Veteran international journalist, news manager, exacting editor, cross-format acolyte and social media maven with a distinguished career that includes more than two decades of experience in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially Mexico and Cuba, where I opened the Associated Press’ Havana bureau in 1999.
EXPERIENCE
• March 2012-present. Supervisory editor, Associated Press’ regional desk for Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Mexico City. Assigning, selecting and editing spot and enterprise stories from around the region and direct filing them to the news agency’s thousands of print, online and broadcast clients. Helps schedule movement of enterprise stories, coordinating with the Spanish service, and photo and video departments. Serves as the standards editor for the Latin America region, concerned with accuracy, transparency, style issues and matters of taste. Is also an active user of social media to drive AP content to audiences throughout the region and worldwide. Other tasks have included selecting and arranging our best text, photo and video content from the region every month for distribution as a kind of internal newsletter among the staff and to key AP clients.
• August 2010-March 2012. U.N. correspondent, AP. Covering international peace and security, diplomacy, development, human rights, gender issues.
• August 2009-July 2010. Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Studied international relations and leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and multimedia and long-form narrative fiction workshops through the Nieman Program for Mid-Career Journalists.
• January 1999-July 2009. AP Havana Bureau Chief. Reestablished the APs’ presence in Cuba after a nearly 30-year absence. Covered stories ranging from the communist government’s campaign for the return of the Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez to Fidel Castro’s illness and eventual resignation.
• January 1998-December 1998. AP Mexico/Central America News Editor. Assigned, edited and wrote stories from across Mexico and Central America, handled logistics for AP’s coverage of Pope John Paul II’s historic 1998 trip to Cuba.
• May 1993-December 1997. AP Mexico/Central America correspondent. Events covered included the Zapatista rebel uprising in the Mexican state of Chiapas, the return of Haiti’s exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power, papal visits to Central America and Cuba, the end of Guatemala’s decades-long civil war and the siege at the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Peru.
• October 1990-April 1993. AP National/International Desk editor, New York. Editing and filing international and U.S. news stories to AP’s wires for use by thousands of media outlets worldwide. Completed a master’s degree program in Latin America and Caribbean Studies at New York University while working full-time.
• June 1989-September 1990. AP Los Angeles bureau staff writer. Reported on topics such as crime, entertainment, wildfires and other natural disasters, and did a substantial amount of editing. Because of my Spanish language skills, I was tapped to help cover the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake in the Bay Area.
• June 1988-May 1989. AP Mexico City bureau local writer and editor. Reported on the 1988 election of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and subsequent opposition protests. Edited and filed stories from Mexico and Central America, including considerable translation of Spanish stories into English for distribution to thousands of media outlets worldwide.
• January 1980-June 1988. Metro reporter, Orange County Register. Coverage of subjects including police, courts, City Council, immigration, Hispanic affairs and general assignment.
EDUCATION
• August 2015, MFA in Creative Nonfiction, Goucher College, in Baltimore, Maryland, through its “limited residency” program that allows much of the work to be done by distance learning. Completed a 240-page thesis that will form the core of my first book, “Cast Adrift: Memories of a Cold Warrior’s Daughter.”
• June 2011. U.S. Army War College, one week-long National Security Seminar bringing together graduating military officers and prominent American civilians from all walks of life.
• 2009-2010, Harvard University, Nieman Fellowship for Mid-Career Journalists. 2009-2010.
• January 1993, graduated from New York University, with an M.A in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Member of the Latin American Studies Association.
• Summer 1988, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Centro de Ensenanza para Extranjeros. Classes in Latin American literature, politics and history.
• 1980, graduated from California State University-Fullerton, with a B.A. in Communications/Journalism. Staff writer for the Daily Titan student newspaper, member of Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi.
HONORS AND AWARDS
• U.S. Army War College, member of 2011 weeklong National Security Seminar.
• 2010 The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, University of North Texas, Third Place in Literary Excellence for book chapter and synopsis entitled “Elian”
• Associated Press Gramling Achievement Award, $10,000 company award in 2001 for setting up AP’s Havana bureau and developing its staff and infrastructure.
• Inter American Press Association fellowship in 1988 for one year of study and work in Mexico. Completed a multiple part series on immigration published by the Orange County Register.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Familiar with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Aggressive user of social media including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
• Overseas Press Club of America, as well as former member of United Nations Correspondents Association, Newswomen’s Club of New York, National Association of Hispanic Journalists
LANGUAGES
• Spanish, fluent. Accredited as “APTO” for a diploma in Spanish as a foreign language NIVEL B2 from the Instituto Cervantes on Oct. 7, 2011, when I was living and working New York City. This was once the highest level test the institute gave, but it added two higher levels, C1 and C2, in November 2011.
• French, elementary proficiency after one 12-week class at United Nations.
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