Pat Spence

What do you do? I direct and advise the Department of Student Publications at Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. The job includes purview over the university’s twice-weekly, independent student newspaper and its online presence, and its yearbook. I also teach a course on advanced newswriting and special projects in SFA’s Department of Global … Continued

Mike Ruby

Mike Ruby writes in his office at home with his sleeves rolled up and a cup of coffee black as newsprint ink at his side, one of the two or three he can’t work without each morning. He is surrounded by memories. Photos of frequent ranch trips with his wife over the years share the … Continued

Steve Rivkin

What do you do? I’m the managing partner of a marketing and communications consultancy, Rivkin & Associates LLC. We do marketing, positioning, naming, identity and crisis communications work for clients across the country. How did you get your job? I founded the business in 1989. Everything in my background – freelance writer, trade magazine editor, … Continued

Linda Quinet

What do you do? I am retired and living in Paris, France,and traveling internationally. How did you get your job? My first job I got because of my stellar experience at MU. Others resulted from building on that. What is the best professional lesson you learned at the J-School? Prof. Duffy’s mantra that “There is … Continued

Sue Jackson Pondrom

What do you do? I am a freelance medical writer for publications such as ENToday, The Rheumatologist and @ucsd, a publication of the University of California San Diego. I am also a special section editor of The AJT Report in the American Journal of Transplantation, a columnist for “In This Issue” in the journal Arthritis … Continued

Taylor Pensoneau

The year was 1965. The Vietnam War was raging; protests were rampant across the country; the civil rights movement was gathering steam; and recent graduate-turned-newspaper reporter Taylor Pensoneau was going to be writing about politics. And, not only was he going to be writing about politics, Pensoneau would be heading up the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s … Continued

David “Scoop” Peery

What do you do? I am retired. I do participate in conservation groups, two canoe clubs, Democratic Party activities, church activities (Unitarian Universalist) and other civic groups. How did you get your job? My last (more than) full-time job was owner, editor and publisher of the Smithville (Mo.) Lake Herald, a weekly community newspaper just … Continued

Georgia O’Brien Patrick

What is your company like? The Communicators is the coolest place to work. We won the first national competition for the best small business in America a few years ago. In a competition of hundreds of organizations we were selected among the top 10 finalists and then got the call that we were number one. … Continued

Ron Osborne

There was little in Ron Osborne’s early years to suggest that he would become a full-time playwright. His family didn’t attend theatrical performances. Like many of his classmates, he participated as a cast member in a few high school productions. Osborne majored in advertising, and his first job was as a technical writer. But it … Continued