Learn about 2019 candidates for MIPA Executive Board

Member advisers will elect five positions to MIPA’s executive board: secretary, treasurer, second vice president and two trustees. Candidates for these officers were nominated at the MIPA annual meeting on April 23.

Elections will take place via email ballot. Ballots were emailed to current members on April 24. Please contact the MIPA office if you have questions about your ballot or did not receive one.

Learn about the candidates

Candidate were asked to respond to a questionnaire. Their answers are below.

Secretary

Marilyn Hess, Plainwell HS

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  Years at current school: 14

• Years as a teacher: 14
• Student media advised: The Trojan Torch student newspaper and website
• Current MIPA office: Secretary
• Previous MIPA experience: I have participated in Judging Day most of the past 10 years; I have taught sessions both at the Fall Conference and at MIPA Camp; and I have volunteered to critique publications at the Fall Conference.
• Past work experience: Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked full-time as a reporter, editor, and (seemingly random) a paramedic; for a decade I also ran a home-based desktop publishing company.
• Education: M.Ed. in secondary education, GVSU; BA in Journalism, MSU
• Honors, awards & activities: Certified Journalism Educator, JEA; regional semifinalist, Michigan Teacher of the Year 2019.
• Why I’m seeking this office: Under the leadership of the executive board, I started several new initiatives for the secretary this year, and I would really like to get them a little more on solid footing. One is the publishing of minutes to the membership; the other is a calendar of national deadlines to encourage Michigan participation. I love working with such a dedicated group of people, and feel like I’ve really been able to make a contribution with my organizational skills and perspective from a small school on the west side of the state.
• Is there anything else you’d like MIPA members to know about you? I was involved in MIPA as a high schooler, and was a member of the Student Journalist staff.

Treasurer

Betsy van der Zee, Ann Arbor Pioneer HS

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  Years at current school: 26

• Years as a teacher: 29
• Student media advised: Pioneer Omega yearbook
• Current MIPA office: Treasurer
• Previous MIPA experience: I have served as treasurer since October 2014. I have participated in various conferences, workshops and Judging Day.
• Past work experience: Prior to becoming a teacher, I was a purchasing agent for a medical device manufacturer and a regional buyer for a college bookstore chain.
• Education:B.A., Speech Communication and Theater, University of Michigan; M.A., Communication, Eastern Michigan University
• Honors, awards & activities: I have attended yearly summer publisher workshops with my staff since 1999. I have presented at publisher workshops and literacy intervention workshops. My staff has received various MIPA and publisher awards.
• Why I’m seeking this office:I have enjoyed serving as treasurer and would like to continue to serve in this capacity. I feel that my business background and 22 years as a yearbook adviser have been helpful in this position. Additionally, serving on the board has helped me become more aware of MIPA activities and resources, which I have found personally and professionally rewarding.
• Is there anything else you’d like MIPA members to know about you? No response.

Second Vice President

Christina Hammitt, Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy

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  Years at current school: 1

• Years as a teacher: 23
• Student media advised: Newspaper and yearbook
• Current MIPA office: Second Vice President
• Previous MIPA experience: Second vice president, Hall of Fame chair, volunteer, program speaker, MIPA judge, teacher at MIPA camp, floor adviser at MIPA camp, NSPA/CSPA judge
• Past work experience: 23 years of experience: six years in Indiana and 17 in Michigan
• Education: MA in School Counseling from Wayne State, BS in journalism and secondary education from Ball State University.
• Honors, awards & activities: Certified Journalism Educator, Golden Pen nominee, Spartan Award (nine times), Pacemaker Award (two times), All American (three times), JEA (2004-present), MIPA member (2004 – present), NSPA / CSPA judge (2004-present), USAT athlete / Half-Ironman (five times), DEKKO teacher of the year
• Why I’m seeking this office: Continuing to be a collaborative member of MIPA by creating authentic learning opportunities for our MIPA community is a privilege I would be honored to accept. Within this cohort of colleagues is a multitude of experience and expertise. Being able to provide students and advisors with guidance, support and feedback that enables them to not only produce publications but also focuses on genuine Project Based Learning, innovative instructive methods for the twenty-first century student, and implementing avenues for student voice is the magic of MIPA. Seeing staffs share their stories, post their successes and provide opportunities for growth and student voice is what MIPA does. MIPA makes all of this happen and I would love to continue to be a part of that MIPA magic.
• Is there anything else you’d like MIPA members to know about you? MIPA and those within this organization have been there for my students and myself. Continuing to be a part of this organization allows me to give back. MIPA makes us more than a community. We are a family.

Trustee (2 seats)

Sarah Ashman, Holt HS

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  Years at current school: 4

• Years as a teacher: 9
• Student media advised: Ramparts newspaper (hybrid)
• Current MIPA office: None
• Previous MIPA experience: I was a board trustee for a partial term from 2013 to 2015. I’ve also been a speaker and on-site critique coordinator at the fall conference. I began working at the summer workshop in 2010 as a floor counselor/activity assistant and, since 2014, I’ve been the Student Life Director. I will never turn down an opportunity to work for MIPA in any capacity I can!
• Past work experience: Dexter High School: 2010-2012 (Intro to Journalism, Photojournalism, World Lit, literary magazine adviser); Mason High School: 2012-2015 (Newspaper, Intro to Journalism, Media Literacy, English 9-11)
• Education: BA, Michigan State University, 2009 (Major: English; Minor: Journalism) MA, Marygrove College, 2017 (Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment)
• Honors, awards & activities: MIPA member, JEA member and CJE
• Why I’m seeking this office: I’ve been an active member of MIPA since 2010, joining as the adviser of the Dexter High School literary magazine with big dreams of one day advising a successful newspaper program like many of MIPA friends did. This organization gave me my first taste of what scholastic journalism greatness looks like, and I found heroes in the same people who I was blessed to call friends and mentors. Almost ten years later, while I still feel like I have a lot to learn, I’m the proud adviser of a growing newspaper program, and I’m finally seeing that the greatness I stood in awe of back then is 80% enthusiasm, coupled with a desire to keep learning and growing – and I know I am not alone when I say I am full of that. That’s what MIPA has always been made of. And now, with a litany of forces threatening the future of both scholastic and for-profit journalism, our cumulative passion and curiosity are most important ingredients in keeping our programs alive. I feel it’s time, again, to do my part to bring together new and experienced advisers, to help maintain the connections our students make through the the summer workshop and advisory council. Those connections are so critical – we ARE MIPA, and we are only as strong as our active members. This time, I plan to bring my experiences and connections as a media literacy educator for the past six years to the table, and I would look to create more pathways for other teachers – those “doing journalism” in non-traditional ways – to connect to our organization. I firmly believe we are doing some of the most important work in public schools, and the time is now to pass it on.
• Is there anything else you’d like MIPA members to know about you? No response.

Cody Harrell, East Lansing High School

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  Years at current school: 3

• Years as a teacher: 3
• Student media advised: Newspaper and yearbook
• Current MIPA office: None
• Previous MIPA experience: MIPA Judge (2013-present); MIPA Fall Speaker (2016-present); MIPA Summer Camp Assistant Teacher (2017-18); MIPA Summer Camp Floor Counselor and Activity Assistant (2012-2016)
• Past work experience: MSU School of Journalism Office Assistant (2013-16); Haslett High School Student Teacher Adviser (2016-17); Lansing Lugnuts Press Box (2016-present); David Crumm Media Copy Editor (2015-present)
• Education: B.A. Michigan State University School of Journalism
• Honors, awards & activities: Outstanding Senior, Michigan State University School of Journalism, 2015; Mary Gardner Scholar, Michigan State University School of Journalism 2015 Kappa Tau Alpha Top Scholar, 2015; Woodrow Wilson, Sr. and Lily B. Wilson Endowed Scholarship in Education recipient, 2015; Winthrop Faulkner Scholarship for Journalism Educators recipient, 2014 & 2015; Journalism Education Association Future Teacher Scholarship recipient, 2014
• Why I’m seeking this office: I have been a MIPA member for 10 years as of the 2018-19 school year, and every year has contributed more to my personal and professional life than nearly any other organization I have ever been a part of. I’m seeking this office to be in a position to directly give back to the organization that has given me so much in those 10 years. As a third-year teacher and adviser of both yearbook and newspaper, I hope to assist the MIPA board in their long-term endeavors and contribute over the course of my career in journalism education in Michigan. As a trustee, I will be able to directly work closely with MIPA as my next-door neighbor and assist in contest and convention preparation each year along with other tasks I am entrusted with.
• Is there anything else you’d like MIPA members to know about you? I run six mornings a week and travel countrywide with my barbershop quartet!

Tim Morley, Inland Lakes High School

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  Years at current school: 24

• Years as a teacher: 26
• Student media advised: Nexus yearbook, il360.news website
• Current MIPA office: Trustee
• Previous MIPA experience: Trustee – 2006 to 2010, 2015 to present; fall convention speaker, judge, summer workshop instructor
• Past work experience: Photographer, Inland Lakes Images
• Education: M.A. – Journalism, MSU. M.A – Educational Technology, MSU, B.S. Mathematics – MTU
• Honors, awards & activities: JEA Rising Star – 2006, JEA Distinguished Adviser – 2009, JEA curriculum director – photojournalism – 2016-2018, JEA State Director – 2018 to present
• Why I’m seeking this office: I want to give back to the community that has given me so much. I was a photographer in high school, and one of my best memories from being on staff of the yearbook and newspaper was the photography awards I earned from MIPA individual contests.
• Is there anything else you’d like MIPA members to know about you? No response.