About
The East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (ETSPJ) draws membership from all of East Tennessee and is based in Knoxville.
The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to the free practice of journalism in the United States and to encouraging and maintaining high standards for ethical behavior. We offer professional support for media practitioners, a regional voice in journalism advocacy, and provide a link for local members to maintain contact with nearly 10,000 SPJ members nationwide.
Become a Member
Any media professional or member of the public is welcome to become a member. Membership in ETSPJ provides discounts on program registration fees, award entries, etc. Chapter membership is $10, in addition to the national membership fee. When registering, please make sure to select “East Tennessee Pro Chapter” under Local Chapters.
Board Members
Interested in getting involved, either on our board or on a committee? Contact us.
Maria Cornelius
President
Maria Cornelius is a writer/editor for Moxley Carmichael. She covers the Lady Vols for 247Sports and worked for 14 years at The Knoxville News Sentinel. Her book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” chronicles the last season of Pat Summitt’s storied career as the Lady Vols head coach.
Lexi Spivak
Interim Treasurer
Lexi Spivak anchors Good Morning Tennessee Weekends and reports for WATE 6 On Your Side throughout the week. Lexi traded in the Ozark Mountains for the Smoky Mountains in June of 2020.
During her time in Springfield, Missouri, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work covering the tragic Duck Boat crash on Table Rock Lake in 2018.
Jesse Mayshark
Secretary
Jesse Mayshark worked as a reporter and editor for 20 years before working in communications for former Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero in 2011. He currently is co-founder of Knoxville political newspaper, The Compass.
Jean Ash
Board Member Emeritus
Jean Ash spent 17 years as an anchor and reporter for WIVK. Ash is past president of ETSPJ and the founding president of the Front Page Foundation. She was named the 38th honoree at the Front Page Follies in 2016.
Angela Dennis
Board Member
Angela Dennis is a journalist for the Knoxville News Sentinel-USA Today Network and co-host of the Black in Appalachia podcast a project of East Tennessee PBS.
She is a Knoxville native, raised in Florida, and covers issues at the intersection of race and equity through contemporary and historical lenses.
Gwendolyn Ducre
Board Member
Gwendolyn Ducre is a reporter and anchor at WVLT.
Gwendolyn is a bayou girl from south Louisiana who came to Knoxville in April 2019.
Her journalism career began as a teen on radio in Slidell, La. In college, she was Editor-in-chief for the award-winning newspaper, The Hawkeye, at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Jack Lail
Board Member
Jack Lail is a retired journalist who was most recently digital manager at WATE-TV. He served as digital director for more than two decades at The Knoxville News Sentinel.
Allison Lester
Board Member
Allison Lester is the director of media relations at Fletcher MarketingPR.
She is a dynamic leader with 13 years of experience in newsrooms across the country; most recently as the assistant news director at WBIR-TV for six years.
She was awarded a Knoxville Young Professional of the Year award in 2017 for her volunteer efforts in the community.
Michael Martinez
Board Member
Michael T. Martínez, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Martínez turned to academe after working for 26 years at four newspapers and a wire service — the Associated Press in New York, the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Detroit News, the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Melanie Staten
Board Member
Melanie Staten spent years in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill at the White House as deputy assistant press secretary for President Ford. As a journalist and reporter, Melanie worked as a general assignment reporter at WBAL on Baltimore and at the Old Bridge Observer newspaper in Manassas, Virginia. She
currently is a public relations consultant and also served as manager and a performer for the Front Page Follies.
Georgiana Vines
Ex-Officio
Georgiana Vines is a longtime News Sentinel political writer and a past national SPJ president.