Friends:
Thanks to all the AAJA-LA members who nominated candidates for the 2020 board election.
Ballots will be sent via email to all full members on Monday, Oct. 28. If you don’t receive a ballot, please message teresa.watanabe@latimes.com.
Monday, Oct. 28 – Voting starts
Thursday, Oct. 31 – Voting ends, 11:59 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1 – Announcement of winning candidates
Don’t forget to vote!
Teresa Watanabe
Secretary, AAJA-LA
Here are the candidates for the 2020 board:
PRESIDENT:
Teresa Watanabe
Teresa Watanabe covers higher education for the L.A. Times and also has written about K-12 education, immigration, ethnic communities, religion, Japan/Korea and Pacific Rim business and economics. She previously reported on Asia, national affairs and state government for the San Jose Mercury News and wrote editorials for the L.A. Herald Examiner.
“I owe much of my career success to AAJA members who have mentored me and connected me to job opportunities over the years. As president, I would love to build on that work with strong mentoring, networking and career development programs, greater community outreach and expanded partnerships with other journalism organizations.”
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMMING:
Gene Kang
Gene Kang is an Emmy award-winning TV reporter at NBC4 Los Angeles. He worked for CBS San Diego and was an anchor/reporter in TX, IN and KY. His journalism career began in Chicago as an assignment editor/field producer. He is currently VP of Programming for AAJA-LA and served as AAJA-San Diego’s Marketing Director and AAJA-Chicago’s VP of Broadcast.
“As the current Senior VP of Programming, I would like to continue our success with Trivia Bowl and other large-scale activities to support our scholarships, mentoring and internships.”
SECRETARY:
Agnes Constante
Agnes is a freelance journalist and social media coordinator. Her stories regularly appear in NBC Asian America about a number of issues, including deportations in the Southeast Asian community. She previously worked for Asian Journal and has also written for Inquirer.net.
“Since joining AAJA-LA in 2016, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to meet so many other Asian American journalists. It’s been empowering to find a community that shares a passion for telling stories, and I’d love the opportunity to give back by serving on the board.”
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Hieu Gray
Hieu is an award-winning writer/producer, filmmaker and social media personality. After spending over a decade at CNN, Hieu left traditional broadcast to pursue her interest in telling stories through food. She is at work on her debut documentary Quan 13 about the Vietnamese diaspora in Paris.
“As a seasoned journalist who is embarking on the “second chapter’ of my career, I would like to initiate programs for other members who are also “re-inventing” themselves for the digital age. If elected as a board member, my focus would be on filmmaking, social media, and digital content. ”
VICE PRESIDENT OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT:
Julie Patel
Julie Patel Liss, a professor at Cal State Los Angeles, previously worked as an investigative reporter at the Center for Public Integrity and D.C.’s NPR affiliate. She also worked at the Sun Sentinel and the Mercury News and won over 14 journalism awards and honors, including a 2008 national Emmy Award.
“AAJA has long been a meaningful part of my life. To “give back” after receiving an AAJA scholarship, I joined the San Francisco and South Florida boards. But I was the one who benefited with great friends and memories. I’d love to help with the LA chapter’s internships and scholarships.”
BOARD MEMBER:
Josh Cain
Josh Cain has been a crime and public safety reporter for the Southern California News Group since 2018. He previously was an editor for the Pasadena Star News and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. He also worked as a digital editor for the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Business Journal.
“In my time at the Southern California News Group, I’ve mentored AAJA interns who helped us cover diverse communities in the San Gabriel Valley and beyond. As a general board member, I would like to continue helping expand opportunities for young journalists breaking into the industry who can provide much needed new voices for newsrooms.”
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD REPRESENTATIVE:
Henry Fuhrmann
Henry Fuhrmann is an editor and college instructor. He worked for the Los Angeles Times from 1990 to 2015, retiring as assistant managing editor for the copy desks and standards. He is a two-time past president of AAJA-LA and serves on the national board of ACES: The Society for Editing.
“I would be honored to serve you, our members, alongside the dedicated leaders of AAJA in Los Angeles and at the national level. I offer long experience in the organization and am excited about the potential to contribute as it plans for its 40th anniversary in 2021.”