Ann-Nora Hirami teaches sociology and U.S. history at Plymouth High School and was selected to be a summer scholar by the National Endowment for the Humanities. She attended a Landmarks of American History & Culture conference, titled “From Immigrants to Citizens: Asian-Pacific Americans in the Pacific Northwest,” at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Washington.
Stephanie Anton, President of Luxury Portfolio International, was selected for Forbes Real Estate Council, an invitation-only community for executives in the real estate industry. Anton was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of her experience, her track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, and her personal and professional achievements and honors. LPI is the luxury marketing division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the largest global network of premier locally branded firms dominated by many of the world’s most powerful, independent luxury brands.
Kris Vera-Phillips was elected Vice President of Journalism Programs for the Asian American Journalists Association. She previously served as an advisory board member, representing the San Diego Chapter. During her term, Kris will help lead AAJA’s professional training and programs aimed at helping Asian American and Pacific Islander journalists advance as news managers and media executives. She will also help support and raise up AAPI students who aspire to be the next generation of journalists.
Dani Carlson, director of communications and digital strategy for The Center for Community Solutions, a Cleveland-based nonprofit think tank, launched a health and human services journalism grant for reporters in Northeast Ohio. Five journalists received grant funding, and the first piece funded by the grant was published in one of the final editions of daily Ohio newspaper The Youngstown Vindicator. Before joining the nonprofit, Carlson spent 12 years as a television reporter in markets across the country.
Katherine LaGrave joined AFAR magazine as Digital Features Editor in October. She has previously worked as a Senior Digital Editor at Condé Nast Traveler and a Digital Producer at Vanity Fair.
Lorraine Lee joined Prezi in October as its first managing editor, building out a strategy that uses inspiring and relevant content to attract and engage Prezi users. She joined Prezi after 6 years at LinkedIn. Outside of work, she was invited to be an on-court announcer for a professional men’s tennis tournament, which showcased tennis stars like Sam Querrey and Stevie Johnson and saw hundreds of fans in attendance.
Brittany Marshall won a 2018 Capital Emmy Award for her work as producer for WUSA9 TV in Washington D.C. She received an Emmy for best weekend newscast. Brittany now serves as director of media relations for the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration.
Rod Hicks spent the first half of 2019 conducting a media trust project with 36 residents in Casper, Wyoming, that included discussions about their skepticism of news reporting, presentations about issues such as news bias, and interactions with local and national journalists.
Hicks, Journalist on Call for the Society of Professional Journalists, listened to their grievances with the hope of identifying ways news organizations might address them. He also wanted to expose participants to journalists who could talk about the processes they go through to verify details they report.
Hicks summarized the project and its findings in a video and report released in September. No one changed their view of the press or their news consumption habits after going through the sessions; however, Hicks sees the exercise as a worthwhile undertaking. The project provided a more nuanced understanding of the dissatisfaction some people have with the press, he said.
“For me, one of the big takeaways is that conservatives do not see themselves reflected in mainstream news coverage,” Hicks said.
His recommendations to news outlets include getting input from the public on stories to pursue, explaining how their news operation works, and scouring stories before publication or broadcast for words or phrases that could be considered biased.
Kris Goodfellow is the state Democratic Party-endorsed candidate for California State Senate, District 23.
Goodfellow was a graphics editor at The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune before running the graphics department at the Associated Press. She left journalism to pursue a career in technology and is currently the chief operating officer and co-owner of Voyager Search, a software company based in Redlands, Calif. For almost two decades, Goodfellow has been active in the community, located between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, but this is her first run for office.
“I got involved in the Hillary campaign in 2015, and when Donald Trump won, it took me a minute to pick myself up off the floor,” Goodfellow said. “But when I did, I decided that I needed to do more. That led me to realize that we need better representation at every level of government — and not only in the blue districts, but the purple and red ones, too.”
Goodfellow has been endorsed not only by the California Democratic Party, but also the California Teachers Association, Planned Parenthood, California League of Conservation Voters, a variety of unions and politicians at the local, state and national level. She has outraised her competitors on both sides of the aisle, shocking the political establishment in this traditionally red district of close to 1 million people.
The California primary is on March 3rd and there are a total of five candidates — three Republicans and two Democrats running. Goodfellow must be one of the top two vote getters to advance in California’s “jungle” primary system. If she wins the election, Goodfellow would be the first woman and the first Democrat to hold this seat in what has been a historically Republican district.
Heidi M. Barker is the new vice president of corporate communications in the ethics and compliance department for Carnival Corporation.
Based at the company’s headquarters in Miami, Barker will report to Carnival Corporation Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Peter Anderson, starting in March.
Barker joins the companywide ethics and compliance team led by Anderson, which was formed last year to help ensure a culture of compliance, learning and integrity inside Carnival Corporation and across its nine global cruise line brands, according to a press release.
The program’s goals are to meet or exceed all legal and statutory requirements, as well as to promote the highest ethical principles, the company said.
In this newly created position, Barker will lead all ethics and compliance communications for Carnival Corporation, including the key focus areas of health, environment, safety, security, culture and training, among others. As part of this role, she will coordinate compliance-related communications across the organization, working closely with Roger Frizzell, the corporation’s chief communications officer, and the compliance and communications teams within the company’s nine cruise brands.
Additionally, Barker will oversee communications for Operation Oceans Alive, Carnival Corporation’s environmental commitment and stewardship program, officially launched in 2018. Designed to promote a culture of transparency, learning and commitment within the corporation, Operation Oceans Alive ensures that all employees receive environmental education, training and oversight, while continuing the company’s commitment to protecting the oceans, seas and destinations in which it operates.