SoCal JEA Elects 2026-28 Board of Directors

The Southern California Journalism Education Association elected its 2026-28 Board of Directors, inducting a new leadership team to support student media advisers and expand competitive and educational opportunities for students.
The newly elected board will guide the organization over the next two years as it continues its mission of promoting excellence in scholastic journalism, mentorship for advisers and imparting cutting-edge skills to students residing from the Central Coast to the Inland Empire to San Diego County.

2026-28 Southern California Journalism Education Association Board of Directors

• Daniel Langhorne, President
• Will Nelson, Vice President
• Adriana Chavira, Treasurer
• Joanne Liskin Cloutier, Central Coast Representative
• So Hee Tan, East LA Representative
• Courtney Harper, Orange County Representative
• Jen Bladen, North Los Angeles Representative
• Jessica Young, San Diego Representative
• Gary Metzker, College Liaison 

"The future of scholastic journalism in Southern California is exceptionally bright because of the passion, creativity and dedication of our educators and student journalists," SoCal JEA President Daniel Langhorne said. “Journalists of all stripes are enduring unprecedented challenges to freely exercise their First Amendment rights. We are committed to advising students on how to exquisitely navigate these hazards.”

The board will focus on supporting journalism advisers through professional development including Wake Up Call and the California Adviser Teach-In through its partnership with JEANC and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Excellence in scholastic journalism is recognized through regional write-offs and the annual State Student Media Contests. 

The organization promotes ethical journalism and empowers the next generation of storytellers and media leaders.
Looking ahead, the Spring 2027 National High School Journalism Convention will pull into Downtown Los Angeles. The LA 27 Local Committee co-chaired by Mitch Ziegler and Adriana Chavira has held an initial meeting but still needs volunteers to make sure 5,000 student journalists, advisers and chaperones from across the nation have an enjoyable convention. Sign up here!

The newly elected directors will begin their two-year terms immediately and look forward to working with educators, students and industry partners to continue advancing journalism education throughout Southern California.

SoCal JEA thanks departed Treasurer and Past President Gaby Doyle, Vice President Veronica Grammier, North Los Angeles Representative Ronald Goins and Orange County Representative Tommy Li for their years of dedicated service.

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