For making significant contributions to scholastic journalism, Jim Anderson, Kate Manfull, Millie Stuessy and Mary Titus will be recognized during the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention as 2025 Friends of Scholastic Journalism.
Jim Anderson
Jim Anderson is a sales representative with Jostens after working for Taylor / Balfour Publishing since 1974.
When Texas adviser Bradley Wilson, MJE, was on his high school yearbook staff, Anderson was the yearbook representative who taught him how to create a good yearbook. When Wilson attended the University of Texas at Austin, Anderson was the rep there too. And when Wilson got his first job as a high school adviser, Anderson became his first yearbook rep.
“He was there whenever I needed him, whether it was to help train students or submit pages,” Wilson said. “He was there when I needed to vent or to bounce an idea off of. He was there for me, and he was there when my students needed him.”
Texas Association of Journalism Educators Executive Director Cindy Todd said Anderson has been a “fixture in Texas scholastic journalism” for as long as she can remember.
“I listened with envy to ‘his’ advisers talk about his presence in their lives,” Todd said. “From helping out with personal matters to picking up and shipping their pages at deadline time, his contributions have always extended far beyond his duties as a yearbook sales rep.”
He supported Texas advisers, with the help of his family, by hosting a luncheon for teachers at the Interscholastic League Press Conference Spring Convention each year.
“While I was never their customer, they welcomed me with open arms and a generous helping of Jim’s wife’s legendary chicken salad,” Todd said. “The impact of Jim Anderson — and his family — on Texas scholastic journalism will last for many, many years.”
Kate Manfull
Kate Manfull is the owner and CEO of Fierce Creative, a boutique agency in St. Charles, Missouri. In addition, she has been a strong advocate of scholastic journalism for more than two decades, offering assistance in journalism classrooms throughout the country through visits and as Media Now co-director.
Missouri adviser Debra Klevens, CJE, invited Manfull into her classroom to show students how the skills they were learning were transferable to the real world. Her energy captivated the students and lit a spark in them.
“Kate is not only an advocate for student journalists but also a visionary whose work has reshaped the way scholastic journalism programs connect, grow and thrive,” Klevens said. “Her support is not performative; it is hands-on, deeply rooted and ever-evolving. She invests her time, creativity and heart in making journalism education vibrant, relevant and inclusive.”
Indiana adviser Jim Streisel, MJE, first worked with Manfull during the Media Now Summer Workshops. Then again, this time in his role as JEA curriculum specialist, in 2024 as her team at Fierce Creative led JEA’s website redesign.
“Kate is one of the most positive people I’ve had the pleasure to meet,” Streisel said. “Each time I’ve interacted with Kate over the years, I’m struck by her curiosity, laughter and genuine interest in my life. These are hallmarks of her personality. She’s so personable and genuine, and I’m fully convinced it’s those qualities, in addition to her undeniable skills, that make her such a great asset to the journalism community.”
Millie Stuessy
Retired Texas adviser Lori Oglesbee-Petter was the first recipient of Millie Stuessy’s generous spirit when she taught Stuessy’s daughter, Nicole.
Stuessy was a dedicated publication parent, donating snacks and treats to the program and offering her homemade bags and quilts as door prizes for the various conventions.
“For our teachers, Millie bags are more than just a fun new accessory — they represent
parental and community support,” Texas Association of Journalism Educators Executive Director Cindy Todd said. “Every time Millie’s name is mentioned, teachers feel buoyed by that support, which is sometimes grossly inadequate in their own schools and communities.”
Stuessy is still doing everything she can to support high school journalism, despite no longer having any of her own children involved. For the last two years, Stuessy has co-chaired the auction at the Gloria Shields NSPA Media Workshop, which serves as the week’s reward for the journalism students who attend.
“Sit and talk to Millie and she’ll rave about how much her daughter’s high school journalism teachers mean to her and her family. But her daughter graduated from high school in 2017,” Kansas adviser Dow Tate said. “In 38 years of teaching and 27 years as the Gloria Shields workshop director, I can name only one parent I know who continued such support of high school journalism way beyond their own child’s participation.”
Oglesbee-Petter describes Stuessy as “relentless” in her efforts to support journalism advisers. “She wants every teacher to feel loved and appreciated because she too was once a high school English teacher.”
Mary Titus
Mary Titus has worked as a yearbook representative for Varsity Yearbook for 40 years, a role she entered after working as an adviser.
Megan Kearney-Sebold, CJE, has worked with Titus as a representative for 20 years, but she first met her as a middle school student on a yearbook staff with Titus as their rep.
“She cared so much about our little program and encouraged us to continue on into high school,” Kearney-Sebold said. “I was fortunate to join a high school staff that was highly competitive within the CSPA and NSPA world, and Mary encouraged and pushed us at every turn. Many of my peers went on to return to the yearbook classroom as advisers, head into the fields of graphic design and marketing, or become journalists, but I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”
Arizona advisers Margie DiCesare, Trish Ladue and Micki Remos co-wrote a letter of recommendation for Titus. They praised her curriculum materials, calling her a “national resource.” They also valued how she operated as a co-teacher, making every staff think she belonged to them. But she was so much more than that.
“Mary not only gave of herself, she gave us each other,” they wrote. “She built a community of advisers who shared and supported one another. She recognized the value of gathering advisers at workshops, conventions and informal get-togethers. This effort on her part created an atmosphere of pride, camaraderie and mutual respect. Not only do they have Mary, but they also have one another.”
Louisa Avery, MJE, JEA Awards Committee chair