Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Leah Bailey is associate art director at Cigar Aficionado magazine and has served in similar roles at other magazines. A 2000 graduate of James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, she led their yearbook, The Bluestone, to its first CSPA Gold Crown Award and ACP Pacemaker Award two years in a row. She is a member of the Society of Publication Designers and is working with them to build their student programming and outreach.

Peter Bobkowski, Ph.D., advised student publications, including the award-winning Aquin yearbook, at St. Thomas High School in Houston from 1999 to 2006. He has worked as a freelance graphic designer, and is a frequent instructor at high school journalism workshops and conventions. He has critiqued publications for Columbia Scholastic Press Association,  Interscholastic League Press Conference, North Carolina Scholastic Media Association, and Virginia High School League. He holds a doctorate in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a postdoctoral research assistant in the Carolina Population Center.

Jenny Dial is a sports writer and online reporter for the Houston Chronicle. Dial worked for the Gold Crown-winning Oklahoma Daily for four years and held internships with the United States Olympic Committee and Sports Illustrated on Campus. Dial has covered the Olympics, the NBA finals, the NCAA Final Four, the BCS Orange Bowl, College World Series and the NFL and NBA drafts. She has taught at the CSPA Summer Journalism Workshop. She attended East Central High School in San Antonio, where two yearbooks she edited received CSPA Crown Awards.

Monica Hill is director of the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association based in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. NCSMA now houses the N.C. College Media Association as well. She previously directed the Alabama Scholastic Press Association at the University of Alabama and was copy editor for The Birmingham (Ala.) News.

Mark Murray is coordinator of technology systems for Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas. He also serves as the executive director of the Association of Texas Photography Instructors and the consultant for the Photo Imaging Education Association. He is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops around the country, including the JEA/NSPA conferences, Carolina Journalism Institute and Dallas County Publication Workshop. During his tenure as photography instructor at Lamar High School in Arlington, he was one of the advisers to élan, Lamar's literary/art magazine, a Pacemaker and Silver Crown winner. He received the Gold Key from CSPA in 2004.

Jessica Rodriguez is a multi-media journalist and editor with magazine roots that show. As an undergraduate at Cornell University, where she received a BA in English in 1999, she wrote for and edited various student publications. Her professional career began 11 years ago as an assistant at Teen People magazine. In 2000, Jessica blended her love for writing and culture as the Features Editor of Urban Latino, a national publication for young U.S. Latinos. In 2004, Jessica received a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and continued combining her passion for culture and journalism in the digital realm. She would serve as editor and site producer of MiGente.com, a social networking site for U.S. Latinos, and then Digital Content Manager of several community websites for Si TV,  a U.S. Latino cable network. She returned to print in 2007 as editor-in-chief of Batanga Latin Music magazine and oversaw Latino University magazine as its editorial director.  Most recently, Jessica co-founded and launched ‘LLERO.net, a Latino men’s newsletter and website. Jessica has shared her journalistic experiences with students as an adjunct journalism professor at Adelphi University and been a judge for the National Association of Alternative Weeklies press competition.

Helen F. Smith is the executive director of the New England Scholastic Press Association and a past president of the Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association. From 1973-2009, she taught English and journalism and advised the Newtonite and Mirettes at Newton North High School in Newtonville, Mass. Publications she has edited include Journalist’s Handbook for the New England Press Association, and Springboard to Journalism and its Teacher’s Manual, The Official CSPA Stylebook, Scholastic Newspaper Fundamentals and Scholastic Newspaper Critique for CSPA. Along with teaching in CSPA programs, she has taught high school students and teachers at Boston University, and, through the Soros Foundation, in Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Georgia, Hungary and Romania. The U.S. State Department’s ACCELS program also sent her to teach in Kyrgyzstan.  At the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, she has been a visiting teacher since 2006. She has edited the Writing Handbook for the American University of Central Asia and the university’s Web Page Style Guide. Since 2007 she has worked with teachers in Lusaka, Zambia through the Communities Without Borders program.

C. Randy Stano is professor of practice in visual journalism and journalism in the School of Communications and editorial adviser for the Ibis yearbook at the University of Miami. He is the former director of editorial art and design for The Miami Herald and the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, NY. Stano was assistant art director at the Kansas City Times and part of its Pulitzer Prize-winning team in 1982 and the Herald’s in 1993. A former president of the Society of News Design, Stano also chaired the southeast region, contest and quick course committees for SND. While teaching at A.N. McCallum High School in Austin, TX during the 1970’s, Stano was the school’s publications adviser and the DJNF National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year in 1974. Stano has received numerous awards for art/design directing from SND, National Headliners Club, Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, Print and many other design contests. He works as a consultant and judge for numerous art/design competitions. Stano received the CSPA Gold Key in 1980.

C. Bruce Watterson, chair of CSPAA’s Committee on Judging Standards and Practices, retired as chief communications officer at the Darlington School, Rome, GA and returned to the college-level as a writing and journalism professor half-time and as a freelance communications consultant. He also teaches courses in journalism/communication on the college level and lectures to press groups and publication workshops annually. A past finalist for Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Teacher of the Year, he holds the CSPA Gold Key, the NSPA Pioneer Award, the JEA Medal of Merit, the Southern Interscholastic Press Association’s Distinguished Adviser Award and the Kay Phillip’s Service Award from North Carolina Scholastic Media Association. Watterson has been honored by College Media Advisers for his work with the collegiate press nationally. He has been a national officer for CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education). He has spoken on frequently to press groups in 46 states and internationally as part of the Center for Independent Journalism Foundation.

David Wiegand advised the Aurora yearbook and Warrior's Word newspaper for 20 years at Wausau West High School in Wausau, WI. His publications earned numerous writing honors including Gold Circle awards from CSPA, and National Winners from Quill and Scroll. The newspaper earned a Gold Medalist rating from CSPA, All-American status from NSPA and the George H. Gallup honor from Quill and Scroll 10 times. The paper also has been a Pacemaker finalist for NSPA and received a Silver Crown from CSPA.

Kathleen D. Zwiebel was the 1998 Dow Jones Newspaper Fund National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year. She is the former adviser for five publications at Pottsville Area High School in Pottsville, PA. In the past the publications have received national and state honors from CSPA, NSPA and PSPA. A 1996 CSPA Gold Key recipient, Zwiebel also received the CSPA Diamond Jubilee Award, Charles R. O’Malley Award for Excellence in Teaching, NSPA Pioneer Award, JEA Medal of Merit and PSPA Teacher of the Year. She serves as past president of the Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association and chairs its committee on Judging Standards.