AAJA-LA elections underway

President

Samantha Masunaga is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times who covers the business of the Hollywood movie studios. She also writes The Wide Shot newsletter, which focuses on the entertainment industry. She has worked at the L.A. Times since 2014. Samantha has been involved with AAJA since she won a scholarship from AAJA-LA as a UCLA student. She was part of the AAJA-SF chapter while at grad school at UC Berkeley before rejoining the LA chapter in 2014. She has served on the board since 2017 in a variety of roles, including treasurer, National board advisory representative, advisory board member and president.

Statement:

As a longtime board member and current president of AAJA-LA, I know it’s critical to support our members during this difficult time in the industry. I want to continue the work I’ve done this past year to prepare the chapter for the years ahead, foster camaraderie among our board members and larger membership base and strengthen the pipeline for journalists coming behind us. If elected president for 2026, I will continue to support innovative programming, foster more connections among our group and build upon the foundation of collegiality that has been the LA chapter’s hallmark for the last 44 years.

Senior VP of Programming

Sandhya Kambhampati is a data and graphics reporter on the Los Angeles Times Data Desk, where she specializes in statistical analysis and demographic data. She previously worked at the Chronicle of Higher Education, Correctiv and ProPublica Illinois. Her co-reported work on the widespread inaccuracies in Cook County’s property tax assessment system was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for local reporting in 2018.

She trains journalists regularly in understanding the Census, statistics, freedom of information laws and data analysis. She is a 2008 AAJA J-Camp Alum and has been a general board member of the AAJA-LA chapter for the last two years.

Statement:

I’m running for Senior VP of Programming, as I’ve been involved with the AAJA-LA chapter for 2 years and am proud of the programming we’ve done. I’d like to continue pushing our chapter to engage with our community in different ways and think about ways we can do better journalism. From helping out with the convention grants, decorating and running AV at our annual Trivia Bowl, I’ve done the behind the scenes work to organize and put on our events. As a general board member, I’ve also spearheaded health equity panels for the next year and am looking forward to planning more events to help the next generation of journalists.

Senior VP of Programming

Benjamin Pu is a producer at NBC News, where he produces educational video packages, live streams, panels and internal and external conference training for the national news group. He previously worked as a national political reporter for NBC News and in a variety of production roles at MSNBC. He has previously served on the National Governing Board of AAJA and the board of AAJA-NY and has successfully fundraised tens of thousands of dollars throughout his over a decade of involvement with AAJA.

Statement:

I want to bring a new level of programmatic experiences to AAJA’s second-largest chapter – more networking events, more training, more collaboration with other Asian American organizations. Closer collaboration with other nonprofits and industry groups will allow our members to deepen their connection with journalism, as well as gain more connections to our greater Los Angeles community.

VP of Career Development

Maneeza Iqbal is the senior analyst for digital content at ABC7 Los Angeles. She has worked more than a decade in online production and audience engagement. Previously, Maneeza worked at the Los Angeles Times and at KCRA and KXTV in Sacramento. She was born and raised in the Midwest and now calls California her home.

Statement:

Maneeza Iqbal is running for VP of Career Development for a third term. During her first two years, Maneeza raised the hourly rate for AAJA-LA funded internships. They went from $15 per hour to $20 per hour to now $22 per hour. During her third term, Maneeza aims to grow the number of newsrooms AAJA-LA partners for internships. She also aims to increase the hourly rate again. Maneeza’s passion for creating a fair and equitable workplace drives her love of this position. Her personal understanding that early career journalists need a mentor is her north star.

VP of Community Engagement

Sona Patel is the program director and an investigations editor for the Local Investigations Fellowship at The New York Times. She started her career as a beat reporter for The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune where she covered one of the largest municipal bankruptcies in state history.

From there, she pivoted to audience work and was the first Social Media Editor for The Seattle Times where she was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2010. She joined the Audience team at The New York Times in 2012 and now oversees a fellowship that aims to develop the next generation of investigative reporters across the country. She teaches part-time at Cal State Long Beach and graduated from UC Irvine.

Statement:

I am running for VP of Community Engagement for the Los Angeles chapter. As a chapter board member, I’ve spearheaded events to bring together local chapter members as well as chapters around the state. For example, I organized a panel at the 2024 IRE conference that highlighted investigative collaborations between national and local media. At the 2025 AAJA convention, I worked with the Sacramento, San Francisco, and (newly restarted) San Diego chapters to host a mixer.

In my role as program director for the fellowship, I build partnerships with local newsrooms and travel around the country to understand the needs of local journalists. I’m ready to apply those learnings to serve the needs of our members. AAJA played an outsized role in my career growth and development, and my goal as VP of community engagement would be to strengthen the ways in which we can help journalists succeed.

Secretary (2-year term)

Hanna Kang is a reporter for the LA Local, where she covers Koreatown, Pico Union, and Westlake. She previously reported on city government for the Orange County Register, also covering the 2024 presidential election. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.

Statement:

I’m running for AAJA-LA Board because I care deeply about supporting the next generation of reporters. If elected, I’d bring a collaborative spirit and a commitment to mentoring young journalists. I believe the AAJA-LA plays a critical role in building community among reporters, celebrating our work and advocating for the values that sustain a free press, and I’d be honored to help carry that mission forward.

National Board Advisory Representative (2-year terms)

Anh Do, Los Angeles Times deputy editor for culture and talent, helps manage the internship and fellowship programs, along with staff training. Before this job, she worked as community engagement editor and as Metro reporter at the paper, focusing on Asian American issues and general assignments for 11 years. Do is part of the Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the San Bernardino terrorist attacks in 2016, and she has reported for the Seattle Times, the Orange County Register and Nguoi Viet Daily News, the largest Vietnamese publication in the U.S.

Statement:

I value interaction between local and national levels of our treasured Asian American Journalists Association and I welcome continuing to represent you – our members in Los Angeles and across Southern California – as we partner with national staff to boost understanding and solution-building to elevate our group.

As we work in a transformative time for our industry, I intend to vigorously seek to link talented people to coaching, mentorship, a pipeline for jobs, professional development and to creating community.

National Board Advisory Representative (2-year terms)

Pam Chen is vice president/news director of ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles. Pam is the first Asian American to lead a news department at a network-owned local station in LA. She began her career at KABC as a morning producer and has also served as executive producer and assistant news director. Since joining KABC, her leadership and direction have helped lead the newsroom to multiple regional Edward R. Murrow, Emmy, and Golden Mike awards covering some of the biggest news events affecting Southern California. She holds a master’s degree from USC’s Marshall Business School and a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego. She also serves on the board of LA’s Chinese American Museum.

Statement:

I’ve been proud and grateful to serve as a representative for the National Advisory Board for AAJA-LA. The Board’s passion and dedication to building community and opportunity for local journalists is unmatched and I am committed to doing what I can to support that cause. From the annual convention to Trivia Bowl and student mentorship, I’d be grateful to continue working with these amazing leaders to represent and support this amazing chapter.

General Board Member (3 positions available)

Rubaina Azhar

I’m a multiplatform editing lead (a copy editor who regularly slots) at the L.A. Times, where I have somehow managed to stay employed for 27 years. I have volunteered with AAJA over my career, including serving as a board member with the New England chapter when I was a reporter at the Hartford Courant, and working as a professional staffer with the annual convention’s Voices publication. I worked with the AAJA-LA board to create the Henry Fuhrmann copy editing internship at the L.A. Times, have copy edited and written blurbs for the Trivia Bowl program and other chapter materials, and have helped organize The Times’ Trivia Bowl teams for several years running — including a few that won the coveted Rice Cup.

Statement:

Journalism is a field that relies on mentors. I have been lucky to have some great role models in my life, including former AAJA-LA chapter presidents Henry Fuhrmann and Teresa Watanabe. I have worked with young journalists at The Times through our internship and fellowship programs and would consider it a gift to help sustain and advocate for diversity in newsrooms as a member of the AAJA-LA board.

General Board Member (3 positions available)

Karena Phan is an audience engagement editor at The Associated Press. In addition to managing the AP’s homepage and social media accounts, she has developed audience and promotion strategies for the AP’s election coverage and investigations. Previously, she worked as a news verification reporter at the AP, covering online misinformation, producing fact-checks and vetting user-generated videos.

Statement:

I’m running for the general board position because I want to continue ensuring that members have the support they need to succeed. I’ve mentored journalists as a VOICES editor and, most recently, was part of the ELP cohort. Both experiences have shown me how essential it is to create spaces where members feel seen, supported, and celebrated. I hope to continue strengthening the LA chapter and highlight the incredible work of our members.

General Board Member (3 positions available)

Mallory Carra is an award-winning journalist, editor, producer, and professor based in Los Angeles with over 20 years of professional experience across digital, audio, and print. She is a part-time professor, teaching video, audio, and digital journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and mentors high school journalism students in the Koreatown Storytelling Program in partnership with The LA Local. Outside of teaching, Mallory is a journalist and senior podcast producer who contributed articles to NBCU Academy, The Spruce, E! News, the New York Daily News, and the Columbia Journalism Review, among many others; and worked on hit podcasts for Spotify and USC Annenberg.

Statement:

I’ve been a member of AAJA since 2005 — twenty years — and I’ve found that during these unprecedented and challenging times for journalism, my passion for helping and giving back to this organization has only grown. I’ve moderated panels at the national convention twice, I co-ran the VOICES fellowship program in 2024 and I graduated from ELP in 2023. Now, I want to help make my local LA chapter stronger than ever.

General Board Member (3 positions available)

Dr. Taehyun Kim is an Associate Professor of Journalism at California State University, Northridge, where he teaches news reporting, environmental justice, and the role of ethnic media—particularly Radio Korea—during the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest (SAIGU). Outside academia, he contributes op-ed pieces to Sisa Journal and JoongAng Ilbo and appears on Radio Korea as a guest commentator. Before joining CSUN in 2008, he taught journalism in Louisiana and wrote for newspapers in Ohio. He has served on the executive board of the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership since 2012.

Statement:

As the faculty advisor for the CSUN chapter of AAJA, I’ve seen firsthand how this organization empowers young journalists and helps them grow through numerous scholarships and fellowships such as AAJA Voices. I often turn to AAJA-LA when my students seek guidance on Asian American issues or need guests for career development panels.

I’m running for the board to give back to an organization that has made a meaningful difference in my students’ lives and to help more young journalists across the region can benefit from AAJA-LA. CSUN has been one of the longest-participating college teams at the Trivia Bowl, and I’ve been proud to volunteer for many years in any capacity—whether it’s emptying trash bins or serving as a game monitor.

I am willing and ready to serve.

General Board Member (3 positions available)

 Adrienne Luis

From the control rooms of ABC and CNN to the field with Court TV, and now to the studios of ESPN, my path has always centered on story construction and production. Currently at ESPN I produce the College GameDay podcast and recently launched Facts vs Feelings, a fantasy football-meets-group therapy show.

Statement:

I am running for an AAJA-LA board member position because I want to produce events that simultaneously share industry knowledge and strengthen the LA community of journalists. My goal is to help connect journalists at every stage of their careers (early, mid, and beyond) so they can rely on each other through times of industry instability, career pivots and beyond.