Officers

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Dr. Jerry Goodwin, LP.D, MBA, is associate professor of strategic and mass communication at Tulsa Community College. He is a former adjunct professor in graduate studies in marketing at the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Research at Langston University-Tulsa. Over the last 22 years, Dr. Goodwin has taught courses in journalism and digital media, communications, and business, where his students have won countless national, regional, state, and local awards in journalism annually. He is a faculty member of the Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association.

Dr. Goodwin is a third-generation journalist and former assistant to the publisher/COO of the award-winning The Oklahoma Eagle, the 10th oldest African American weekly newspaper in the country. During his tenure at the newspaper, he was instrumental in helping the news organization to increase its rank from #13 to #3 among newspapers in its category in the number of awards received by the Oklahoma Press Association. He is a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists – Tulsa chapter. He is a former board member with the Tulsa Advertising Federation and Tulsa Press Club. 

In addition to his years of experience in education and newspaper publishing, he has played a pivotal role as a mayoral appointment on the board of directors for the City of Tulsa/Rogers County Port of Catoosa. The Port is the nation’s most inland waterway system and a major industrial development employer in northeastern Oklahoma. Serving as a board member for 27 years, Dr. Goodwin is currently the longest-serving member and the second longest to serve as board chair over the Port’s 50-year history.

M. Scott is chief political reporter for The Oklahoman. He is a sixth-generation Oklahoman with more than four decades of journalism experience. He is a four-time winner of the Associated Press-Oklahoma News Editors Sweepstakes Award and worked as the State Capitol Bureau Chief and an investigative reporter for the Journal Record for many years. Later in his career, he was an investigative reporter for the ACLU of Oklahoma, a non-profit organization dedicated to the Bill of Rights. Carter also taught journalism, feature writing and photojournalism at Oklahoma City Community College and served as the faculty adviser for the college’s student newspaper, The Pioneer.

Previously, he worked for newspapers in Stillwater, Cushing, Blackwell and Norman and as a stringer for the Associated Press, the Dallas Morning News, Sport Magazine and United Press International.

He is also a published novelist and winner of the 2012 Oklahoma Book Award for Young Adults. Carter earned the 2012 Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction from the National Association of Independent Book Publishers and Foreword Magazine’s 2012 Good Award for YA Fiction.

Carter and his wife Karen have six children, two dogs, one lizard and several poorly-behaved cats.

Dr. William Hickman is currently adjunct professor of mass communication at Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla. and professor emeritus of mass communication at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla. He is a native of Oklahoma City. He received his B.A. in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University, an M.L.A. from Texas Christian University and a J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of Law. He is admitted to the practice of law in the state of Oklahoma.

His academic interests are in the Internet and social media as a news and information source, media law, First Amendment issues, military-media relationships and newsroom management. He is a distance runner, competing in several marathons including the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. He lives in Edmond.

Heide Brandes is an award-winning journalist, travel journalist and editor with more than 20 years of published experience. 

She regularly contributes to numerous state, regional and national publications and has been published in BBC Travel, National Geographic, Cowboys & Indians, Huffington Post, Business Insider, Forbes, United Airlines Hemispheres, Sierra Magazine, Route Magazine, Silicon66, The Guardian UK, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Outdoor X 4 Magazine, Kayak Magazine, RoadTrippers Magazine, ROVA, TrailGroove Magazine, Destinations Travel Magazine, New York Daily News, The New York Times and others. She also served as the Oklahoma correspondent for Reuters News Service.

Heide is a public speaker and writing instructor who often speaks to writer groups, college classes and professional organizations. She holds numerous writing honors and served as a media relations professional for non-profit organizations.

Heide is currently a board member of The Society for Professional Journalists Oklahoma Pro Chapter, and is a member of Society for American Travel Writers, Outdoor Writers of America Association, and North American Travel Journalists Association.

Heide is an avid traveler, medieval warrior, hiker, professional bellydancer and Bellydance instructor and kind of a quirky chick who lives in Oklahoma City.

Telling stories is what Kristi Eaton has done for the majority of her life - first as a young writer telling fiction stories from her bedroom. Later, she transitioned to hard news reporter, working for The Associated Press for four years. 

She has reported or conducted communications work in Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and North America.

As a strategic communicator, she has  acted as an editor and writer for the Fistula Foundation and Alive and Thrive, an initiative to promote positive nutrition practices in West Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Other past and present clients include Sparkle, which makes biodegradable period products; Heifer International; and The Hunger Project.

She has earned media placement for clients in The Associated Press, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Next City, TechCrunch, Devex and elsewhere.

Andrew Griffin is a professional journalist and author with for over 30 years’ experience in unbiased factual reporting including 12 years as an editor and news director. 

His special focus includes politics, American and regional history, business, pop culture, conspiracy background, investigative pieces, and live event coverage.

He was also the publisher and owner of Red Dirt Report  from July 2007 to March 2020. 

The website was dogged in its coverage of Oklahoma news, politics, entertainment, sports, and opinion. It was recognized statewide as a respected, unbiased and factual source of information about things going on in Oklahoma and beyond. 

He self-published his first book: Rock Catapult: 1966 – The Launch of Modern Rock & Roll. (West Marie Media / 2018). 

He recently finished writing a novel – Talbot Finch and The Stilwell Enigma. 

 Dr. Mark Hanebutt is professor of journalism in the department of mass communication at UCO. A native of Evansville, Indiana, he holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Evansville, a master of arts degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma and a juris doctor degree in law from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. 

Dr. Hanebutt was named to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2024. He has worked for newspapers in Indiana and Florida, including The Orlando Sentinel, as a reporter, magazine writer, syndicated feature writer and editor. His work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country. 

He is the author of The Journalist’s Primer: A No-Nonsense Guide to Getting and Reporting the News (Kendall Hunt 2023). 

He teaches courses in news reporting and media law. His research areas include reporting, law, history, ethics and propaganda.

Wendy Suares is co-anchor with Adam King of the KOKH FOX 25 News at Five and 5:30, the FOX 25 News at Nine, and the FOX 25 Late Edition.

Wendy arrived on the Primetime desk in 2013 after co-anchoring the FOX 25 Morning News. Prior to that, she was a morning anchor and reporter at KARK, the NBC affiliate in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Wendy has earned Associated Press awards for public affairs reporting as well as for news photography, covering everything from Hurricane Katrina to cold cases from the Civil Rights era. Wendy's passion for fair and hard-hitting political reporting developed as she covered the Mississippi state legislature for WLBT and 5 other television stations.

A native of Biloxi, Wendy began her career as an anchor and reporter in 2004 at WXVT, in Greenville, Mississippi.

Wendy graduated cum laude from Emerson College in Boston. While earning her bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism and Political Communications, Wendy co-anchored and reported for the Associated Press' "College News Station of the Year."

Wendy has traveled extensively. She spent a semester in college studying in The Netherlands. She played college tennis at Emerson and continues to play competitively when she can. In her free time, you'll find her enjoying live music or hitting up one of OKC's fantastic restaurants.

Dr. Philip Todd is a longtime journalist and media scholar with more than 30 years’ experience in newspapers, magazines, textbooks, reporting, editing, design, radio, and instruction. He teaches mass communication at East Central University, and previously taught at Seminole State College, the University of Oklahoma, St. Gregory’s University, Oklahoma Baptist University, the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University and Spencerian College. 

He has presented and published work on topics ranging from media pedagogy and ethics to musicology. Most recently, his OU dissertation was named the 2020 Penn State Davis Ethics Award winner for best media ethics-related research. 

In addition to causing whatever trouble he can in Shawnee over the past 20 years, he also serves as copy editor and consultant for Peace Studies, a quarterly publication of The Peace and Justice Studies Association; and does publicity and planning for ProgDay, an annual outdoor progressive rock festival in North Carolina. 

Mindy Ragan Wood is a freelance writer and reporter with more 20 years of media, journalism and management experience  Her areas of focus include infrastructure, municipal government policies and human services with an emphasis on the needs of intellectually vulnerable and physically challenged adults.

Mindy has covered the state Legislature for the Oklahoma Voice; was a senior staff reporter for The Norman Transcript; staff writer for the Yukon Progress; and managing editor for the Shawnee Outlook, Ada Hub and Connection magazines.

While at The Norman Transcript, she covered the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's proposal to construct a turnpike extension in east Norman, including related litigation. This included allegations that the turnpike authority violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.