Amy E. Serino opened Serino Law LLC, an employment law firm focusing on independent investigations of workplace complaints, such as claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other wrongful conduct. Serino is regularly engaged by leadership or counsel for businesses across the country to interview employees and make objective findings of fact regarding workplace complaints. Serino has been a practicing attorney for 23 years.
David Plazas leads The Tennessean’s Opinion and Engagement team, which won the Online News Association’s international award for Excellence in Newsletters Portfolio for the Black Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Plazas also curates the Latino TN Voices newsletter. According to the announcement on Sept. 23: “The judges were thrilled to see the winning organization launch newsletters to cover and engage with critical communities in the area.” This is part of an effort that began in 2020 to change the way The Tennessean covers communities of color from telling stories about them to telling stories for, with and by them. This has resulted in a substantial increase of guest opinion columns and podcast interviews as well as a closed Facebook group and live Storytellers events at noted venues, the National Museum of African American Music and Plaza Mariachi.
Craig Nakano was named the Los Angeles Times’ assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment. Previously he was deputy entertainment editor and, before that, arts editor. He lives in Long Beach, CA, with his husband, Todd Henneman (Medill ’93), and their son, Gus.
Patrick Harwood has published his fifth book, “Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston.” (BirdsEyeViews Publications). The book examines Charleston, S.C.’s rich, diverse and interesting history through the prism of its religious burial grounds. Harwood is a communication professor at South Carolina State University. For more information, visit mybirdseyeviews.blogspot.com
Roth will be leading the Ohio Newsroom, becoming the first managing editor to take the editorial reins for Ohio’s largest daily statewide news collaborative. The collaborative will act as a network of public radio newsrooms, covering news deserts in the state, telling stories that would not have been otherwise told, and connecting and contextualizing coverage statewide. Roth comes to the position from WFPL News in Louisville where she oversaw health, education, Southern Indiana and environmental coverage as News Editor. She previously worked as All Things Considered host for 89.7 NPR News in Columbus, OH.
SiriusXM announced the launch of a new daily news and information program. Veteran journalist and Medill alum Steve Scully will host ‘The Briefing with Steve Scully’ – weekdays from 12-2 p.m. ET on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. channel 124. On his new SiriusXM show, Scully – Senior Vice President at Washington, D.C.’s Bipartisan Policy Center – will take listeners inside the stories and conversations that are shaping the day in the nation’s capital.
In addition to his radio show, Scully will host regular events in collaboration with the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he currently serves as Senior Vice President. In his three-decade career at C-SPAN, Steve Scully served as C-SPAN’s political editor and a primary host. He also spent nine years on the White House Correspondents’ Association Board of Directors, including as president from 2006-07.
Matthew DeFour was named the 2020 Wisconsin Watchdog of the Year by Wisconsin Watch, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, the Wisconsin Newspapers Association, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The award was in recognition of his in-depth investigative and watchdog enterprise reporting that prompted change at all levels of government, The award ceremony was delayed two years due to COVID.
After 17 years of practicing law, Kataryna Lyson DeLisle has joined Radio Free Asia (RFA) as it General Counsel. At RFA, DeLisle will manage overall legal affairs relating to the company’s governance, employment, global operations, and contracts, in addition to serving as Secretary to RFA’s Board of Directors.
Matt was recently named Chief Marketing Officer of Florida Citrus Sports. The Orlando-based nonprofit is best known for organizing college football’s annual Vrbo Citrus Bowl, which the Wildcat football team won at the end of the 2020 season.
If you’re covering this year’s mid-term congressional elections, it might be worth a look at the spring Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. Charles Pekow compiled advice from a variety of knowlegeable veterans, including Medill Professor Larry Stuelpnagel and alum Susan Page, among others. To find the sidebar on fact checking, you need to download the whole issue.