Workshop 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 —

National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA)
Associated Collegiate Press (ACP)
Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)
Dow Jones (DJ)
Journalism Education Association (JEA)
Association of Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI)
Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC)
Texas Association of Journalism Educators (TAJE)

2025 Gloria Shields NSPA Media Workshop Faculty

Front row: Chad Byrd, Charlie Shanks, David Knight, Scott Winter, Tucker Love, Taylor Mersemann, Grant Johnson, Wade Kennedy.
Second row: Mike McLean, Dow Tate, Becky Tate, Stephen Green, Lajuana Hale, Corey Hale, Susan Massy, Martha Akers, Bobby Hawthorne, Ray Westbrook, Cindy Todd.
Third row: Mark Murray, Mary Pulliam, Deanne Brown, Gary Lundgren, Margaret Sorrows, Jeanne Acton-Shanks, Alyssa Boehringer, Justin Daigle, Mitchell Franz, Justin Turner, Megan Ortiz.
Back row: Andrea Negri, Kristi Rathbun, Lori Oglesbee, Charla Harris, Margie Raper, Lisa Roskens, Clint Smith, Millie Stuessy, Amy Morgan

Fifteen workshop faculty members have earned the very highest national honors in scholastic journalism.

FRONT ROW:
Dow Tate: 1997 DJ National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year, 2023 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Becky Tate: 2019 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year, 2024 JEA Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award
Ray Westbrook: 2021 CSPA National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year
Martha Akers: 2005 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Cindy Todd: 2012 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Susan Massy:  1999  JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Bobby Hawthorne: 1990 CSPA James Fredrick Paschal Award, 2007 CSPA Charles R. O’Malley Award, 2007 JEA Carl Towley Award

BACK ROW:
Lori Oglesbee: 2009 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Kristi Rathbun: 2023 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Justin Daigle: 2024 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Charla Harris: 2018 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Margaret Sorrows: 2014 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Alyssa Boehringer: 2017 JEA National Broadcast Adviser of the Year
Margie Raper: 2024 JEA National Broadcast Adviser of the Year
Mark Murray: 2012 CSPA Joseph M. Murphy Award, 2014 JEA Carl Towley Award

Alyssa Boehringer is Director of ILPC and Director of Journalism for the UIL. Before that, she spent 16 years advising some combination of broadcast, yearbook and online news at McKinney High School (Texas). 

She was the 2017 JEA National 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. 

Deanne Brown advised The Featherduster news magazine and taught photojournalism at Westlake High School (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.

Justin Daigle advises the Reflections yearbook at Brighton High School (Colorado). For more than 20 years, his students’ publications have earned state and national awards including CSPA Silver and Gold Crowns, NSPA Pacemakers, and Best of Show trophies. Daigle has received the NSPA Pioneer Award (2024), CSPA Gold Key (2024), CSPA Distinguished Adviser of the Year (2024), CSMA Adviser of the Year (2009), JEA Rising Star (2010), Medal of Merit (2022) and H.L. Hall Yearbook Adviser of the Year (2024). He is the current JEA Vice-President.

Stephen Green has advised the student media program at Caney Creek High School (Texas) over the last nine years, which has earned NSPA Pacemakers, CSPA Crowns, ILPC Star publication awards, and a slew of individual awards on every level. He is the incoming president of the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, a member of the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee and was named a TAJE Pathfinder and JEA Rising Star. He is also a lecturer of journalism at Sam Houston State University, and he previously worked as a reporter and editor for daily newspapers covering investigations, features, government and education.

Corey Hale has advised high school publications for 25 years and currently works at Lewisville High School (Texas), 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  Edith Fox King Award.

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 38 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.

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.

Wade Kennedy has been advising the yearbook and newspaper at Richardson High School (Texas) for 15 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.

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.

Tucker Love has advised publications at Shawnee Mission South High School (Kansas) for five years. His students have won regional, state and national awards for their work in yearbook, newspaper and photojournalism.

Love was named a 2024 JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser and a 2020 JEA Rising Star recipient. He has worked to support student journalism as a board member of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and the Journalism Educators of Metropolitan Kansas City. 

He spent two summers at Gloria Shields as a student more than 10 years ago, and loves bringing his current students to continue learning from some of the best advisers and professionals in the business.

Susan Massy, recently retired from Shawnee Mission Northwest High School (Kansas) after a 45-year teaching career. The Lair yearbook and Northwest Passage newsmagazine consistently earned every top national honor. The Lair was named the top winner in the NSPA Pacemaker 100 — earning more Pacemaker honors than any other student publication from 1921-2022. 

Massy received the JEA Lifetime Achievement Award, JEA Medal of Merit, NSPA Pioneer, CSPA Gold Key and was the 1999 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year. The Kansas Scholastic Press Association Student Journalist of the Year Award was renamed the Susan Massy Award in her honor.

Mike McLean is a Dallas-based freelance visual content creator. As a high school student he attended the Gloria Shields Workshop, which cemented his desire to choose photojournalism as his profession.

He was a staff photographer for the Dallas Times Herald and on the team nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the crash of Delta flight 191 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. 

He is a co-author of “Get The Picture” and “Grow Your Know in Photography.” McLean developed and taught an online digital photojournalism curriculum for a university based in Colorado. He is a frequent speaker and workshop instructor.

He also works as a visual content lead and instructor for video-photography coverage at U.S. Military Academy-West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy.

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.

Andrea Negri advises the newspaper and yearbook at Cypress Woods High School (Texas). She is ATPI’s secretary and TAJE contest director. She also serves as JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights director. Negri is a recipient of JEA’s Medal of Merit and Distinguished Yearbook Adviser awards, TAJE’s Pathfinder and Trailblazer and ILPC’s Edith Fox King awards.

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.

Megan Ortiz advises the Kingwood Park High School (Texas) newsmagazine, online news site and the yearbook. Her staffs have won a number of individual and staff honors including the ILPC Gold Star, CSPA Gold Crowns and NSPA Pacemaker. 

She is a Regional Rep for TAJE. She is a JEA Certified Journalism Educator, a JEA Rising Star award winner, an ILPC Edith Fox King recipient and a TAJE Trailblazer recipient.

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

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.

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 (Texas) and her current gig as the online newspaper adviser at Prosper High School (Texas), 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.

Dow Tate is a journalism teacher at Shawnee Mission East High School (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 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, the Texas Max R. Haddick Teacher of the Year and the 2023 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year.

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 (Kansas) for the past 33 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 as president of the NSPA/ACP board of directors.

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.

Justin Turner, Bryant High School (Arkansas) has taught journalism and advised yearbooks, newspapers and literary magazines for 14 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 and Arkansas’s top honor, the All-Arkansas award, and they have placed in the Top 10 Best of Show at a JEA/NSPA convention. Justin was named the 2020 Arkansas Adviser of the Year. 

Scott Winter, an associate professor of journalism and English at Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, earned his doctorate 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.