SPJ/LA Announces Annual Board of Directors Election, Voting Opens Dec. 18
The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will conduct its annual election for open Board of Director positions.
Voting will begin Thursday Dec. 18 and conclude Saturday, Dec. 20.
There are four seats available this year.
SPJ/LA members will receive a link to the online vote and their passwords via email when the election opens Thursday. Look for an email from vote@electionsonline.com (please check your "spam" and "promotions" folders, too.)
Because you have to be a paid-up SPJ/LA member to vote, now is a great time to make sure your membership is in good standing.
The chapter uses member information provided by SPJ national headquarters for the ballot list. Members are required to renew or sign up as a member of SPJ/LA by Dec. 15 to be eligible to vote. Log on to spjla.org to join and/or pay your dues.
New board members will begin their three-year terms on Jan. 1, 2025.
Meet the candidates:
Ryan Carter
Ryan Carter (he/him) is a metro editor for the Southern California News Group, who also writes stories for the group. Carter started his career writing obituaries at the Glendale News-Press, before working as assistant city editor for Times Community News (Division of the L.A. Times) and city editor for the Glendale News-Press, San Bernardino Sun and L.A. Daily News. He earned a BA degree in Political Science from UCLA and in 2022 earned his Master's of Legal Studies at UCLA. His journalistic interests range from business to politics, but outside of career, his love for Star Wars, staying active, walking, cycling, Disneyland, music and good food keep him happy. He is based in Pasadena, but has worked and lived throughout Southern California, from Long Beach to San Bernardino and from Claremont to Van Nuys, where he was raised.
Sara Catania
Sara Catania (she/her) is president of the Solutions Journalism Network, working to transform journalism so that all people have access to effective, evidence-based responses to systemic problems. She serves on the national and Los Angeles boards of the Society of Professional Journalists and the program committee for the JSK Journalism Fellowships at Stanford. Her experience includes more than 25 years as a reporter, editor, and newsroom leader at numerous outlets including NBC, Reuters, Mother Jones, the LA Weekly, and the Los Angeles Times.
Vanessa Franko
Vanessa Franko (she/her) is the Senior Audience Editor at the Los Angeles Times. Her prior roles include Digital Director of Entertainment and Features at the Southern California News Group and Assistant Managing Editor over Digital, Features and Sports at The Press-Enterprise. As a reporter she covered music, pop culture, crime and public safety, business and health and once commissioned Neil Diamond paper dolls. She's been a proud Riverside resident for nearly two decades.
Eleanore Vega
Eleanore Vega (she/her) is an award-winning journalist based in Los Angeles with extensive experience. She previously served as the West Coast Bureau Chief for CBS News, covering a significant portion of the western United States, as well as Mexico and Central America. As a network producer, Vega reported on a variety of important topics, including immigration, the Mexican drug wars, Latin American politics, natural disasters, and the needs of underserved communities in Southern California. In addition to her reporting work, she has mentored many young journalists and has been a strong advocate for promoting diversity and inclusion in both English- and Spanish-language newsrooms that she has managed.