Board Members
Stephen Truog – President & Contest Coordinator
Stephen J. Truog moved to Arizona in 2005 to begin a career in teaching after a decade working in the media. He graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and worked as a copy editor, page designer, arts editor and movie critic at papers in the midwest. Since 2005, he has been teaching AP Government and other social studies courses as well as digital media and journalism courses and serving as newspaper/yearbook advisor at Buckeye Union High School and Copper Canyon High School.
Christine Brandell – Past President
Christine Brandell-Melendez is in her twenty-fourth year of teaching. Brandell-Melendez advised the El Demonio yearbook and Demon Chronicle newspaper at Dysart High School and then was recruited to Highland High School in Gilbert to advise the Talon yearbook. She has been the recipient of both the Freeman Hover and Forest Martin awards from AIPA. After having her son, Brandell-Melendez decided to teach closer to home to spend more time with her family. Currently, Brandell-Melendez is teaching AP Economics and Economics and Paradise Valley High School.
In addition she is active with the Journalism Education Association as the Arizona State Director.
Sydney Cox – Vice President
Deanne Hutchison – Web Administrator and Fall Convention Coordinator
Deanne Hutchison worked for over 25 years with two publications at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix where she also served as a technology mentor for several years. She advised Viking Views, the school newspaper, and the school yearbook, Valhalla. Both the yearbook and the newspaper have won numerous local and national awards during these years.
Hutchison remains an active member of AIPA and JEA as she has for 25 years. She has been the contest coordinator, website manager and an area coordinator for AIPA, taught sessions for local AIPA conventions as well as JEA national conventions.
Amy Morris – Treasurer
Amy is a recovered English teacher turned graphic design teacher. She advised yearbooks for 21 years. Like so many, she was asked to take on yearbook with little background as a second year teacher. She counts it one of the best things that ever happened to her. Amy started her career at Conifer High School in Colorado after spending ten years in industry. She moved to Arizona the summer of 2008 and now teaches at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise.
Amy’s passion for working with students to help them become responsible, engaged, civic-minded citizens of their communities began with growing as a journalism adviser and has led to her involvement with Arizona Interscholastic Press Association, where she serves as treasurer and previously served as summer workshop coordinator. She is also active in SkillsUSA, where she is the AZ Region 5 Coordinator, a position she has held for eight years. Her responsibilities include organizing the region’s championship competition with more than 30 competitions and over 1000 student competitors. On the local level, Amy is the lead advisor for her school’s SkillsUSA chapter.
She holds a B.A. in Theatre with an emphasis in costuming from University of Colorado, Boulder, and has completed Masters classes Liberal Studies focused on literacy at University of Denver.
Amy believes passionately in the potential of all students and has been accused by her own students of tricking them into being successful.
Ashley Fivecoat – Secretary
While attending Moon Valley, Fivecoat was a part of the newspaper all four years, leading the paper as its editor-in-chief during that time. After high school, she attended ASU and received her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in English. Fivecoat currently teaches English and advises the school newspaper at Moon Valley High School. She also coaches girls basketball and track. Fivecoat has had a passion for journalism since high school, but never imagined she would take over the program she loved. Outside of teaching, Fivecoat loves to spend time with her family and friends, watch sports, read, and travel. She plans to begin her Master’s program soon, in hopes of one day becoming a high school administrator.
Marianne Webb-Kim – In-service Coordinator
Marianne Kim found her passion for education after pursuing two different career paths: cosmetology and business banking. Although both of those careers were successful, Kim found no real sense of fulfillment in them. In 2011 Kim began a Masters of the Art of Teaching program with the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Upon completion of the program she obtained an English teaching position at Marcos de Niza High school and abruptly moved from Salt Lake City, Utah to Tempe, Arizona. Throughout her time at Marcos de Niza she was able to teach various levels of English including the dual enrollment courses Honors Junior English and Advanced Composition. During the five years that Kim taught Advanced Composition she gained a love of teaching writing which eventually pushed her towards teaching Journalism. In 2019 Kim found her way to Desert Vista High School to teach Media and Publication and become the Storm Yearbook adviser as well as the View Newspaper adviser. Throughout the past two years teaching Media and Publication Kim has found a passion that invigorates and inspires her daily.
Kim is a firm believer in the idea that one should never stop learning and constantly be on the lookout for opportunities to improve. She is always on the lookout for new techniques, educational workshops, and opportunities to connect with industry professionals.
Jason Davis – JEA Liaison
Jason Davis, CJE, is the adviser of the Oro yearbook at Cactus Canyon Junior High in Apache Junction, Ariz. With a background in journalism, he has advised yearbook for 14 years. The last three volumes of Oro were named to the CSPA Crown and NSPA Pacemaker finalist lists and CCJH students have been recognized in several national contests, including two JEA Aspiring Young Journalists. Davis also advised newspaper for 10 years, with several staffs winning Gold and Silver Crowns. He is a strong advocate for student journalism and joined the board of the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association in 2020-21. He also enjoys serving the journalism community by judging contests, critiquing yearbooks, and teaching at workshops.
Davis lives in Chandler, Ariz., with his wife and two boys and loves all things baseball and Marvel. Beginning in 2022-23, Davis will also advise the Prospector at Apache Junction High School.
Melanie Allen – JEA Mentor, Communications Director
Passionate about education, Melanie Allen has spent over 17 years teaching English and advising The Rocket Reporter at Moon Valley High School, where she also served as Language Arts department chair and literacy coach. She recently returned to the classroom at Thunderbird High School after serving as Communications Director for Parents of Addicted Loved Ones. A 2006 journalism fellowship at UC Berkeley enriched her teaching with industry insights. As a leader in the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association, Melanie empowered students to earn accolades and pursue journalism careers. She holds a B.A. in Communications (2001) and M.Ed. in Secondary Education (2005) from Grand Canyon University.
bios coming soon
Nicole Davis, McClintock HS
Curtis Dutiel, Desert View HS
Heather Jancoski, Desert Edge HS
Jake Kelly, Brophy College Prep
James King, Sunnyslope HS
Jennifer Parsons, Greenfield Junior HS
Kristi Studts, Verrado HS
Peggy Gregory – JEA Mentor
Peggy Gregory, CJE, advised the award-winning Greenway H.S. Demon Dispatch for 35 years and held two specialist positions for 8 years in the Dysart USD. Gregory served as president of Arizona Interscholastic Press Association for seven years and is presently on the board as a Member at Large. She has served on the JEA Mentoring committee since it’s inception and was local co-chair for two JEA/NSPA Phoenix conventions. Honors include NSPA Pioneer Award, JEA Medal of Merit, CSPA Gold Key and James F. Paschal Award as well as the Dow Jones Special Recognition Adviser and Distinguished Adviser awards.