
By Sarah Nichols, MJE, JEA president

Alicia Merrifield, CJE, will serve as JEA Mentoring Program Chair beginning Feb. 1, 2023. Appointed by JEA President Sarah Nichols, MJE, she replaces Jane Blystone, MJE, who is stepping down early due to upcoming major bone reconstruction surgery and the recovery time needed.
“When I came to advising, I had zero background in journalism. If it weren’t for the mentors I had met along the way, I am not sure I would have been able to grow our program from the yearbook club of 10 to the ever-growing full program we now have,” Merrifield said. “Finding the JEA Mentoring Program has allowed me to give back to other advisers who might be in situations similar to where I was a dozen or so years ago.”
Merrifield has been preparing for the opportunity already. She has served as a JEA mentor since 2021 and is a member of the Mentoring Committee outside of her role teaching and advising Viking Media since 2011 at The Village School in Houston.

“For years I have been impressed with Alicia’s positive energy and work ethic as an educator. I’ve witnessed her growth in journalism education while building her own student media program. She truly exemplifies what it means to be a lifelong learner,” Nichols said. “At the same time, she models a collaborative, generous spirit in the scholastic journalism community by sharing her own resources and ideas. Her organizational skills, attention to detail and desire to nurture advisers in a supportive cohort make her a perfect fit for this role.”
During the past six months, Merrifield has worked with the other committee members to coordinate various aspects of the program, which includes 74 mentors and 194 mentees. She will serve the remainder of Blystone’s term, which ends April 30, 2023.
Blystone said, “As a classroom teacher and mentor, Alicia has developed a vision for supporting new teachers and the role JEA can play across the country in training nationally certified journalism educators who guide and support new teachers who need to build or expand on established student media outlets. She brings years of leadership and journalism education experience to the position of chair of the JEA Mentoring Program.”
Lindsay Porter