2022 Faculty

The heart of every Gloria Shields Workshop is its people. Our experienced faculty members are renowned for their dynamic instruction. Most have taught at the workshop for more than a decade.

Our faculty members are journalism educators who are local, state and national leaders.
The associations for which they have volunteered include these —

National Scholastic Press Association
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Journalism Education Association
Association of Texas Photography Instructors
Interscholastic League Press Conference (Texas)
Texas Association of Journalism Educators

Martha Akers, 2005 JEA Yearbook Adviser of the Year, advised the Saga at Loudoun Valley High School in Virginia for 41 years. She retired in 2022.

The Saga consistently earns NSPA Pacemaker, CSPA Gold Crown and Virginia High School League Trophy honors. Akers has received the CSPA Gold Key, NSPA Pioneer Award, VHSL Lifetime Achievement Award, VHSL Torch Award, VHSL Hall of Fame and the SIPA Distinguished Service Award.

Teaching advanced publication design

Alyssa Boehringer has taught at the Gloria Shields Workshop since 2003. 

After 16 years advising broadcast, yearbook and online news, she recently transitioned into her role as communications specialist and writing coach for the Princeton Independent School District (Texas). 

She was the 2017 JEA Broadcast Adviser of the Year and is a recipient of JEA’s Medal of Merit, the TAJE Trailblazer Award as well as the ILPC Edith Fox King Award.

Teaching advanced video

Deanne Brown advised The Featherduster news magazine and taught photojournalism at Westlake High School, Austin, Texas, for 33 years. Her students and their work have been recognized by state and national organizations with top awards.

She was named the 2014 Texas Journalism Teacher of the Year, a TAJE Trailblazer, an NSPA Pioneer, an ATPI Star of Texas and a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from JEA. 

Teaching intermediate photography

Jennifer de la Fuente is a web designer and developer who has operated her own business, Rosebud Designs, since 2009. She specializes in building custom WordPress sites and has been teaching code and design to all levels of learners.

She began teaching at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in 2014. She teaches design and content creation classes in public relations.

Before running her own business, Jenn spent 10 years in journalism — almost all of it in sports — as a reporter, copy editor, page designer and web producer. Her journalism career includes stops at the Orange County Register, Arizona Daily Star, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) and The Sacramento Bee.

Teaching digital reporting

Mitch Eden is in his 26th year teaching, the past 16 at Kirkwood (Missouri) High School. He advises The Kirkwood Call newsmagazine, Pioneer yearbook and TheKirkwoodCall.com website.

Eden is a former Dow Jones News Fund National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year. He received NSPA’s Pioneer Award, JEA’s Medal of Merit and Society of Professional Journalists Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award. He has also served as JEA Secretary and Missouri Journalism Education Association president. He serves on the NSPA/ACP board of directors.

Teaching the adviser course

Corey Hale has advised high school publications for 20 years and currently works at Lewisville (Texas) High School, where he teaches journalism and photojournalism and serves as a consultant for the newspaper and yearbook staffs.

Prior to that, he advised newspaper, broadcast and yearbook programs at Lovejoy, Lewisville, Marcus and Lancaster high schools.

His students have won a number of individual and staff honors including the ILPC Gold Star, CSPA Gold and Silver Crowns, and NSPA Pacemaker.

Hale cut his journalistic teeth in the wilds of central Arkansas, where he wrote, edited and designed in the sports department of a medium-sized daily paper.

In 2012 he was the Lewisville High School teacher of the year, and he is a recipient of the ILPC’s Edith Fox King Award.

Teaching newspaper editorial leadership

LaJuana Hale has advised broadcast and newspaper staffers for close to 20 years at Marcus High School, Flower Mound, Texas.

Her staffs regularly win top state and national honors including the ILPC Gold Star, the CSPA Gold and Silver Crown and the NSPA Pacemaker. Last year her editor-in-chief won NPSA’s National Writer of the Year, and last fall Marcus won the Sweepstakes Award at TAJE. She is also a winner for ILPC’s Edith Fox King Award.

Teaching newspaper editorial leadership

Charla Harris, the 2018 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year, has advised the journalism program at Pleasant Grove High School (Texas) for the past 37 years.

Her students have won multiple Gold Crowns from CSPA, Pacemakers from NSPA and Star Awards from the ILPC. Harris is an ILPC Max Haddick Teacher of the Year and Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Distinguished Adviser.

She is a past president of TAJE.

Teaching yearbook theme development

Bobby Hawthorne is an Austin-based writer and writing instructor. He is author of “The Radical Write,” “Longhorn Football: An Illustrated History,” “Home Field: Texas High School Football Stadiums from Alice to Zephyr” and “University Interscholastic League: An Illustrated History of 100 Years of Service.”

A popular workshop and convention speaker, Hawthorne is a former director of Texas Interscholastic League Press Conference. He has received the TAJE Trailblazer Award, ILPC Edith Fox King Award, NSPA Pioneer Award, CSPA Charles O’Malley Excellence in Teaching Award and the JEA Carl Towley Award.

Teaching feature writing

Wade Kennedy has been advising the yearbook and newspaper at Richardson High for 14 years. His programs have won multiple state and national awards, and his students have won numerous individual awards.

As a former newspaper photojournalist, Kennedy has also won multiple professional awards, and he currently runs a freelance photography business in Dallas.

As a 2016 Edith Fox King award winner, he has dedicated his career to helping scholastic journalism students succeed.

Teaching advanced photography

David Knight has advised high school and middle school newspapers, helped create a student-produced cable station and has been recognized by state, regional and national press organizations as a leader in scholastic journalism.

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

Teaching specialized writing

Pete LeBlanc will be starting his 31st year of teaching. 

Since helping open Antelope High School in 2008-09, he has advised Titan Times the Magazine, the Titanium yearbook and the Channel 5 Titan TV News. Students on those staffs have won several NSPA Pacemaker and CSPA Crown awards. 

LeBlanc was named the 2006 National Yearbook Adviser of the Year.

Teaching beginning publication design

Gary Lundgren, NSPA associate director, has received the CSPA Gold Key, NSPA Pioneer, JEA Medal of Merit, ILPC Edith Fox King and TAJE Friend of Journalism Award.

In his 10 years at the University of Arkansas, the Arkansas Traveler newspaper and Razorback yearbook staffs he advised were consistent CSPA Crown and ACP Pacemaker winners.

During his 20 years at Jostens, he launched the Look Book and Jostens Adviser University, and he edited three editions of the 1,2,3 Yearbook Curriculum, as well as Jostens Adviser & Staff magazine.

Teaching advanced publication design

Yvette Manculich, the multimedia publications adviser at Powell Middle School, Littleton, Colorado, has advised The Prowl yearbook for 19 years. 

The Prowl has earned both national and local recognition, including numerous NSPA Pacemakers, CSPA Gold Crowns, and All Colorado awards from Colorado Student Media Association.

In 2017, The Prowl was inducted into the CSMA Hall of Fame. The Prowl has earned top honors on NSPA’s Best of Show lists and staff members have won 1st place for NSPA’s Design of the Year and Photo of the Year. In 2020, Manculich was named both Adviser of the Year from CSMA and Distinguished Adviser from JEA. She presents at both national and local conventions.

Teaching yearbook boot camp (junior high/middle school)

Taylor Mersmann is a six-year adviser leading the online newspaper and radio for Rock Hill High School, Frisco, Texas, where she also teaches photography and graphic design.

Her middle school yearbook program won national recognition in page design, and her high school students have won individual state awards in photography.

Mersmann is Adobe certified in Photoshop and Illustrator and is a Certified Professional in Visual Design with Adobe.

Teaching assistant, yearbook boot camp (junior high/middle school)

Mark Murray has served as president and now executive director for ATPI for 35 years. During that period he also worked for the Arlington Independent School District in Arlington (Texas) until his 2019 retirement. 

He is a Joseph M. Murphy and Gold Key recipient from CSPA and a Pioneer Award winner from NSPA. He has been awarded the Carl Towley Award and Medal of Merit by JEA, has been named a TAJE Trailblazer, and has been presented ATPI’s highest honor, the Star of Texas award.

Workshop administration

Andrea Negri advises the Bellaire Carillon yearbook and has probably taught every photo class Texas offers at least once. (Yep, even art photo.) 

She is secretary for the Association of Texas Photography Instructors, contest director for the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, and a member of the Journalism Education Association’s Student Press Rights and Certification committees. Negri is a JEA Master Journalism Educator and Medal of Merit recipient, a TAJE Pathfinder award winner and an Interscholastic League Press Conference Edith Fox King recipient. 

Teaching beginning photography

Lori Oglesbee advised outstanding students at McKinney High School (Texas) and Prosper High School (Texas) to create award-winning yearbooks, newspapers and online sites for 35 years.

The 2005 Max R. Haddick Texas Journalism Teacher of the Year and 2009 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year works as an independent educational consultant and writing coach. She has advocated for New Voices legislation and student-press rights.

Teaching feature writing

Rebecca Pollard, MJE, advises the yearbook at Lovejoy High School (Texas). She loves all student media, which is why she has advised at five different schools and all media in 21 years. Her programs have won top state and national awards including Pacemakers and Crowns.

She is a recipient of the JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser in 2019, Medal of Merit in 2020 and ILPC Edith Fox King Award in 2013. She is a JEA mentor and also serves on the planning committee for the Gloria Shields NSPA Media Workshop.

Workshop administration

Rebecca Potter has been the yearbook and newspaper adviser at Texas High School, in Texarkana, for more than 20 years. Her publications have consistently won awards at the state and national levels. 

She is a recipient of the TAJE Trailblazer award, ILPC’s Edith Fox King award and the Max R. Haddick Teacher of the Year.

Teaching yearbook boot camp (high school)

Mary Pulliam advised publications at Duncanville High School for 37 years. Before retirement, she won just about every award out there — including the UIL Sponsor Excellence Award, JEA’s Teacher Inspiration Award, ILPC’s Max Haddick Journalism Teacher of the Year and Edith Fox King awards, TAJE’s Trailblazer Award and Friend of Journalism award, CSPA’s Gold Key and NSPA’s Pioneer award.

Her publications also won just about every award, state and national. During her tenure, both publications were inducted into the NSPA Hall of Fame.

She has retired from the classroom but not from judging and consulting. Pulliam is an author of “Springboard to Journalism,” “The Second Page” and “Get the Picture.”

Workshop administration

Margie Raper, MJE, is the broadcast and publication adviser at Rock Hill H.S. 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.

In 2019, Margie 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. Along with serving on Gloria Shields workshop committee, Margie serves on the board for NSPA.

Teaching beginning video

Ana Rosenthal, CJE, teaches journalism at The Episcopal School of Dallas. The publications that she has advised have received CSPA Crowns, NSPA Pacemakers, NSPA Design of the Year Awards, ILPC Stars and awards from The Dallas Morning News.

A 2013 Dow Jones News Fund Special Recognition Adviser, 2016 Prentiss Grant Award from the Hockaday School and 2017 CSPA Gold Key Award, she served as first and second vice president of the CSPA Advisers Association.

Teaching yearbook design and concepts

Lisa Roskens has taught for more than 20 years – with 17 of those being at one of the smallest school districts in Texas, and her last four being at one of the largest.

Prior to teaching in 6-man-football-size Groom High School and her current gig as the online newspaper adviser at Prosper High School, she worked as a full-time journalist, stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. This school year will be her 10th teaching scholastic journalism and her sixth 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. 

Teaching newspaper boot camp

Clint Smith has taught for 16 years at Texas High School, Texarkana, where he instructs photojournalism, commercial photography, and a convergent media class. Smith also co-advises the newspaper and yearbook.

Prior to beginning his teaching career, he worked in broadcast news and TV commercial production and ran his own photography studio.

He currently serves as past president of ATPI and received the ILPC Edith Fox King Award in 2019.

Teaching intermediate photography

Dow Tate is a journalism teacher at Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, and the director of the Gloria Shields NSPA Media Workshop. 

He’s the co-author of “Scholastic Journalism,” 12th edition.

In 2011, he was named a Kansas Teacher of the Year finalist. He was inducted into the Scholastic Journalism Hall of Fame at the University of Oklahoma and was named a Texas Legend, as one of the most influential people in the state’s 75-year scholastic journalism history.

He taught 14 years at Dallas Hillcrest High School (Texas). 

His students’ publications — the newspaper, yearbook and news website — have earned the nation’s highest honors, including NSPA’s Pacemaker and CSPA’s Gold Crown. He’s had four students named National High School Journalist of the Year, and two have gone on to win Pulitzers.

Tate has been named the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund’s National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year, as well as the Texas Max R. Haddick Teacher of the Year.

He served as the president of the Dallas chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in 1990.

Workshop administration

Becky Lucas Tate, the 2019 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year, has advised both the award-winning newspaper and yearbook at Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas, for the past 32 years. 

Tate’s staffs consistently earn All-American and Medalist ratings, along with Crown and Pacemaker awards.

Tate has been named a Special Recognition Adviser in newspaper by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund and in yearbook by JEA. She also received the Engel Award for the  Excellence in Publication Advising from the Kansas Collegiate Media Association. In addition, she received a CSPA Gold Key and JEA Medal of Merit.

She serves on the NSPA/ACP board of directors.

Teaching yearbook theme development

Cindy Todd serves as TAJE executive director.

Todd “retired” from the classroom after 25 years of advising yearbooks and teaching photojournalism at Westlake High School (Texas) and at Randall High School (Texas).

Her students earned top awards from NSPA, CSPA and ILPC. The 2012 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year, Todd was also named Max Haddick Texas Teacher of the Year and a TAJE Trailblazer and received the CSPA Gold Key, NSPA Pioneer and JEA Medal of Merit and Lifetime Achievement awards.

Teaching yearbook theme development

Justin Turner has taught journalism and advised yearbooks, newspapers and literary magazines for 13 years. 

In that time he’s found his passion: supporting students, the First Amendment, and the power of those two things together.

Turner’s staffs have won numerous state and national awards including gold medals, first divisions, individual write off awards, Arkansas’s top honor, the All-Arkansas award, and has placed in the top 10 best of show at a JEA/NSPA convention.

He was named the 2020 Arkansas Adviser of the Year. 

Roy Vaughn 

Scott Winter, an associate professor of journalism and English at Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, earned his Ph.D. at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he wrote the 2015 biography “Nebrasketball: Coach Tim Miles and a Big Ten Team on the Rise.” 

His research interests are long-form creative nonfiction and international social justice reporting. 

He spent a decade as an assistant professor at UNL, where he also taught in journalism master’s programs in Ethiopia and Kosovo. He takes Bethel students on social-justice journalism trips in collaboration with the Graphic Design Department and advises the national award-winning Clarion student newspaper.

Teaching specialized writing