser at a large 5A high school in Pflugerville, Texas, a growing farm/tech suburb outside of Austin. Both the newspaper and yearbook I advise have been nationally recognized and I am a former recipient of the Edith Fox King Award for outstanding dedication to scholastic journalism and Max Haddick Journalism teacher of the year. I am currently the past president of TAJE. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 37 years. We have one daughter, Zoe, who is now a middle school journalism teacher herself. We also have two dogs, Sparrow and Pongo, and a cat named Meeko, whose only involvement in journalism is the comfort they give me at deadline time.
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Executive Director
Cindy Todd
TAJE, Austin
Years Advised: 25
Media Advised: Yearbook, Newspaper, Photojournalism
BIO: After 25 years of advising publications and teaching photojournalism at Westlake High School in Austin and Randall High School in Amarillo, Cindy Todd “retired” from the classroom and now serves as the TAJE executive director. Her students earned top awards from NSPA, CSPA and ILPC. The 2012 H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year, Todd was also named Max Haddick Texas Teacher of the Year, a TAJE Trailblazer and Texas Treasure, and received the CSPA Gold Key, NSPA Pioneer and JEA Medal of Merit and Lifetime Achievement awards. She lives in Buda with her husband, Terry, and sees her eight grandchildren and their parents as often as possible.
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ILPC Liaison
Alyssa Boehringer
ILPC Director & UIL Journalism Director, Austin
Years Advised: 16
Media Advised: Newspaper, Yearbook, Online News, Broadcast
BIO: Alyssa Boehringer spent 16 years advising broadcasting, yearbook and online news at her alma mater, McKinney High School. She also coached their UIL journalism team and served as academic coordinator for 12 years. After that, she spent a year working in school communications before moving to Central Texas and becoming ILPC Director and UIL Journalism Director.
Alyssa has served on the board of the Texas Association of Journalism Educators for years and served as state director, secretary and president. She works on the planning committee for the Gloria Shields NSPA Media Workshop. She was the 2017 JEA Broadcast Adviser of the Year and is a recipient of JEA’s Medal of Merit, TAJE’s Trailblazer Award as well as ILPC’s Edith Fox King Award.
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Legislative and Policy Chair
David Doerr
W. Charles Akins Early College High School, Austin
Years Advising: 12
Media Advised: Newspaper (print), Online
BIO: David Doerr has worked as a student publications adviser for the last 11 years, teaching at W. Charles Akins High School in Austin, Texas since 2010. Doerr, who worked for about thee years at the Waco Tribune-Herald, before teaching, began his teaching career advising yearbook students for three years. For the last seven years, he has advised print and online editions of The Eagle’s Eye student newspaper. in 2018, Doerr worked closely with students who organized New Voices Texas to advocate for state law to protect student journalists from censorship and teachers from retaliation by administrators. He currently serves as the chair of TAJE’s Legislative and Policy Committee, which is focused on issues related to changes to state law and policy that affect scholastic journalism. He continues to serve as the faculty adviser for New Voices Texas.
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Education Chair
Laura K. Negri
Alief Kerr High School, Houston
Years Advising: Over 30 years
Media Advised: Photojournalism, Newspaper, Yearbook
BIO: 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.