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Professional Development Committee
The Professional Development Committee ensures a broad range of professional development programs offered by the Society.
Professional Development Committee Chair
Deb Halpern Wenger
Associate Professor
VCU School of Mass Communications
Bio (click to expand)
Deb Halpern Wenger, a 17-year broadcast news veteran, is assistant professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi. Prior to her academic appointments, Deb was assistant news director at WFLA-TV in Tampa, Fla. Wenger conducts multimedia training in newsrooms around the country and is coauthor of the broadcast, online and multimedia journalism curricula for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Newsroom Training Program. She is also chair of SPJ’s Professional Development Committee and has been a visiting faculty member for The Poynter Institute and has been part of the Committee of Concerned Journalists Traveling Curriculum through the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Wenger is co-author of a journalism textbook, “Advancing the Story: Broadcast Journalism in a Multimedia World” and produces a multimedia blog: advancingthestory.wordpress.com.
Professional Development Committee Members
Ann Augherton
200 N. Glebe Rd.
Suite 607
Arlington, VA 22203
703/841-2590
Fax: 703/524-2782
E-mail
Bio (click to expand)
Ann Augherton is the managing editor of the Arlington Catholic HERALD (Va.), the Virginia Press Association’s largest weekly newspaper. Since taking the position in 1991, circulation has continued to grow to the current 61,000, and the newspaper has won several national awards from the Catholic Press Association.
Augherton herself has won writing awards and her freelance, articles and photographs have appeared in several publications and Catholic News Service.
Although a lifelong resident of the Washington area, she has traveled extensively on international assignments in Europe, the developing world, Asia and most recently to the Middle East.
Augherton was an SPJ member while earning her degree in journalism at George Washington University. She returned as a professional member several years ago. Since then she has served in several positions with SPJ’s D.C. Pro Board, including two terms as president, and is currently in her second term on the national board as Region 2 Director.
Since then she has served in several positions with SPJ’s D.C. Pro Board, including two terms as president, and three terms on the national board as Region 2 Director.
Holly Fisher
Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
843-991-689
E-mail
Jason Lamb
Reporter, KTUU-TV
Anchorage, AK
E-mail
Twitter
Bio (click to expand)
Jason Lamb has been a reporter for KTUU-TV since 2008.
Before coming to KTUU, Jason briefly freelanced as a reporter for KPLR-TV in St. Louis. Prior to that, Jason spent nearly three years as a reporter and fill-in anchor at KOMU-TV, the NBC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri.
Since 2008, Jason has been honored with an SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Award for feature reporting, a National Edward R. Murrow Award for writing, and a Gabriel Award.
Jason grew up in Beaverton, Oregon — a suburb of Portland. He graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Journalism, Political Science and a minor in Sociology. While in school, he spent two summers as an intern at KPTV-TV in Portland, Oregon. He was the recipient of an SPJ National Mark of Excellence Award while attending Mizzou.
Suzanne Lysak
Assistant Professor/Broadcast & Digital Journalism
Syracuse University Newhouse School
215 University Place
Syracuse, NY 13244
315-443-9271
E-mail
Bio (click to expand)
Suzanne Lysak joined the Newhouse faculty in the fall of 2009. Previously she was an assistant professor of broadcast journalism at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. She taught graduate and undergraduate broadcast news writing and reporting classes for five years as an adjunct at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Lysak spent more than 20 years working professionally in broadcast journalism, as a radio reporter, TV news reporter and anchor, TV news producer, executive producer and news director. She has worked in various markets, including a five year stint at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles from 2002-2007. While at KCBS, Lysak received two Los Angeles Emmy awards, for producing breaking news coverage and also as producer of the station's 5-7am newscast. Earlier in her career, Lysak received a national award from American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT) for her reporting of a special TV news series titled "Private Battles: Women in the Military."
Kara Matuszewski Sassone
Multimedia Journalist
Boston, Mass.
207-831-2059
E-mail
Twitter
Bio (click to expand)
Kara Matuszewski Sassone is a multimedia journalist who lives in the Boston area. She has more than a decade's worth of experience as a web producer, television reporter, and television anchor. She also maintains her own blog and has a large social media community.
Kara has previously worked at WBZ, WCSH, WLBZ and WAGM. She has also worked in media relations.
A New England native, Kara graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications earning a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism and also completing the Newspaper curriculum. She minored in Economics and Psychology. While at Syracuse, she was a staff writer for the Daily Orange and studied at the Syracuse London Centre.
Kara has been a member of Society of Professional Journalists since 2006. As president, she helped resurrect the Maine Pro chapter and bring it into 4-star standing. She also served as the chapter's vice president. She is currently a member of the New England Pro Chapter.
Mike Walter
Writer/director, Breaking News Breaking Down
202/550-3784
SPJ News