Bobby Caina Calvan (AAJA-San Francisco Bay Area) returns to Northern California as he begins his new role as collaborations editor with Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Bobby will be leading a national project to build local investigative news collaborations across the United States. He was most recently the director of operations for the Fund for Investigative Journalism. During his long career, Bobby worked for news outlets big and small, from The Gilroy Dispatch and The Redding Record-Searchlight to The Boston Globe and the Associated Press. He is a former chair of AAJA’s MediaWatch Committee and is a strong advocate for mentoring the next generation of journalists. Follow Bobby on Twitter at @BobbyCalvan.
Heidi Chang (AAJA-Hawaii) received a first-place award in radio feature reporting from the Hawaii chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for her Voice of America (VOA) story on the late artist Tyrus Wong. Heidi is a multimedia journalist who has produced audio, video and digital media stories about Hawaii and the Pacific Rim for many years. In addition to VOA, her work has aired on many networks including NPR, PBS, ABC, the Associated Press and CBC. Two of her NPR stories have also won national awards from AAJA. She has contributed to The Los Angeles Times, NBC Asian America and other outlets. A longtime member of AAJA, Heidi has also worked as a volunteer on several oral history projects and in the community over the years and has helped mentor young journalists. Follow Heidi on Twitter @HeidiKLChang.
Weijia Jiang (AAJA-Washington, D.C.) was recently named a White House correspondent for CBS News. She first joined CBS News in 2015 as a correspondent for Newspath, the Network’s 24-hour television newsgathering service for CBS stations and broadcasters around the world. Before joining CBS News, Weijia was a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor at WCBS-TV in New York. In 2013, she was part of the team that won a regional Emmy award for coverage of Superstorm Sandy. Previously, Weijia worked at WJZ-TV in Baltimore and WBOC-TV in Salisbury, MD where she was honored with an Edward R. Murrow Award and an Associated Press Award for feature reporting. Born in Xiamen, China and raised in West Virginia, she graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and from Syracuse University in 2006 with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In 2012, she was inducted into Syracuse’s prestigious Professional Gallery at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Follow Weijia on Twitter at @weijia.
Susan Oh (AAJA-New York) is now Chair of AI, Blockchain For Impact at the United Nations General Assembly, a working committee and the only blockchain initiative under the United Nations General Assembly which launched in early June. She is also the founder and CEO of MKR AI. Prior to working in tech startups, she was a business journalist for 25 years with Newsweek, CNBC and the Economist Intelligence Unit. Follow Susan on Twitter at @UhOhSusan.
Kathy Park (AAJA-Sacramento) will be joining NBC News as a national correspondent. She previously worked as a general assignment reporter since the summer of 2014 at KCRA 3, the NBC affiliate Sacramento. In Sacramento, Kathy reported on everything from wildfires, riots in response to the shooting of Stephon Clark to the 2018 Primary Election in California. Prior to joining KCRA 3, she was an anchor and reporter in Washington, D.C. covering major events including both of President Barack Obama’s inaugurations, the Navy Yard shooting, and the blizzard of 2010 and earned an Emmy nomination along the way. Kathy started her career in Northeast Tennessee at WCYB/Fox Tri-Cities and graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in journalism. Follow Kathy on Twitter at @KathyParkTV.
Samira Sadeque (AAJA-New York) was selected as one of the participants for the New York Foundation for the Arts Immigrant Artists Program. The highly selective program pairs immigrant artists from all disciplines with artist mentors who provide their mentees with one-on-one support. It is the only known program of its kind in the United States and has provided close to 200 NYC-based immigrants with mentorship, community and exposure for their work since it was founded in 2007. As part of this program, Samira will work with poet and journalist Marwa Helal for four months to explore her journey in poetry, studying the intersection of poetry and journalism and working to further this agenda in her career. Follow Samira on Twitter at @Samideque.
Yoshita Singh (AAJA-New York) was recently promoted to chief correspondent for the Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s largest newswire. Yoshita is based in New York and covers the United Nations and New York area for PTI. A journalist for 14 years, including nine years as a foreign correspondent, Yoshita’s expertise ranges from India-US relations, global policy, international trade and United Nations affairs. She is also the author of Shrilal Shukla’s Raag Darbari – Satire in Indian Literature, a critical analysis of the use and growth of the satirical genre in India. Follow Yoshita on Twitter at @Yoshita_Singh.
Leezel Tanglao (AAJA-New York) is a multi-media journalist at the intersection of editorial, product and business development. She was recently selected as the 2018 Next Step Fellow for Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS). The fellowship is awarded to veteran journalists looking to shift gears and explore new opportunities in the rapidly changing new media landscape. She recently worked at CNNMoney as the Assistant Managing Editor of Programming. Prior to CNNMoney, Leezel worked at CBSNews.com, VICE News, NowThis, ABCNews.com, KCBS/KCAL and The Press-Enterprise. She is currently consulting with media companies through her company StatFury. Follow Leezel on Twitter at @leezeltanglao.
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