Learn about 2026 candidates for MIPA Executive Board

Member advisers will elect three positions to MIPA’s executive board: first vice president and two trustees. Candidates for these offices were nominated at the MIPA annual meeting on April 18.

Elections will take place via email ballot. Ballots are being emailed to current members on April 18 and must be returned by May 8 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.

First Vice President

MIPA’s first vice president serves a two-year term before automatically becoming MIPA’s president for two years, followed by past president for 1 year.

• Previous MIPA experience: MIPA Executive Board Secretary, Judging Day judge, Fall Conference speaker.
• Past work experience: Lakeview High School English & Journalism teacher, 2000 – present.
• Education: Bachelor’s in Secondary Education – English and Communication, Western Michigan University; Master’s in Educational Leadership, Western Michigan University; Master’s certificate in Educational Technology, Michigan State University.
• Honors, awards & activities: Journalism Education Association Rising Star, 2025.
• 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.

Trustees

Trustees serve a two-year term and two positions are available.

• Previous MIPA experience: I have been involved with MIPA since becoming an adviser for the 2018-2019 school year. I have brought my staff to the Fall Conference every year that I have been an adviser, aside from the COVID years. Last year, I was a presenter for the first time at the MIPA Fall Conference. I have also been a judge for two years and have been working to recruit other area schools and their journalism programs to join MIPA as well.
• Past work experience: Before teaching, which I have been doing for the past 15 years, I worked as a customer service rep.for a Michigan utility supplier and was in charge of the northeast territory of the U.S. I also worked at Bath & Body Works for 12 years as an associate and assistant manager. My first year of teaching was at Adrian High School, then I moved on to teach at East Arbor Academy for four years, before moving on to Wayne Memorial, which is where I have been ever since, and I would love to retire from Wayne some day.
• Education: I graduated from Garden City High School. I went on to college and I received my Bachelor of Science degree from Central Michigan University. I then attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus to complete my teacher certification program and to change my English minor to an English major. Finally, I enrolled at Grand Valley State University and earned my master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction, with an emphasis in Educational Differentiation. I have also taken several courses through the Shoah Foundation, progressing my studies of Holocaust Education.
• Honors, awards & activities: I am actively involved in JEA’s mentoring program, and was a presenter and judge at the conference in Nashville this past year. With my staff, we have received second place in the Lifetouch National Showcase Award for our 2020 yearbook. We are a two-time recipient of the Walsworth Gallery of Excellence Award, and we have won multiple MIPA awards and honorable mentions. This past summer, we sent our first two students to MIPA summer camp; this year, we will be sending 15!
• Why I’m seeking this office: MIPA has done so much for my program. The people I have met have helped me become a better adviser and a better journalist. The programs and events offered by MIPA have made my students better journalists and yearbook staff members. I feel that this office would offer additional resources to me, so that I can share with others the benefits of being part of this organization. I want to share MIPA with others so they can utilize the resources MIPA provides to help their programs reach their maximum potential, as well as to create networking opportunities for journalism staff and advisers, because no one truly understands what our programs require and endure better than other staff and advisers. The bottom line is I want to give back to the organization that has given my program and me so much.
• Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about me: I’m a mom to three children. My oldest is Joe, 22; my daughter Ella, 18; and my son Sam, 11. I have been married to my amazing and eternally patient husband, Scott, for 25 years this year! I can’t do life without him. The other love of my life is my almost 10-year-old golden retriever, Lois Lane. I am a proud Swiftie. I love spending time up north at the family cabin in the summer, and I consider a campfire fuel for my soul. I also enjoy reading, especially when I can do so without having to edit it.

• Previous MIPA experience: I have been a MIPA judge and recruited many of my former students to also judge, been a speaker and assisted with on-site critiques at the fall conference, am currently finishing a partial trustee term after being recruited, was the yearbook chair, and a floor counselor at MIPA when I first started teaching.
• Past work experience: I’m currently wrapping up year 22 of teaching and have been advising journalism since I started!
• Education: I graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelors in Journalism and minor in English. I also earned my master’s in Curriculum and Teaching through MSU, and most recently finished my +15 through Iowa State University.
• Honors, awards & activities: Yearbook and newspaper programs I’ve advised have earned Pacemaker Finalists, Silver Crown, Spartans, and individual awards from MIPA, CSPA and NSPA. I’ve also taught at yearbook company workshop camps and been a speaker at yearbook workshops.
• Why I’m seeking this office: I’ve always wanted to become more involved again and give back to the organization and community who helped make me the journalism teacher I am today. If it wasn’t for some of the MIPA greats — like Cheryl Pell and Betsy Rau, along with so many others — I don’t know if I would’ve survived on a journalism island at my school. Between starting programs from scratch and censorship, journalism teachers and students need MIPA! While I don’t profess to know everything, and am always open to new ideas and learning, I appreciate the opportunity to be able to help others like I was supported — whether that means students or advisers. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to grow my family and my three kiddos are a bit older, I feel I’m in a place where I can devote the time truly needed to work with MIPA.
• Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about: I love helping others feel more comfortable and confident in what they’re doing, along with brainstorming and carrying out ideas that will ultimately help MIPA, our journalism students, and my colleagues! Go Green, Go White, Go MIPA!

• Previous MIPA experience: I have had the pleasure of serving as a trustee for the past eight months. During this time, I was also a contest judge. Previous to this experience, I have participated in MIPA’s summer camp for advisors the past two summers (I strongly encourage every adviser to participate in this program at least once). Additionally, I have taken the student journalists of Grand Blanc High School to the MIPA Fall Conference the past two years.
• Past work experience: My teaching journey has been a wild ride and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I began teaching High School English in Waianae, Hawaii, then Writing & Rhetoric at Columbia College Chicago. I shifted gears again and tried my hand at middle school ELA, PE, and Health & Wellness also in Chicago, Illinois. Somehow, these experiences have all led me back to my hometown of Grand Blanc, Michigan, where I have been the yearbook adviser and an English 10 teacher at Grand Blanc High School for the past two years.
• Education: I have earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Secondary English Education and Physical Education from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia College Chicago, as well as 15 additional credits in Special Education, teaching pedagogy, and adolescent psychology from the University of Phoenix. Additionally, I have earned an SEL Facilitator and Yoga teacher certifications through the Breathe for Change and CASEL programs.
• Honors, awards & activities: In 2025, I won Josten’s regional “Rookie of the Year” award for new advisers, something I am beyond proud of. The 2025 Echo Yearbook was also awarded the Bronze Program of Excellence Award.
• Why I’m seeking this office: I consider it an honor and a privilege to have been asked to run and be voted into the interim trustee position. I would love to continue to do this work for the next two years, not only helping MIPA continue its traditions, but also grow as the times change and journalism shifts. Not only would I like to assist with outreach and recruitment, but I would also like to help MIPA add more events and resources for both students and advisers. The world needs journalists now more than ever and it’s up to us to engage young people.
• Here’s something else I’d like MIPA members to know about: My husband and I have a 3-year-old son, Finn, and another boy on the way. When I am not working, reading or writing, you can find me dancing in the kitchen with my family, creating something or exploring the outdoors.