Regional Directors

REGION 1 / NORTHWEST
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming

Steve Matson, MJE
Charles Wright Academy, Tacoma, Wash.
smatson@wamail.net

Steve Matson, MJE , advises news magazine and yearbook at Charles Wright Academy (Wash.). He is the recipient of JEA’s Medal of Merit, NSPA’s Pioneer Award, and WJEA’s Adviser of the Year Award. He has written an award-winning staff manual and a member handbook for WJEA. Matson speaks regularly at national conventions about reporting, press law and ethics, staff management, newspaper design, computer technology, and adviser issues. The Academy Times newsmagazine has won several Pacemakers and Gold Crowns, and Best of Show awards.

Statement of Goals:
Advisers in Region 1 face increasing pressure from school officials that want to restrict the content of student publications to suit their personal notion of appropriateness or what is a suitable public image for a school. In some schools, student publication budgets are shrinking; in other schools publications are losing staff members to the squeeze caused by other school requirements. In JEA we need to protect the rights of students to do responsible, professional journalism, to protect journalism’s place in the curriculum, and to provide journalism educators with the resources they need to become excellent teachers. I hope to continue working for this as regional director for the Northwest Region and to serve the larger association on the JEA Board.

REGION 2 / SOUTHWEST
Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah

Kathlyne Gaber
Montrose High School, Montrose, Colo
kgaber@mcsd.k12.co.us

Kathlyne Gaber has been teaching journalism for 18 years. She currently teaches advanced print and broadcast journalism, graphic design, and photography. She advises the school newspaper, the school broadcast, the literary art magazine, and the school print shop. Under Gaber’s direction, her high school has expanded the journalism program from one section of low enrollment to five sections of beginning journalism and four sections of advanced journalism. She also developed the curriculum for the new photography, graphic design, and broadcast classes. The publications Gaber advises has won both state and national awards, and she is the former Colorado High School Press Association Teacher of the Year. She has taught seminars at the Technology in Education State Conference, Colorado’s new advisors’ workshop, and at the Colorado High School Press Association’s annual state conference. The publications she advises are members of the Colorado High School Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association, and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Three years ago, Kathlyne developed the broadcast strand for the Colorado High School Press Association. Her responsibilities included recruiting membership, organizing the broadcast strand of the state conference, and running the state broadcast contest.

Statement of Goals:
If I am elected to serve as the southwest regional director, I will do my best to represent the JEA members of Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. My two main goals are to increase membership in these states and to offer support to the current state directors and members. Because I have a diverse background in many areas of journalism, I would like to help others grow in the areas of design, photography, print journalism and broadcast journalism. Teaching journalism is my passion, and it will be an honor to serve such an outstanding organization. Thank you for considering me as a candidate for southwest regional director. If I am elected, I promise I will earn this title and represent the JEA organization well.

Albert Martinez
Rio Grande High School, Albuquerque, N.M.
hiendaso@aol.com

Albert Martinez is currently teaching at Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, N.M. He spent seven years at Belen Middle School bursting onto the journalism scene with an awarding winning middle school program. Now entering his fifth year as a high school journalism teacher, he is trying to emulate another successful program at the next level. Albert is a former college gymnast at the University of New Mexico and collegiate photojournalist — both activities he still does today by way of coaching gymnastics full-time and shooting as a freelance photographer for the local newspapers. He has been involved with JEA since 1996.

Statement of Goals:
I joined JEA 10 years ago after the advice of another teacher in New Mexico who said it would really open my eyes to the world of scholastic journalism. She couldn’t have been more correct. The seed was planted, and it has grown ever since. I am now teaching high school art, newspaper, photography, and an Advanced Placement photography course. I have become more involved with JEA through the years. These past two years, I have served as the Southwest Director and prior to that I was an Ad Hoc member for JEA. I have loved my position in the sense that I truly feel I am helping those advisers and parents who contact me either by phone or via e-mail. I immediately respond to their needs and put them in touch with others who can help them resolve their inquiries. One goal of mine is to recruit new teachers to the journalism profession, as it seems we lose so many each year. Many of my former students are in college now, and I know I have inspired a few to become journalism teachers in the near future. I love my position with JEA and hope to continue serving it with pride.