Chris Delboni
Adviser
Chris Delboni, an instructor at FIU/SJMC, has served in this position since fall 2009. An award-winning Brazilian journalist, she has been a foreign correspondent in the United States since 1993. Delboni started her career as a magazine writer before becoming the Washington correspondent for Bandeirantes Radio Network. She was later hired by CBN Radio, a division of Globo Network giant, where she worked most of her tenure in Washington, D.C., both as a general assignment reporter and as a financial correspondent for Globo News TV, Globo Network’s 24-hour news channel. She graduated in print journalism from American University’s School of Communication in 1992 and received a master’s in online journalism from the same institution in 2003. She produced, reported and edited stories daily for a variety of Brazilian mainstream media outlets – from newswire services and magazines to online news sites, radio and television before moving to South Florida, where she began teaching journalism and new media reporting in 2007 at the University of Miami School of Communication and worked with the Knight Center for International Media. In September 2009, she became the first news director for the South Florida News Service. She is currently an instructor at FIU/SJMC and FIU faculty board member for the FIU SPJ Chapter.
SPJ-FIU Board Members
Marisol Medina
President
Marisol was born in Cali, Colombia and raised partly in the U.S. and her native Colombia. She is a journalism student at Florida International University, minoring in international relations and is the vice-president of the FIU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She currently works as a reporter for the South Florida News Service, an FIU-run wire service, as contributor at the PanAm Post, and as a staff writer for the FIU student-run newspaper, The Beacon.Marisol loves traveling and discovering new cultures firsthand. She has visited 12 countries and wishes to expand the list even further. She sees journalism as the perfect medium combining all of her passions and would like to go into documentary filmmaking in the near future.
Katherine Lepri
Vice President
Katherine “Katie” Lepri is a senior journalism student at Florida International University. Born and raised in New Jersey, Lepri moved to south Florida in 2009. She has worked as a staff writer for The Beacon, freelance photojournalist for Fox News Latino and is now a multimedia reporter for South Florida News Service. Lepri currently resides in Hollywood, Fla, and has published in the Miami Herald.
Jasmine Richardson
Treasurer/Fundraiser
Jasmine is a 21-year-old junior at Florida International University majoring in Broadcast Journalism. Previously, she attended Miami-Dade College/New World School of the arts where she studied theatre and received her Associates Degree. She has written articles for The Mixed Tape Miami and plans to one day have her own televised talk show.
Kathleen Devaney
Events Coordinator - SOC
Kathleen Devaney, a junior in the School of Mass Communications, is studying journalism with an area of concentration in English. In the summer of 2013, she gained experience in writing feature stories for a publication called the “Current In Carmel,” located in suburban Indianapolis. She has also made contributions to the online publication Outloud Multimedia. Devaney was originally lured into the area of writing in high school, when she showed a talent for writing poetry and song lyrics. Subsequently, she enjoyed creative writing and is desirous of writing human interest stories. Devaney looks forward to coordinating events for FIU’s SPJ chapter.
Christian Portilla
Marketing Director
Born and raised in Miami, Fl. Christian Portilla is a mass communications and journalism student who is working toward her Bachelor's Degree. She has been published in The Reporter at Miami Dade College and The Beacon at Florida International University. Portilla manages the social media for SPJ-FIU and has a special interest in art, documentaries, and investigative journalism. In her spare time you can find her in the Wynwood art district, in a crossfit gym or at indie music concerts.
Alisha Cox
Creative Designer
Alisha Cox, a junior studying Broadcast Media at FIU and member of the marketing team for SPJ. She has interned with the marketing advising company Chispa Marketing under the direction of CEO, Luly Belepogi. She is also heavily involved in spreading awareness for the First Generation Scholarship Program as a student ambassador and a member of the advisory committee. Alisha is a founding writer for The MixedTape Miami, a student run news site.
Matias Ocner
Web Adviser
Matias J. Ocner, a senior at Florida International University, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in Miami, Fla. He is pursuing a major in journalism, where he strives to specialize in investigative reporting. Ocner also has a passion for photojournalism. He is a reporter for the South Florida News Service and has been published in the Miami Herald and The Reporter. After he graduates, Ocner plans to use journalism as a tool to increase awareness, challenge assumptions and keep society informed.
Jeffrey Pierre
Photographer
A third-year journalism student at Florida International University, Jeffrey Pierre is a storyteller to the core. He currently holds the position of assistant news director for the Beacon, where he writes and organizes news-worthy stories for the FIU and Miami community. Also through FIU Student Media, Jeffrey co-hosts the Panther Wire News Hours on Radiate FM FIU student radio where he takes the airwaves providing listeners with university related and world news.
As an aspiring photographer and photojournalist, Jeffrey also contributes photos to the Beacon while also building a strong portrait portfolio. He focuses his work on the everyday individual: the musician, the athlete, the mother, etc. Jeffrey is a believer in the power of the individual, his or her personal story, and how those stories can shape lives by reconnecting people through their core values and life experiences.
Barbara Corbellini Duarte
Student Adviser
Born and raised in Brazil, Barbara Corbellini Duarte finished her technical course in video production in Porto Alegre–her hometown. Duarte moved to Florida to study Journalism and is now a senior at Florida International University. Working as a freelance video producer and photographer for more than 5 years, Duarte pursued reporting, photography and video production with FIU Student Media. She was the assistant news director and host of FIU’s radio show, “Pantherwire,” in additional to producing the website. As a multimedia reporter for the South Florida News Service, during the 2012 Fall Semester, Duarte published works for The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post. Included in her journalistic accomplishments is “Molly,” a front page investigative story by her and a colleague, in The Miami Herald, about the popular teen drug of the same name. Duarte began an internship with The Miami Herald in Spring 2013, publishing front page news for local, metro, life and national sections. Simultaneously, Duarte completed a four month long field experience program with South Florida Public Radio, WLRN. She has worked on four radio packages about politics, culture and education, and is the current president of the FIU SPJ Chapter. Duarte serves as FIU Chapter liaison to SPJ South Florida.
Maria Murriel
Co-Director of Alumni Relations
Marial Murriel is a digital journalist who specializes in multimedia story packages, and is fluent in English and Spanish. She is the digital editor at WLRN, South Florida Public Radio, and is an FIU graduate of 2011 who spends more time at the SJMC than most non-enrolled grads. Murriel holds a bachelor’s in religious studies, a certificate in women’s studies and a minor in journalism. With experience in multimedia story development, web production and social-media management, she helped edit the Sun-Sentinel’s start-up entertainment site, SouthFlorida.com; Murriel also wrote the featured Lush Life blog about South Florida’s craft-beer and mixology scene. Her interests are features, community news and multiculturalism, and she is the director of Alumni Relations for the FIU SPJ Chapter.
Crystal Chew
Secretary
Crystal Chew is a senior, majoring in journalism at Florida International University. She studied English Literature at Florida State University prior to attending FIU. She was born in New York but has lived in South Florida for most of her life. Chew is a South Florida News Service reporter and has been published in the Miami Herald. She also enjoys reading, running and mindful living.
Brittny C. Valdes
Student Adviser
Brittny C. Valdes is a senior majoring in journalism with a minor in philosophy at Florida International University.Valdes is a multimedia journalist who has been published in The Miami Herald and the Sun Sentinel. She is secretary of the university’s chapter of Society of Professional Journalists and is also a contributing writer for the student newspaper, The Beacon.
Christopher Santiago
Social Media Coordinator
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Chris Santiago found his passion for broadcasting when he went on air for a radio station for the first time ever in his sophomore year at Florida International University. Since then, he's written for The Beacon, FIU's newspaper, and became a host of a music show on Radiate FM, FIU's student radio. He aspires to become a Sports Commentator for the NBA and World Wrestling Entertainment.