Resume
OBJECTIVE
To obtain a position where I can use my experience as a newsroom leader, editor and multimedia producer to engage audiences with relevant content.
QUALIFICATIONS
I am currently the Director of Interactive Media for The Detroit News where I lead efforts to enhance the digital delivery of news and information. I have presided over the integration of the print and web news teams, as well as developing the news operation’s social media strategy. In the last year, www.detnews.com was voted best news web site in Michigan by the Michigan Associated Press Editorial Association and cited as one the top ten newspapers for social media use by the Bivings Group. Previously, I was the Associate Managing Editor for Multimedia and the Associate Managing Editor for Photography for the Chicago Tribune. I was the first person at the Tribune to have held both A.M.E. positions.
I have extensive experience in online team leadership, multimedia production and audience engagement through social media. My career in journalism has spanned the transition from analog to digital news delivery and the advent and development of multimedia storytelling manifested in projects as diverse as award winning multimedia news projects, a photo book, a traveling photo exhibit, contributions to scholarly articles, and a documentary film, as well as traditional news venues.
Additonally, I have lectured nationally and internationally on multimedia, newsroom convergence and audience engagement, developing lecture series and study plans for journalists.
MILESTONES
2008 - I brokered a co-production partnership between the Chicago Tribune and
Kartemquin Films that resulted in the award winning documentary, At the Death House
Door. The film is a compelling, emotional documentary based on the Tribune’s investiga-
tive reporting about the wrongful execution of Carlos DeLuna.
2007 NAA Digital Edge Award - Most Innovative Multimedia Storytelling: A Tank of
Gas, A World of Trouble, which took users on an oil safari with video and other multi-
media elements illustrating the declining world oil supply. The multimedia project, which
I managed, took the innovative approach of tracking the gas sold at a suburban gas sta-
tion back to its sources at conflict zones around the world.Take the Oil Safari here.
2006 Online News Association Award for Service Journalism: The Mercury Menace. This interactive web presentation examined how toxic mercury enters the food chain through large fish. The site featured an interactive mercury calculator that allowed users to enter their weight to calculate the amount of different types of fish that could be safely consumed.
2004-2005 Chicago/Midwest Emmy for Outstanding Achievement for Documentary Pro-
grams – Documentary of Historic Significance. The City’s Pastime was a one-hour docu-
mentary that explored the rich history of baseball in Chicago. The program, which was
shot and edited by my video production team, aired on cable and public television.
2002 - When Evil Struck America was packaged as a CD-ROM time capsule distrib-
uted to more than 1 million subscribers on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001,
World Trade Center attacks. Interactive and easy to navigate, it boosted single-day street
sales of the newspaper by 100,000. I was responsible for the project’s conceptualization
and management of the design, production and distribution.
1999 - Americanos: Latino Life in the United States. Photo editor for this first of its kind photo book that documented the contribution of Latinos to the culture of the United States. The project included a film for HBO and a traveling exhibit through the Smithsonian Institution.
1982 - Part of Kansas City Star team that was awarded the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for local news reporting for our coverage of the causes of The Hyatt Regency hotel walkway collapse.
EMPLOYMENT
The Detroit News, Director of Interactive Media (currently) Leading efforts to enhance the digital delivery of news and information online, with mobile devices, and through social media.
Chicago Tribune, A.M.E. Multimedia (1999— 2008) Served as a liaison between the print, broadcast and the Internet, facilitating the development of stories across these different media.
Chicago Tribune, A.M.E. Photography (1993— 1999) Responsible for a staff of 65, which included photographers, photo editors and lab support staff, as well as planning and budgetary responsibility.
Chicago Tribune, Assistant Photo Editor (1991— 1993) Responsible for the photo
content of sports, Metro and features newspaper sections and contracting and managing of freelance photographers.
New York Newsday, Staff photographer (1987--1991) Was part to the launch team for Newsday’s New York edition.
Kansas City Star, Staff photographer (1979--1987) Served as both photographer and photo editor.
TEACHING AND LECTURING
Throughout my career, I have lectured nationally and internationally on multimedia, newsroom convergence and audience engagement, as well as mentoring students and professional photographers to help them develop their craft and navigate their careers.
Recent engagements include:
Speaker, University of Missouri School of Journalism’s 2010 Journalism Training Session, Xi'an, China
Speaker, University of Missouri School of Journalism’s 2009 Sino-U.S. Advanced Convergence Journalism Training Session, Foshan, China
Presenter for the Maynard Institute’s Multimedia Editing Program, Reno, NV, 2009
Hearst Visiting Professional, Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Phoenix, AR, 2009
Featured speaker, 2008 China Convergence Summit at Nanjing University, Nanjing,
China
Multimedia coach, Northwestern University’s Media Management Project,
Chicago, IL, 2008
Visiting faculty, Poynter Leadership for Online Editors seminar, St. Petersburg, FL, 2005
Featured presenter, Congreso Periodismo Digital 2.0, Caracas, Venezuela, 2005
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Founding board member, Knight-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism.
Lifetime member and former board member, National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Former board member, Online News Association.
Former board member, Street Level Youth Media.
EDUCATION
BA Mass Communication, Pepperdine University (1974—1978)
REFERENCES
