Featured speakers
Featured speakers are local and regional journalism professionals who are presenting breakout sessions at the Seattle convention. Take advantage of this exciting opportunity to learn directly from experienced media pros in a wide variety of sessions happening throughout Friday and Saturday of convention week. Learn more about our 28 featured speakers below:
Featured speakers:
Alison Boggs
Scholarly assistant professor, Washington State University
Alison Boggs is a professor of practice and leads global expeditions for the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. Boggs was an award-winning reporter in the Pacific Northwest before joining the Murrow College. She has degrees from Tufts University and the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.
Scott Bush
Manager, Walt Disney Company
Scott Bush is a manager for the Walt Disney Company. He began his tech career as the desktop publishing lead for The Hawkeye at Mountlake Terrace (Washington) High School in the early 1990s. After graduating and attending the University of Washington, he worked as a computer salesman, technical writer at a startup, web developer and software engineer. He loves to cook, punch people (consensually, of course, as a martial artist), read and spend time with his family.
Chanel Cain
Audience engagement fellow, The 19th
Chanel Cain is The 19th’s audience engagement fellow. She previously served as global content and programming coordinator for the Black-owned streaming service kweliTV before making the leap back into the newsroom. Cain is an alumna of Howard University where she covered culture, politics and campus events for the Hilltop, Truth Be Told magazine and the Seattle Medium. She’s born and raised in the greater Seattle area, where she currently lives with her fiancé and rescue chihuahua.
Shawn Chitnis
Reporter and producer, FOX-13 News Seattle
Shawn Chitnis is a reporter for Good Day Seattle and FOX 13 News. He joined KCPQ-TV in October 2024 and returned home after almost a decade working in the west. Born and raised in Washington, he has more than 16 years of experience with stops in Yakima, Spokane, Denver and San Francisco. As a multi-skilled journalist, Chitnis shot and edited his own stories for most of his career. He loves covering a variety of topics including politics, business, education and the arts. He graduated from USC and attended his first JEA/NSPA national convention as a student from Mountlake Terrace (Washington) High School.
Vincent DeMiero, CJE
Journalism adviser, Mountlake Terrace (Washington) High School
Vincent DeMiero, CJE, CTE, is a past president of WJEA and currently advises The Hawkeye newspaper and website, and TEMPO yearbook at Mountlake Terrace (Washington) High School, where he has taught since 1988. DeMiero has served on the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee since 1995 and was a leader in Washington’s fight to become the 14th state to pass New Voices legislation. He’s an NSPA Pioneer, a JEA Medal of Merit recipient, a recipient of the WJEA Dorothy McPhillips Distinguished Service award and was the local chair for the 1998 JEA/NSPA national convention in Seattle. DeMiero holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from Washington State University.
Michael Driver
Photojournalist, FOX-13 News Seattle
Michael Driver is an Emmy award-winning, nationally recognized photojournalist and training specialist, with over 20 years experience in the business. He has worked at some of the best storytelling stations in the country and even in the reality TV world as a videographer. His passion for telling compelling stories helped land him the title of Ernie Crisp National Photographer of the Year from the National Press Association in 2022. As a dad and step-dad, his top priority is showing his family the positive impact of hard work and dedication. His love of teaching and giving back to journalists runs deep, because he was fortunate to have great mentors throughout his career to guide him to where he is today.
Ben Eyman
Announcer and digital media specialist, Evergreen Speedway
Ben Eyman is an award-winning student journalist and alumni of the Mountlake Terrace High School media program. Eyman also spent time serving as editor-in-chief for Everett Community College’s Clipper. Now an announcer and digital media specialist for Evergreen Speedway, the only NASCAR sanctioned track in Washington, Eyman spends his time announcing race days and commentating for Seattle 11’s Hometrack Heroes program. In his free time, Eyman enjoys consuming sports, playing board games and spending time with his family.
Nick Fiorillo
Public affairs and communications strategist
Nick Fiorillo is a West Coast-based public affairs and communications strategist, currently supporting transportation mega-programs in the Pacific Northwest. His previous experience included roles in government affairs and digital advertising for FlixBus and FedEx. He graduated with a bachelor of science in policy, planning and development from the University of Southern California. Nick served as editor-in-chief of The Hawkeye, the student newspaper of Mountlake Terrace High School.
Susannah Frame
Chief investigative reporter, KING 5
Susannah Frame is chief investigative reporter and director of journalist development at KING 5. Her stories have exposed many wrongs, including the mismanagement of nuclear waste. Susannah has won many of the most prestigious national awards that honor journalism in the public interest. Those include three George Foster Peabody Awards, three national Edward R. Murrow Awards, a national Emmy Award, and a duPont-Columbia University Award.
Joseph Huerta
Photojournalist, KING 5
Joseph Huerta is an experienced storyteller and content creator based in Seattle, Washington.
T.K. Johnson
Photojournalist, KOMO-TV
T.K. Johnson has been a photojournalist at KOMO-TV for over two years and a freelance filmmaker for over 10 years. Johnson has been recognized by the Northwest Regional Emmy Awards, National Press Photographers Association, and various film festivals across the country.
Lisa Waananen Jones
Associate professor of practice, Washington State University
Lisa Waananen Jones teaches visual communication and journalism as an associate professor of practice at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. She has worked for The New York Times graphics team, including on the COVID-19 coverage awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, and has also reported for local and regional newspapers.
Sonali Kohli
Author and reporter, Los Angeles Times
Sonali Kohli is a journalist, author and speaker. Her young adult nonfiction book “Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won” was published in June 2024. She’s also a Senior Recruiter at URL Media. A product of Southern California, Kohli graduated from UCLA. She worked as a metro reporter for the Orange County Register and as a reporter covering education and diversity for Quartz before joining The Los Angeles Times in 2015. Kohli worked for the L.A. Times for six years covering education and breaking news. In 2020, she was named the best education journalist in the U.S. by the Education Writers Association.
Mariah Lane
Producer, FOX-13 News Seattle
Mariah Lane is a segment producer at FOX-13 Seattle who covers all things entertainment and lifestyle for Studio 13 Live. She also produces special projects for Good Day Seattle. Before joining KCPQ in 2023, Lane closely covered the University of Idaho murders, Washington wildfires and day-to-day breaking news at KHQ in Spokane. She earned a digital journalism degree, specializing in broadcast, from Central Washington University. Mariah graduated from Auburn High School and is a proud champion of the New Voices legislation that was signed into law in 2018.
Cheyenne LaViolette
Adviser, Hanford High School, West Richland, Washington
Cheyenne LaViolette has been teaching broadcasting, filmmaking, podcasting and content creation at Hanford High School since 2019. At the time, there were only 18 students in the program. The program has since grown to include over 200 students. Her podcast production course was the first in the state. LaViolette received the Teacher of the Year Award at the 2024 All-American High School Film Festival in New York City. The award, given to LaViolette from the world’s largest student film festival, recognizes her dedication to providing meaningful learning experiences for students. AAHSFF selected LaViolette for her “inspiring commitment to elevating educational standards in the film and broadcast realm,” per a press release from the Richland School District.
Amanda Little
Executive director, Kidizenship; Professor, Vanderbilt University
Amanda Little is a professor of journalism at Vanderbilt University, longtime Bloomberg columnist and bestselling author. She founded the SUNN — Students United News Network — a coalition of top student newsrooms nationwide, and its new national student newspaper, The SUNN Post. Amanda has written for publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME and the New Yorker. She has appeared on shows from “Morning Joe” to “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, and interviewed figures including Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Her TED Talk, “Climate Change is a Problem You Can Taste,” has more than 1 million views.
Moira Macdonald
Arts critic, The Seattle Times
Moira Macdonald is the longtime arts critic for The Seattle Times, where she writes about movies, dance, television and fashion. Her debut novel, “Storybook Ending,” will be published in May by Penguin Random House.
Hannah Martian
Sports broadcaster and fiction writer, Crooked Lane Books
Hannah Martian (they/she) is a play-by-play broadcaster and writer of queer crime fiction. She is a two-time graduate of Washington State University (MA ’24, BA ’20).
AnhViet Nguyen
Health policy analyst, United States federal government
AnhViet Nguyen is a health policy analyst for the federal government. He has prior experience in political campaigns, international nonprofits and state government. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science from Stanford University and master of arts in law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. He also served as news editor and sports editor at Mountlake Terrace High School’s student newspaper, The Hawkeye.
Samantha Pak
Editor, JoySauce.com
Samantha Pak (she/her) is an award-winning Cambodian American journalist from the Seattle area and co-editor in chief for JoySauce.com, where they focus on highlighting the stories and experiences of the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora. She is also a writer for the Northwest Asian Weekly, where she has a monthly column recommending books written by and about the API diaspora. She spends more time than she’ll admit shopping for books than actually reading them, and has made it her mission to show others how amazing Southeast Asian people are.
Leah Pezzetti
Meteorologist and reporter, KING 5
Leah Pezzetti is a meteorologist and storyteller at KING 5 in Seattle. She wears multiple hats at work, sometimes forecasting the weather, but also telling stories for KING’s series called Environment Northwest. Prior to Seattle, she worked in San Diego, Las Vegas and Bakersfield in a similar hybrid role. She has won seven regional Emmy awards and has a passion for being a role model for young women.
Annika Prom
Environmental engineer
Annika Prom is an environmental engineer with roots in print and broadcast journalism. Her work has appeared in KUOW’s RadioActive Youth Media, The Daily at the University of Washington, and The Hawkeye at Mountlake Terrace High School. She is passionate about connecting with her Khmer community, tinkering with new technologies, and pursuing passion projects for her favorite music groups.
Nicole Sanchez
Event chair, past chapter president and national trustee, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NW Chapter
Emmy award-winning journalist Nicole Sanchez has worked in television for 25 years. Sanchez hosts the Shine a Light program for Idaho News 6 and produces stories for CityStream on the Seattle Channel. Sanchez has produced documentaries for Idaho Public Television and produces corporate videos through her work with London-based WebsEdge and her own company. She has served as president and trustee of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences NW Chapter. A graduate of Washington State University, Sanchez spent the first part of her career reporting and anchoring in newsrooms like Q13 FOX News, KOMO ABC 4 and KIMA-TV.
Benjamin Shors
Department chair, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University
Ben Shors is chair of the department of journalism and media production at Washington State University and the project director for the Murrow News Fellowship Program. A journalist and documentary filmmaker, he reported internationally and across the west before joining the Murrow College in 2008.
Greg Thies
President, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NW Chapter
Greg Thies serves as president for the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He recently retired as the news and sports production manager for KING 5 in Seattle after nearly 50 years in the TV and entertainment industry. Thies has received numerous national and regional awards as a production manager and photojournalist, including a Peabody and Scripps-Howard award, regional Murrow awards and 5 regional Emmys. Thies has managed high-caliber, award-winning staffs of photojournalists, editors, directors and engineers. He has also coordinated logistics and operations for major local, national and international events, large-scale breaking news events, and covered 15 Olympics games over the past 3 decades. Thies spent the first part of his career at Sea World and KCST (now KNSD) in San Diego, then later at KIRO-TV for 15 years as a photojournalist, editor and news operations manager. Thies is a USSF soccer referee, enjoys volunteering at a local food bank, serves as an industry advisor for public school CTE programs, and was a long-time leader with Scouts BSA.
Joshua Trujillo
Photographer, Starbucks
Joshua Trujillo has been a journalist, brand storyteller, director and visual leader for 25 years. His work immerses him in far away, challenging environments, neighborhood and community gathering spaces, or in board rooms with Fortune 500 executives, global leaders and celebrities. His still photography has been published in almost every major publication, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Time Magazine, People Magazine and Sports Illustrated. Trujillo has directed and led video and film work for Fortune 500 companies. Trujillo is a co-founder of Northwest Photojournalism, an organization that supports and educates visual storytellers in the Pacific Northwest.
Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks
Staff reporter, The Seattle Times
Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks covers race and equity at The Seattle Times. Prior to that, she worked as an equity reporter at The Sacramento Bee covering marginalized and underserved communities, as well as local government issues.