Member advisers will elect five positions to MIPA’s executive board: secretary, treasurer, second vice president and two trustees. Candidates for these offices were nominated at the MIPA annual meeting on April 15.
Elections will take place via email ballot. Ballots are being emailed to current members on April 15 and must be returned by May 5 to be counted. Please contact the MIPA office if you have questions about your ballot or do not receive one.
Candidates were asked to respond to a questionnaire. Their answers are below. Responses to questions about work experience, educator and honors were edited by MIPA’s director for format and length. You can learn more about these offices by reading MIPA’s bylaws.
Secretary
MIPA’s secretary serves a two-year term.
Darcy Hassing
Lakeview High School, Battle Creek
- Years at current school: 23
- Years as a teacher: 25
- Student media programs advised: The Log yearbook
- Current MIPA office, if any: Secretary
- Previous MIPA experience: Appointed MIPA secretary in 2022
- Past work experience: Lakeview High School – English Teacher 2000-present, Yearbook Adviser 2021 – present
- Education: Western Michigan University — bachelor’s in secondary education (English and communications); master’s in educational leadership; master certificate in educational technology
- Honors, awards & activities: No response.
- Why I’m seeking this office: I want to contribute to an organization that has helped me grow as an adviser. I also want to expand my skills by working closely with other advisers throughout the state.
- Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about me: No response.
Treasurer
MIPA’s secretary serves a two-year term.
Cammie Hall
H. H. Dow High School, Midland
- Years at current school: 14
- Years as a teacher: 17
- Student media programs advised: Newspaper (Update), Online (Update Online), Yearbook (The Charger), Broadcast (Bolt Media)
- Current MIPA office, if any: Treasurer
- Previous MIPA experience: Chairperson for Student Journalist selection committee; MIPA Summer Journalism Workshop instructor and writing coach; judge for MIPA Judging Day
- Past work experience: long-term sub for yearbook, business and English classes, Alma High School;
long-term sub at alternative school for students struggling in traditional classroom, teaching English classes and computer skills, Franklin Center; long-term sub for English classes, Sacred Heart Academy - Education: Bachelor of science in education, master of science in journalism, master of science in educational technology
- Honors, awards & activities: No response.
- Why I’m seeking this office: Being a member of the MIPA board has been a rewarding experience, and I would like to be able to continue to assist with the organization. I would like to be able to give back to those before me that made my journey possible and continue to provide support for upcoming advisers.
- Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about me: No response.
Second Vice President
MIPA’s second vice president serves a two-year term.
Sarah Ashman
Holt High School
- Years at current school: 8
- Years as a teacher: 13
- Student media programs advised: Newspaper
- Current MIPA office, if any: None
- Previous MIPA experience: I have served as a trustee on the board. Additionally, I am a past presenter and frequent critique giver at the fall conferences, and from 2014-2019, I served as the director of student life at the summer workshop.
- Past work experience: English and journalism teacher, Dexter High School, 2010-2012; English and journalism teacher, newspaper adviser, Mason High School, 2012-2015; English and journalism teacher, newspaper adviser, Holt High School, 2015-present
- Education: Bachelor’s in English (minor: journalism), Michigan State University, 2009; Master’s in teaching and curriculum, Marygrove College, 2017
- Honors, awards & activities: Certified Journalism Educator, Journalism Education Association
- Why I’m seeking this office: Simply put, I know how much MIPA rocks. My involvement in MIPA is the single greatest factor in my success and growth as a journalism teacher and an adviser. Not PD. Not PLCs. Not coursework. MIPA. Learning alongside the best and brightest advisers in the state fuels my desire to help my students reach those levels of greatness to which we all aspire, but in an approachable way. MIPA is its people, and it would be an honor to help newer advisers find their people and their place in this landscape by connecting them to mentors to offer the support and guidance that was (and is still) so crucial in keeping me in the advising game after all these years..
- Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about me: I also teach media literacy! I would love to bring the assets of this curriculum to MIPA members.
Trustees
Trustees serve a two-year term and two positions are available.
Alexis Campion
Henry Ford II High School, Sterling Heights
- Years at current school: 10
- Years as a teacher: 13
- Student media programs advised: Yearbook, Newspaper
- Current MIPA office, if any: None
- Previous MIPA experience: Prior to the pandemic, I volunteered to run sessions at the fall conference. I have worked at MIPA Summer Workshop for many years after high school and into my teaching career. I have judged for out-of-state and national journalism associations. I have worked with the MIPA board as a new membership chair and a student activities chair.
- Past work experience: I completed my student teaching internship at Utica High School with Stacy Smale. After completing my internship, I was offered a long-term substitute position to complete the yearbook. I was offered a job from that long-term position and started my advising career at Carman Ainsworth High School in 2010. In 2013, I moved to Henry Ford II High School in Utica Schools, where I have advised yearbook and newspaper ever since.
- Education: BA in English, Michigan State University; BC in journalism, MSU; Master’s in educational technology, Central Michigan University
- Honors, awards & activities: MIPA Student Journalist Staff, 2005; Certified Journalism Educator, 2019, Journalism Education Association
- Why I’m seeking this office: I have been a MIPA kid since 2001 attending camps, workshops and conferences. I love the community MIPA offers to advisers and students. MIPA is my journalism heart and love the connections I have made from all of my previous experiences.
- Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about me: No response.
Nieko Ianni
Detroit Catholic Central High School, Novi
- Years at current school: 8
- Years as a teacher: 9
- Student media programs advised: Spectrum (Newspaper)
- Current MIPA office, if any: None
- Previous MIPA experience: I have volunteered as a judge for the MIPA’s awards for the last two years.
- Past work experience: English teacher, Lansing Catholic High School, 2013-14; Director of alumni relations, Detroit Catholic Central High School, 2014-15; English teacher, Detroit Catholic Central High School, 2015-present (Student newspaper adviser since 2016)
- Education: BA in literature from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, 2011; Post-baccalaureate teaching certificate from Eastern Michigan University, 2013
- Honors, awards & activities: No response
- Why I’m seeking this office: As a MIPA member for the past few years, I have seen the impact that the organization has had on my students who have participated in summer workshops and the fall conference, and I have greatly benefitted from the perspectives of other members. I think this is a great opportunity for me to be more involved and to give back.
- Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about: I’m a father of two. In addition to advising the student newspaper, I also direct my school’s spring drama production, and I was an assistant wrestling coach for about 10 years. Outside of school, I volunteer as a prose submission reader for a local literary journal.