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We host public events with distinguished speakers from the media, politics, business and other fields. You can receive event notifications by mailing list, RSS feed, or iCal.

Many school-sponsored events are also webcast as streaming video, either live or as video archives. All events with associated video are listed on the Webcasts page. Currently featured: Jack Hitt: The Art of the Query and Mao's Revolution: What Remains.

Some J-School-sponsored events can also be viewed at UCTV (Real video format).

Many J-School-sponsored events are also available at webcast.berkeley.edu.

Participants

Jill Chittum

Jill Chittum is a rookie adviser at Derby High School in Kansas. She advises the Panther yearbook, The Panther's Tale newspaper, the senior magazine, and the school's TV station KDSH-55. Scholastic journalism is in her blood. In 1995, she earned second place in the National High School Journalist of the Year competition. Before graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Kansas State University in 1999, Chittum was a reporter, photographer, designer, photo editor and finally editor-in-chief of the Collegian, the school's award-winning daily. She interned as a photographer for The Kansas City (Mo.) Star, The Muskegon (Mich.) Chronicle, and The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. Following graduation, Chittum worked as a photographer and photo editor at the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle for five years when she started at Derby High School. This being her first summer vacation, she hopes to spend the rest of it knitting, running, biking and camping.

Paul Clark

Paul Clark is the faculty adviser for The Skyrocket at Wausau East High School in Wausau, Wis. He has been teaching English, history and psychology at Wausau East since the fall 2000. He also has served as the school’s cross-country coach. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and history from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2000. He is currently working toward a master’s degree in English at the university. His interests include English, history, mountain biking, and classic auto restoration.

Heather Clary

Heather Clary was born and raised in California. She attended Sonoma State University in the North Bay Area, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Clary began teaching high school in 1999 while earning her credentials in English through National University. In 2002, she accepted her current position of English teacher at Parlier High School, located 20 minutes southeast of Fresno, Calif. Using her experience with minority students at Parlier High, Clary obtained her master’s degree in cross-cultural teaching at National University. She has used her experience and education to open many doors for her students. One of these doors is to the world of journalism. She pioneered the creation of Parlier High’s journalism program, creating both a Regional Occupational Program class and a University of California A-G approved class. Attending the ASNE High School Journalism Institute will cap off Heather’s exciting first year of advising Parlier High’s newspaper, ThePanther Express, as well as the yearbook, The Arrow. Outside of school, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, attending renaissance fairs, and browsing the stacks at the local libraries for books she hasn’t yet read.

Kelley Diemer

Kelley Diemer has served as a humanities instructor for the Office of Distance Education at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts for the past four years, reaching remote districts through compressed video and advanced audio graphics technology. She serves as the journalism instructor and newspaper advisor, while teaching creative writing and oral communications classes. Diemer is an adjunct instructor for ITT Technical Institute's Little Rock campus, where she teaches world culture, American history, research methods and composition classes. She holds a master's degree in liberal arts from Henderson State University and a bachelor’s degree in arts and English degree from Oglethorpe University. Diemer's hobbies are creative writing, sushi-making, karaoke, black and white cemetery photography, and Gothic fashion. She resides near Hot Springs, Ark. with her husband, Eric, and two children, Zach and Maggie and the children's many pets.

Pam Ellis

Pam Ellis was born and raised in Hawaii. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Hawaii in 1970. She is presently a teacher at Kaiser High School in Honolulu. Besides being the publication adviser for both the newswriting and yearbook classes, she teaches two ninth grade English classes. Newswriting students have nominated her to “Who’s Who of Educators” on three occasions for her commitment to journalism. When she is not working with her students and colleagues, Ellis enjoys traveling with her husband and yellow Labrador, Katie.

Rochelle Fox

Rochelle Fox teaches school publications, and ninth and 10th grade English at Big Horn High School, which is located at the base of the Big Horn mountains in northeastern Wyoming. She has been teaching full time for six years. She is a native of Sheridan, Wyo., where she lives with her two children, Ashley and Brayton. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1992 from the University of Wyoming, Laramie. Besides enjoying being a mom, she enjoys spending time in the mountains, reading, writing, gardening and photography.

Jenifer Hamilton

Jenifer Hamilton teaches a freshmen level English course and creative writing class at Texas Military Institute in San Antonio. Next year, she will also teach an introductory journalism course, and become the campus newspaper adviser. Hamilton earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas, San Antonio in 1999. She received her master’s degree in English from the university in 2001. Before teaching at the Texas Military Institute, Hamilton spent a year working as an adjunct instructor for the Alamo Community College District, and as a freelance writer contributing stories to the San Antonio Express-News and the San Antonio Current. Before that, she was a program coordinator at Gemini Ink, a literary arts organization based in San Antonio. She recently designed a workshop for the San Antonio Area Girl Scouts Council that used creative writing to explore body image issues.

Jackie Hewitt

Jackie Hewitt is the publications adviser at Holland Hall School in Tulsa, Okla. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in English and liberal studies in 1987. While attending the university, she was a contributing writer for the school’s daily newspaper, The O’Collegian. In 1993, she earned a second bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University Center at Tulsa, where she contributed to the department newsletter. Having worked professionally in medical and legal fields, she found her niche in the arts and education. Hewitt served as a representative to the school’s strategic plan committee, taught creative writing workshops to students involved with Youth Leadership Oklahoma, presented a seminar to peers at the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest conference in New Orleans, and attended the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Summer Journalism Workshop in New York. She enjoys cooking, traveling, reading and photography.

Joe Humphrey

Joe Humphrey teaches journalism and television production at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla. He has just finished a whirlwind first year in the classroom after working as a reporter for The Tampa Tribune. He is vice president of the Florida Scholastic Press Association. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida's School of Mass Communications. Prior to teaching, he was active in the university’s ASNE fellowship program as a guest instructor. Humphrey still works professionally as a sports correspondent for the Tribune and as an editor and designer for a chain of suburban weeklies. He is also working on a master's degree in school administration. He lives with his wife, Miriam, and cat, Stanley, so named because of the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup victory. He enjoys travel (though this is his first trip west of Minnesota), watching television and just about any sport under the sun.

Aderianna Jackson

Growing up in a small town gave Aderianna Jackson a unique perspective on life. She spent most of her free time with her brother and his friends engaged in pick-up games of basketball, baseball or football. The rest of the time she spent hidden in her room reading mystery novels. After graduating from high school, Jackson attended Dixie College in St. George, Utah, where she enjoyed performing and touring as part of a dance team and editing a literary magazine. While there, Jackson earned her associate’s degree and then transferred to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where she earned a bachelor’s and teaching degree. Jackson worked for 10 summers as a fire dispatcher for the Bureau of Land Management, aiding in the suppression of wildfires, to put herself through college and supplement her entry-level teaching salary. To earn additional money, and to just have fun, she danced for the Utah Jazz and Nightline professional dance teams. Jackson is currently teaching English and news production at Timberline High School in Boise, Idaho. In addition, she is the proud mother of two daughters and a son. Jackson is a bona fide member of the “rat race.” Yet, she finds time for NBA basketball, college football, reading and scrapbooking.

Susan Jarrell

For the past four years, Jarrell has taught high school language arts and journalism to Inupiat Eskimos in the native village of Unalakleet, Ala. This village is located on the western coast of Alaska, approximately 250 miles east of Russia and is accessible only by boat or airplane. Prior to moving to Alaska, Jarrell taught junior high language arts and journalism in southeastern Idaho. She is finishing a master’s degree in language and literacy through the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Jarrell enjoys spending her summers traveling, reading, golfing, and spending time with her adopted grandchildren in Tennessee.

Molly Jones

Molly Jones has been teaching U.S. history and various English classes for the past three years in Harbor Springs, Mich. Prior to that, she taught world geography and world literature for two years in Grand Rapids, Mich. She is thrilled to be heading up a journalism program for the academic 2005-06 school year. Jones earned her master’s degree in education from Grand Valley State University in May 2005, and her bachelor’s degree in political science from Saint Mary’s College in 1991. Her educational highlights include participation in a semester program at American University in Washington, and field studies in Managua, Nicaragua, and Los Angeles. She advises Michigan Youth in Government and student council. In addition to a loving husband, Toby, she has two children, Miles and Liza. Her other passions include road and mountain biking, snowboarding, dancing, gardening, cooking and child’s play.

Loretta A. Kelly

Loretta Kelly earned her bachelor’s degree in English and education from Hood College in Frederick, Md. in 1979. She received two master’s degrees from Trinity University, Washington. She received her first masters in curriculum and instruction in 1997, and second in administration in 2001. She is a veteran English teacher of 14 years for the District of Columbia’s public school system. She has been at Calvin Coolidge Senior High School for four years. She and her students work with The Washington Post Young Journalists Development Program. She is also a professional development instructor assigned to teach her peers skills and techniques in instructional practices, principles and curriculum design. Kelly also coordinates the Sylvan after school program. She is a 2004 National Health Museum fellow and is designing health lesson plans for her school district’s secondary level. She is also a member of the Washington National Writing Project at Howard University, and a master teacher for the INTEL Teach to the Future Program in instructional technology. Kelly enjoys gardening, reading, photography, traveling and antiquing.

Karla Kennedy

A Miami native, Karla Kennedy earned a degree in communications at the University of Miami in 1998. She then joined the Miami-Dade school system as a teacher. She has taught a variety of subjects, including journalism, television production, language arts, drama and creative writing. She has advised student publications for 17 years. She recently took a two-year sabbatical and earned her master’s degree in journalism with a focus on student media advising from Florida International University. She plans to return to the University of Miami to obtain her doctorate degree in communications. In her spare time she enjoys photography and practices Ashtanga yoga. She would like to lead a three-pronged professional life of being a college professor, a professional photographer and a freelance journalist. Kennedy enjoys watching her students learn and grow. She still meets with former students during Christmas and spring break holidays.

Beth Kenny

Beth Kenny is from Denver, Colo. and teaches English at the Career Education Center Middle College of Denver. She is looking forward to sponsoring the newspaper and uniting the college, a school with two campuses. The freshmen and sophomores are housed in the original campus building in north Denver. The juniors and seniors meet on the Community College of Denver campus downtown. Kenny earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Eastern Illinois University in 1985, and a master’s degree in education from University of Colorado in 1999. She loves spending time with her husband Michael and their twin 10 year-olds, Henry and Eleanor; biking; reading; and checking out Home Star Runner. She is also a movie freak. One of the highlights of her 2004-2005 school year was taking a group of senior digital film students to the Telluride Film Festival. If you ever find yourself in Colorado over Labor Day, she recommends checking it out.

Patrick Lewandowski

Patrick (Pat) Lewandowski teaches world history and geography at George Washington Carver High School in Montgomery, Ala. He held several newspaper positions during the last 25 years including city editor at Aberdeen (S.D.) American News, assistant metro editor and copy editor at the Montgomery Advertiser, and news editor of The Alexander City (Ala.) Outlook. He began his career as a combat correspondent in the Marine Corps, where he produced photo and story pages for a military weekly. Lewandowski earned a bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s degree in secondary education, and an education specialist degree in social studies and school administration from Auburn University, Montgomery. He is in his fifth year as a teacher. He joined the staff at Carver this year to create a student newspaper in an effort to foster pride in the urban high school with 100 percent minority population. He and his wife, Sandra, have been married 22 years and have three children, Jessica, Jordan, and Justin. A former Eagle Scout, Lewandowski’s hobbies include scouting, home and car repair, model railroading and reading military fiction.

Mark Longo

Mark Longo lived in the St. Petersburg, Fla. area for the last seven years. He teaches English at the alternative school PTEC South Secondary. Originally from Hackettstown, N.J., he earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. He then moved to New Mexico where he is pursuing a master’s degree in criminology from New Mexico State University. He enjoys traveling, aquatic activities and doing home repairs.

Linda Lowry

Born in Idaho and raised in Montana and Arizona, Linda Lowry spent 25 years in the Baltimore and Washington area. She earned a bachelor’s degree in family studies from the University of Maryland, and a master’s degree in instructional design from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. While living in Maryland, she taught middle school reading for four years, and then high school English and yearbook for eight years. In 2004, she and her husband moved to the woods of central Pennsylvania where she teaches English and journalism at a rural charter school. Linda enjoys traveling, reading, writing and long-distance cycling. She and her husband have three college-age children. 

Leslie Mefford-Reeser

Leslie Mefford-Reeser is finishing her first year as an English teacher at Turlock High School in California. In September, she will become adviser to the school’s newspaper, the Clarion. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English in 2001 from California State University, Stanislaus and is now working on a master's degree in literature from the university. Mefford-Reeser is spontaneous and loves spur of the moment adventures like backpacking or road trips. She always has her eyes in a book. Words are nourishment her body requires.

Megan Murray

Megan Murray lives in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque, N.M., where she likes to hike, read, garden, knit, play tennis, and hang out with her four children and husband. She graduated with a degree in Japanese language and literature from Yale University in 1975. She has lived in Japan and Mexico and worked as a stringer for the Waterbury (Conn.) Republican. She also is a freelance writer and teaches journalism and sophomore English at Horizon Academy in Albuquerque. She expects to complete a master's in English this summer from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Bill Nevins

Bill Nevins teaches journalism, writing and literature at Horizon Academy Northwest in Albuquerque. Nevins is an editor and publishing journalist who has helped start newspapers, journalism and performance poetry programs at Horizon Academy, Nuestros Valores, Rio Rancho and other New Mexico schools. He is a graduate of Iona College and the University of Connecticut, with additional graduate work at the University of New Mexico. In 2004, he was nominated for the PEN International Freedom to Write Award and he received the Courageous Resister Award from the Artists Network of Refuse and Resist. His work defending educational freedom of expression is the focus of the forthcoming documentary film, Word: Committing Poetry in Time of War. His recent publications include a profile of This Revolution filmmaker Stephen Marshall, and articles on contemporary rock music. A proud grandfather, Nevins enjoys traveling, hiking, poetry slams and Ozomatli.

Evelyn Parker

Evelyn Parker earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Louisiana State University in 1987, and a master’s degree in counseling from Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, La. in 1994. She is currently working toward certification in education leadership to become a principal. Before she discovered the joys of teaching, Parker worked in newspaper advertising sales, and was a media buyer for an advertising agency. After five years as an English teacher, she worked for a year as a guidance counselor in pre-K through second grade. She quickly returned to the classroom. She currently teaches English I, English II and mechanics of English to incoming freshmen; and hosts an occasional “odd talent show.” Next year, she will be an adviser for the Peabody Magnet High School’s newspaper in Alexandria, La. Her hobbies include playing tennis, walking her pug, listening to her older son play electric guitar at punk rock gigs, and attending her other son’s Kung Fu tournaments.

Katherine Patrick

Katherine Patrick graduated from high school in 1972. She earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Wyoming in 1995. She has been teaching English and journalism in Torrington, Wyo since 1995. For the past eight years, she has advised The Blazing Sun, a paper that was previously dormant for a decade. She and her husband have two sons, Ben, 29, and Drew, 25. During her tiny amount of spare time, Patrick enjoys reading, horse husbandry and gardening. She is also proud of being a third-generation native Wyomingite.

Kelley Poulos

Kelley Poulos is a lifelong resident of North Carolina and has been teaching for a total of 12 years. After taking an eight-year leave of absence while her children were young, she began teaching English and journalism in 2004 at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, N.C. She is a 1986 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and plans to begin her graduate study there in the fall. Her hobbies include photography and scrapbooking. She and her husband Jim are the parents of three children. They live in Concord, N.C.

Sarah Probasco

Sarah Anne Probasco was born in St. George, Utah. She graduated in 1992 from West High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she was involved in marching band, choir and drama. She started her college career at Green River Community College in Auburn, Wash., and graduated from the University of Utah in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She accepted her first teaching position at Del Sol High School, one of the newest schools in Las Vegas’ Clark County School District. Probasco is currently teaching broadcast journalism, English, and arts and humanities. Next fall she will teach a journalism course.

Patrick Pugliese

Patrick Pugliese began moderating production of the Schurz Times, a student publication from Chicago’s Carl Schurz High School, in 2004. Before teaching at the high school, Pugliese taught for four years at Chicago International Charter School. There he taught language arts, social studies, and reading. He also coordinated the annual class trip to Illinois’ capital. Pugliese graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he managed the Musketeers’ basketball team. His post-collegiate experiences include teaching for six years, working for two years on Captiva Island, Fla., singing in taverns around Chicago, and waiting for the Bears to return to the Super Bowl. When he isn’t scrambling to meet deadlines, Pugliese enjoys painting, playing guitar, listening to music and baking all things chocolate. Recently, he finished a series of woodworking courses and joined the Chicago Bauhaus Guild, a society of furniture designers. Pugliese lives in Chicago with his wife, Stacey.

Sarah Siebenborn

Sarah Siebenborn teaches communication arts and journalism at Trenton High School in Missouri. She graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1970. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from Drake University in Des Moines in 1997. Trenton is a rural community located nearly 100 miles from Kansas City. She and her husband own and operate a family dairy farm. Hobbies for Siebenborn include raising flowers, gardening and walking. Two years ago she earned certification as a master gardener and volunteers to help with landscaping projects in the community. Siebenborn participated in a 2004-05 ASNE partnership with The Trenton (Mo.) Republican Times.

Kelly Ann Smith

Kelly Ann Smith graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English secondary education from Holy Family University in 2001. She worked as an English teacher for the next three years at the Charter High School for Architecture and Design in Philadelphia, an alternative school for low-income, minority students interested in the fields of art and design. While working at the charter school, she earned a master’s degree in education from Holy Family University. She teaches senior English at Norristown Area High School in Pennsylvania. In addition to working as a teacher, Smith enjoys her part-time job as a waitress at the well-known restaurant Chickie and Pete’s Café in south Philadelphia. When she is not teaching, Smith enjoys running, reading, traveling and spending time with her niece.

Hal Stemmler

After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Stemmler accepted an internship to work in the congressional office of Ed Koch. He stayed on Capitol Hill for almost three years. He left his post as Norm Mineta's press secretary to return to California. In Sacramento, Stemmler worked for the League of California Cities as editor of Western City magazine, and then joined the team at Elk Grove Unified School District, which passed California's first local school construction bond issue in the post-Proposition 13 era. After a decade as an independent communications consultant and public policy writer, he earned a teaching credential through Elk Grove Unified's in-house program and taught at Valley High School for six years. The school's newspaper was scheduled out of existence, but Stemmler has just completed his first year as adviser to the newspaper at one of the district's newest schools, Franklin High School. Stemmler enjoys playing the guitar.

Amanda M. Taylor

Amy Taylor is adviser to The Eagle Eye, a student newspaper at Edgewater High School in Orlando. The 2004-2005 school year was Taylor’s first year as the paper’s adviser, and eighth year as an English teacher. She began her collegiate career at the University of Florida as a journalism major and switched to English. Later, she added a minor in secondary education. She went on to earn a master’s degree in English education through the University of Florida's pro-teach program. In her spare time, she enjoys decorating and home improvement projects, spending time with friends and family, and spoiling her dog and two cats. The connotation of Amanda's name is stuffier than she is, so she prefers to go by Amy.

Angela Watkins

Angela G. Watkins, a native of Shreveport, La., is the adviser to the High Life, a student newspaper at C. E. Byrd High School. She teaches American literature and is the director of the marching band color guard (flag line and baton twirlers). She graduated with a bachelor of arts in communication from Centenary College of Louisiana. Her interest in journalism was sparked at age 14 when she met Clifton Harwell, the owner and publisher of northwest Louisiana’s community newspaper, The Town Express. Harwell provided a mentoring experience and enabled Watkins to report her high school news for his paper. Watkins also has worked in journalism, at the American Rose magazine, and in public relations, television and radio. She enjoys leisure reading, bargain shopping and learning to cook.

Debbie Weeks

Debbie Weeks has been teaching for 28 years. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, she has taught American history, psychology and sociology. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in social studies. Weeks was “asked” by her principal to start a newspaper class in 1999 as a way to lower her overall student enrollment to comply with the state’s legislated limit of 140 students. Her previous experience with newspaper had been reading one. Since then, she and her students have continued to learn with each issue. As a veteran teacher, she has been excited and challenged by her newspaper class. Weeks is married and her husband is a captain in the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. They have a daughter, Courtney. Weeks enjoys reading, walking and skiing.

Rob Wessman

Rob Wessman joins the institute from Taylorsville High School in Salt Lake City, where he spends the bulk of his time teaching sophomore and junior English classes. He just completed his first year teaching high school, having ditched the proverbial horse midstream in a career move from the financial industry. In the fall, he will be tasked with advising the school newspaper—a job that prompted his application to the institute. When he is not teaching, Rob coaches the wrestling team, performs improvisational comedy, runs marathons (albeit slowly), tinkers on the piano, and works on home-remodeling projects. Before all of this, his best and favorite hours are saved for his bride Dawn and their one-year old, Robyn.

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