Below are the candidates and their personal statements for the 2014-2015 DC SPJ Professional Chapter Officers and Board of Directors.
Members of the DC SPJ Professional Chapter will receive the URL for the online ballot directly. If you are a DC SPJ Chapter member and DID NOT receive your ballot e-mail, please contact Julie Asher.
Voting starts April 15 and closes May 1.
Declared Candidates*
- President: Joe Cirone
- Vice President: Kathy Burns
- Treasurer: Amy Fickling
- Recording Secretary: Dan Kubiske
- Corresponding Secretary: Kait Lavinder
- Two-Year Term Board Members
- One-Year Term Board Member
*The ballot allows for WRITE IN candidates as well.
PRESIDENT
SPJ DC Pro Chapter: I became a member of the SPJ DC Pro Chapter on Nov. 15, 2006. My membership lapsed at the end of 2009. I rejoined in Feb. 2012, when I noticed the Chapter had a renewed sense of vitality.
Education: I have a B.S. in Human Services, with a specialization in Emergency and Disaster Management; Master’s Certificate in Organizational Management; Post-Graduate (Master’s) work in Public Administration and Information Technology Systems.
I hold professional certifications and am active as a: TV Producer; Editor and (ENG) Field Technician; DOD Public Affairs Officer; Wilderness Search and Rescue Field Team Member; Firefighter; Emergency Medical Technician; Emergency Manager; and a former federal law enforcement officer. I have specialized certifications in Electronic Interception, Intelligence Gathering and Surveillance; Leadership and Management.
Journalism Career: I began my career at age 16 (in the mid-70s), doing freelance work for weekly and daily news outlets (print, stills and broadcast) in the New York City/Northern New Jersey area. However, my first taste of broadcasting came at age 10, delivering a daily weather broadcast on the school’s closed-circuit TV system and public address system for two years.
Following a multi-year work assignment in South America, I moved to northern Virginia and worked as a freelancer for Media General’s Northern Virginia Newspapers; Times Community Newspapers; Command Post News and, First Responder News.
Throughout my freelance career, I did general assignment work, investigative reporting, sports and events, but my specialization has remained spot news, government and the military.
In 2009, recognizing the continuing decline in freelance and news staff job opportunities I accepted a job as a military Public Affairs Officer in D.C. I am responsible for community and media relations, crisis communications, internal and external communications, websites, social media, graphics and visual information (photo and TV studios). I oversee a weekly newspaper and the production of radio and TV broadcasts. I continue to be a multimedia mobile journalist.
I work hard to help my fellow journalists and the local community in every way possible. I’m a firm believer in allowing full media access to anything that is not classified and for which the taxpayer and its watchdog, the media, is entitled access to. I’m an advocate for the constitutional rights of the media and against unreasonable restrictions to prevent the media the full and complete access afforded by the law. I oppose and guard against the censorship, harassment, detainment or arrest of media members or the seizure of their equipment or media assets, in all except warranted criminal or national security investigations.
I help ensure the transparency of the government, so the public can continue to have confidence with the way we conduct business and know that we are good stewards of the resources we are given, and how we utilize government resources to help people in need, to the extent that doing such is legal, ethical and possible.
After-hours, I volunteer many hours, working in TV news as a producer; director of lighting, sound and photography; studio floor manager; camera operator and editor. I also serve as a Firefighter/EMT, Wilderness Search and Rescue member and Appalachian Trail Patrol member.
Work Abroad: Throughout my career, I have served in overseas assignments in Nicaragua, Cuba, Columbia, Venezuela, Haiti, Uganda, Kenya and Germany. I have also directly supported assignments in Egypt, Panama, Granada, Somalia, Honduras, Guatemala, Rwanda and Zaire.
Other Relevant Memberships: I am a member of the National Press Club (where I served on two committees); National Press Photographers Association; Radio and TV Digital News Association; Investigative Reporters and Editors; American Society of Public Administrators; and the White House News Photographers Association, where I also serve as Co-Chair for the annual Black Tie Gala, often attended by the President and first lady.
SPJ Leadership Accomplishments: I was elected as an Officer on the SPJ DC Pro Chapter’s Board of Directors in 2012. I have been fortunate to work with a great group of people on the board, both longtime and more recently elected members, to participate in decision making which will help increase the Chapter’s value to all members and help ensure its future.
My education, training and many years of serving as a leader in volunteer and paid positions and my faith’s teachings have enabled me to gain the wisdom and experience to objectively and fairly lead and work with people and a wide variety of opinions and goals, reach agreement and protect the best interests of the organization and its members.
I worked with the Chapter’s treasurer to develop the Chapter’s first budget in recent memory. I will continue to do all I can and ensure the Chapter remains financially stable and able to provide quality educational, professional and social programming and events for many years to come.
Awards Include:
U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Exceptional Civilian Service (3 awards); U.S. Coast Guard Letter of Commendation for Outstanding Performance; U.S. Coast Guard Letter of Commendation for Meritorious Performance; U.S. Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation; U.S. Coast Guard Unit Commendation (2 awards); U.S. Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation (3 awards); U.S. Coast Guard Special Operations Service; Commander, Combined Joint Task Force 190 Commendation; Military Traffic Management Command Commendation for Exceptional Performance (5 awards); Defense Information Systems Agency for Professional Service (2 awards); U.S. Army 902nd Military Intelligence Group Commendation; Governor, State of New Jersey Unsung Hero Commendation; Mayor, City of New York Commendation; New York City Emergency Medical Services Special Commendation for delivery of emergency medical care to the President and Vice President of the United States; New York City Emergency Medical Services Lifesaving Medals (8 awards); and, Department of Veteran’s Affairs Emergency Medical Preparedness Office Commendation.
VICE PRESIDENT
George Mason University instructor and freelance writer
As the incumbent chapter vice president and program chair, I spent the past year focusing on offering a variety of media topics, time slots and outstanding speakers to our membership. Programs for 2013-14 have included: visits to the new studios for National Public Radio, the New York Times bureau, the Washington Post and the appropriately named pub, Front Page, for a media Happy Hour. Speakers have included journalists for Al Jazeera; a nationally syndicated political cartoonist; a panel of 4 food writers and a chef; and a media historian who looks at the intersection of telecommunications, electronic media, economics and the changing interests of audiences. Our upcoming calendar includes weekend outings such as a trip to the ballpark, to the Kennedy Center and to a Family Fun Day at a local pool complex. I am running again because I have enjoyed this challenging position and I look forward to planning future programs that will continue to explore contemporary journalistic issues, plus a dash of fun and networking.
Born in Chicago and educated in Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri, my professional experience includes work as a bureau chief, foreign correspondent, columnist, investigative reporter, magazine editor, congressional investigator, corporate communications executive and state-certified mediator. My journalistic involvement includes work as an academic in 7 colleges and universities, both in Washington, and in Canberra, Australia, where I was the only accredited US reporter in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. While at the Chicago Tribune, I was a member of a Task Force that won a Pulitzer Prize for its investigation of vote fraud.
My involvement with SPJ began as a student and continued throughout the years, including a stint as a DC Chapter president. I have been active as a judge for the SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards and Sigma Delta Chi competitions. As a long-time member, I value SPJ’s full commitment to the First Amendment. We need to keep the balance in media coverage between personal privacy issues and the public’s right to know, versus the challenges of government-imposed secrecy and the demand for crucial transparency. I was very proud of the joint efforts of the DC Chapter and National in this year’s 2 programs commemorating Sunshine Week. As a Board member, I will do my utmost best to continue to support the SPJ goals of free speech and media accountability.
TREASURER
I have been active in the Washington, D.C., chapter for many years while working as a reporter and/or editor at a variety of media outlets in the metropolitan area, currently as assistant news editor at the McClatchy-Tribune News Service. I stand ready and willing to continue to serve the organization, which has been a cornerstone of my career through its encouraging of high professional standards and the relationships with fellow journalists it fosters.
Having been chapter president (1991) and a two-term national SPJ board member — as Region 2 director (1993 to 1997) — after moving “up the ladder” from recording secretary and Dateline editor positions locally, I stepped aside from officer positions for a few years to give others their turn at leadership roles in the chapter. After return to the board, I have been treasurer for several years now. I’ve also served on the chapter’s and national SPJ’s SDX Foundations, currently serving as vice president of the chapter’s SDX foundation, its education arm that provides scholarships to undergraduate journalism students at area colleges.
I am standing for re-election as treasurer to continue serving the chapter while it puts in place the financial best practices recommended by the national organization.
The D.C. chapter is dynamic and its engine is oiled and fueled by volunteers. The slate of nominees this year includes a good mix of long-time and newer chapter members who will be focused on moving the chapter into some new territory when it comes to providing programs and services traditionally offered the membership, and this will involve selecting from among the latest technology and a lot of thought-energy. I’m all for it, but also happy to express my support through service as chapter treasurer to facilitate the financial end of our new ventures. I look forward to continuing in that role so that other officers and board members can channel their ideas and efforts toward results, and leave the bill-paying and check-depositing and book-balancing drudgery to me.
RECORDING SECRETARY
I have been a freelance journalist since 1991. I have written for The Washington Times, McGraw-Hill, and the Bureau of National Affairs; filed radio stories for WAMU and Metro Radio (Hong Kong); produced morning news program for ICRT, English language radio in Taiwan; monthly commentaries on RTHK, English language radio in Hong Kong; and was a regular contributor to an English language television program on journalism in Hong Kong.
I have been a member of SPJ since 1987, and as a member of the SPJ-DC pro Chapter have taken on a variety of responsibilities including: worked on the Dateline newsletter, 1990-1991; served as board member, vice president, president, Dateline editor, 1995-1999; maintained the chapter’s membership list, 1999-2004. My national involvement with SPJ includes serving as chair of the Press Freedom Network 1999-2003, and co-chair of the International Journalism Committee, 2003.
I have lived in Mexico, Jamaica, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Dominican Republic and Brazil. Currently resides in Honduras, moving back to Washington area this summer. Travel has included most of Western Europe, Poland, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, and Israel.
Here’s why I want to serve on the SPJ board: Just before I left for Taiwan I started asking people in the SPJ if they had suggestions about possible freelance jobs I might be able to line up. I received a number of very helpful suggestions. In fact, thanks to those suggestions I started a successful freelance career. Upon returning to the States, I wanted to repay the organization that had helped me. As I served first on the board then as an officer for the DC chapter, I came to understand the SPJ was more than just an organization to build networks. It was an organization that worked to protect journalists and press freedom.
During the past few years I have done what I can to help the D.C. chapter while I lived in Brazil and Honduras. Now that I am returning, I offer my services again.
Bottom line: There is still much that needs to be done in the local, national, and international scenes. I want to continue to help the organization and I think I still have something to contribute at all levels.
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
I am a television news producer, international affairs enthusiast and avid runner. I live in Rosslyn and produce/write for NewsChannel 8’s 5-9 a.m. weekday newscasts.I joined the SPJ-DC Pro Chapter when I moved to the D.C area about eight months ago. I immediately became engaged with the chapter and have taken advantage of all it has to offer. I have been involved in helping with some of the programming this year and have been helping with some outreach to the membership. In the fall, I will be attending Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies for a master of arts degree, with a concentration in international economics and global theory/history. I am ecstatic to be considered for a position on the SPJ-DC Pro Chapter Board.
TWO-YEAR BOARD TERMS
I am Air Force Magazine’s special projects manager. Previously, I was the editor of South Florida Gay News out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. I served as the executive VP of SPJ Florida until moving to D.C. in October 2013. Previously, I served on the national board of SPJ in 2011. Among the programs I have run (and sometimes created) for SPJ are: Will Write for Food, Death Race, Unethical Press, Ethics Hold ’em, All on Paper, First Amendment Free Food Festival, Zombie Stories, and F$%^ Words with Friends. I have interned for the Miami Herald and freelanced for various South Florida media outlets. I graduated in May 2012 from Florida Atlantic University with a bachelor’s degree in communications. My involvement with SPJ here in Washington has included volunteering at the recent Region 2 conference at held at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Education.
Originally from Uzbekistan, I have been in the United States for seven years and during this time I have been given the opportunity to work as a journalist at the “Voice of America.” I work in the Uzbek Service. My daily radio newscast is aired every day in Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. It is broadcast on shortwave radio in Uzbekistan. I produce segments on various issues for “Exploring America,” a television show. I have my master’s degree from Georgetown University. I have been a member of the SPJ-DC Pro Chapter since the summer of 2013, a truly rewarding experience. Journalism has roots in my family and I have a valuable background and knowledge of the media outlets broadcasting to Uzbekistan and the surrounding area.
I’m the principal social media coordinator for Carahsoft, a government software solutions reseller and distributor in the D.C. metro area. Prior to this role, I served as the communications manager for Mobilize.org, a D.C.-based civic engagement nonprofit. My first job out of college was in SPJ’s year-long communications coordinator fellowship position at the Society’s national headquarters in Indianapolis. During my studies at the University of Mississippi’s Meek School for Journalism and New Media I was fortunate to serve in many journalism focused internships, including an administrative research position with the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. I was also fortunate to intern for NBC Nightly News during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Debate at Ole Miss.
I’m proud to say I have been a member of the Society since 2008 and served as my student chapter’s VP and President during my college tenure. Over the years, SPJ has afforded me the opportunity to grow as a media professional through the greater service of its mission. I hope to continue those works with an innovative eye for talent, truth and energy as a board member and build on my work for the chapter this year as the recording secretary .
ONE-YEAR BOARD TERM
I grew up in the deep country outside Selma, Ala., and fell in love with reporting when, a few weeks out of college, I accidentally got a job on the Selma Free Press (now defunct). I have been a reporter focusing on health and health policy in Washington for about 38 years. I was editor of The Nation’s Health, the newspaper of the American Public Health Association (1978-1992). I also have reported for newsletters on reimbursement and on substance abuse, as well as for the magazine of the American Psychological Association. I have been a freelance reporter for 13 years, writing for health care trade publications.