Meet a member: Marilyn Saltzman

Unfortunately, there continues to be shootings at schools across the country. One that really hit home for me happened in Littleton, Colorado in 1999. I knew people living in the Littleton area and an NFPW friend was the public relations manager for the school district. Marilyn Saltzman handled this difficult situation in a professional manner with the eyes of the world on her school district. It was not an easy task, but she handled it like the professional she is. Lessons learned from this experience have helped many others prepare for something no one wants to have to handle. She is another outstanding NFPW member I am honored to call a friend.

Name: Marilyn Saltzman

City and State: Conifer, Colorado

Marilyn Saltzman

Affiliate and any leadership positions: currently newsletter editor and program committee member for Colorado Press Women.

Years a member of NFPW: 40 years in 2017!

Tell us a little about you.

I have been a journalist, school district public relations manager and college adjunct professor, and most recently own Saltzman Communications,  a public relations consulting business. An avid volunteer and community activist, I am on the board of Mountain Resource Center, a community-based nonprofit offering health and human services. I am the adult education chair of Congregation Beth Evergreen and serve on several other synagogue committees. My two grandchildren are a constant source of joy and learning. Irv and I have been married for 48 years.

I am former president of Colorado Press Women and the Colorado Chapter, National School Public Relations Association. I co-chaired the 2006 NFPW Conference in Denver with Ann Lockhart and have been CPW’s Communicator of Achievement three times.

I worked in the Communications Services Department for Jefferson County Public Schools, Colorado, for 20 years. In 1999, I experienced the most emotionally difficult and challenging time of my career as public relations manager during the Columbine tragedy where 12 students and teacher Dave Sanders lost their lives. I was in charge of both media and internal relations. We had media from around the world on site and on the phone, and we worked hard to take care of our community and our local media first. We also coordinated a visit with students and staff from then President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton…from working with White House staff and the Secret Service to asking Walmart to donate an umbrella because rain was in the forecast, and Air Force One didn’t have one on board.  It was a grueling 24-7 job for several weeks, and I couldn’t have made it without the support of CPW, NFPW and National School Public Relations Association colleagues

I have co-authored four books, “Building School Communities, Strategies for Leaders,” “Dave Sanders, Columbine Teacher, Coach, Hero,” Reflections, Learning by Doing,” and “Maybe Tomorrow: A Hidden Child of the Holocaust.”

Marilyn Saltzman, photo by Linda Kirkpatrick

Any career advice you would give?

Make the most of the amazing women in NFPW as mentors, colleagues and networkers.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Not so much a talent, but I am working on the Jewish soul traits of patience, gratitude and honor.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I love living right here in Colorado, and I love traveling the world – most recently a safari in South Africa, Zambia and Malawi.

What book are you reading?

I like to read both fiction and nonfiction, often at the same time. I just  finished “A Little History  of Religion,” a nonfiction book I loved,  and “The Yellow Eyes of the Crocodile,”  a bit too much of a soap opera for me.  Next up, “For All the Tea in China,” for my book club.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I co-authored a romance novel, “Love’s Eternal Flame,” with 11 other women. It began with a weekend mountain retreat and lots of wine.

Why is your affiliate and NFPW important to you?

CPW and NFPW have been part of my life through most of my career. Many of my dearest friends are press women.  They have been a source of inspiration, motivation and support. And we know how to have fun together!

Way to follow you on a website, twitter, Facebook, etc.

I don’t have a website but am on Facebook.

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Meet a Member: Ruth Anna

Ruth Anna spent two years serving as NFPW president (1995-1997) and this year is celebrating 40 years as a member. She is passionate about First Amendment and Freedom of Information issues. She is willing to fight for what she believes in. It was great seeing her again this spring at a dinner with Colorado Press Women. The dinner was organized as part of the NFPW spring board meeting in Denver. She is another example of a unique and unbelievable NFPW member. Meet my friend, Ruth Anna.

Ruth Neil Hein Anna

Name: Ruth Neil Hein Anna

City and State: Littleton, Colorado

Affiliate and any leadership positions: Joined in North Dakota in 1976. Affiliated with Colorado in 1978 or 79 and have been here since. Worked on many committees and have been the representative to the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition since 1988 and its Treasurer since 1994. Past President (3 years) and Vice President (1 year) of Colorado Press Women. Past CPW Communicator of Achievement.

Years a member of NFPW: 40 years. Past NFPW President 1995-97. Appointed NFPW Representative to the National First Amendment Congress-3 years.

Tell us a little about you.

Raised on a family farm near Otis, Colorado that my grandparents homesteaded. Fourth generation Coloradan and University of Colorado School of Journalism-Radio/TV graduate. Have over 40 years of diversified experience in private and public arenas. Started as the Radio Traffic Manager in Casper, Wyoming, doing news work sporadically. Next was Rapid City, South Dakota, where I hosted a TV talk show “Two Bits with Ruth Anna”. Bismarck, North Dakota, followed where I was the Alumni Director for Mary College (now Mary University) and then the Public Information Officer for the Attorney General and North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Ruth Anna and husband, Larry, will celebrate 45 years of marriage this year.

Six months after our daughter was born I realized how much I was missing and quit to open my own Public Relations consulting business. Since 1977 I’ve been the CEO of Anna Public Relations Consultants. Services include: promotional publications, targeted community outreach programs, nonprofit fundraising/event planning, specialized workshop presentations, campaign management, and conference planning. Clients include: professional associations, scientific firms, human service agencies, nonprofit organizations, and political candidates.

Recent community service includes: Trustee for our public library (13 years), elected to the national Executive Board of the Urban Libraries Council (6 years); and served on several community organizations’ Board of Directors. When I kids were in K-12, I was very involved and an elected district and state leader in PTA, School Accountability efforts, etc.

Any career advice you would give?

Follow your passion. And, whatever your career choice, stay true to your beliefs and do not ‘prostitute’ yourself. As a PR practitioner I must believe in what I promote, or I’m raising money for, whether an organization or an individual. If I don’t, I have enough confidence and respect for my professional and personal ethics to decline or leave the situation or client.

From sixth grade on I’ve been passionate about FOI and 1st Amendment issues. I remain actively involved in open meetings/public records/First Amendment issues in Colorado, and often on national issues.

Ruth Anna, right, with current NFPW President Marsha Hoffman, center and Teri Ehresman, immediate past president, left.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Many times I’ve thought it would be great to be a stand-up comedian like Bob Hope. I once thought writing the great American novel would be super, but for many years I now think writing a great screenplay would be splended!

An attribute I do need more of is patience.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I would have loved moving to a small or medium sized college town once my husband, a geologist, retired. (I haven’t retired yet, but know my consulting career could move with me.) We both enjoyed living in North Dakota and appreciated the friendliness of the entire state. But, our daughter and family live only a ten  minute walk from our home, and having grandchildren that close is something I would never want to change. In fact, being a grandmother is the best thing in the world!

What book are you reading?

I’m hooked on audio books. I spend a lot of time in my car and they are wonderful. And, they are free from your public library in so many accessible formats. Some of my favorite authors are Agatha Christi, Clive Cussler, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, James Mitchner, Sue Grafton, and many others. Except for Christi I’ve met and chatted with all those I listed and more. Currently listening to Cussler’s latest book.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

Maybe, that I’m actually shy. However, I learned at an early age that I have an insatiable curiosity and drive to change things I object to, and to support things I genuinely like. Additionally, I find people fascinating. Discovering things about people I meet makes life so much more interesting.

Why is your affiliate and NFPW important to you?

In the beginning it may have been for the professional networking and support. Now it’s for the friendships and experiences we have shared.

Way to follow you on a website, twitter, Facebook, etc.

Sorry, my only use of social media is for client work. It’s simply not my thing. Besides, you never know how it will be used or where or how it might impact your life. Sharing personal type stuff on the internet is crazy. I prefer, and enjoy, letters, phone calls, get-togethers, etc.

Meet a Member: Sandy Michel Nance

Affiliate presidents are valued leaders in our organization. One of our outstanding affiliate presidents is Sandy Michel Nance of Colorado. She is a long-time leader in her affiliate and another outstanding NFPW member. She is a dedicated professional and a fun person to be around. Meet another unique and unbelievable NFPW member.

Name:  Sandy Michel Nance

City and State:  Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Sandy Michel Nance

Affiliate and any leadership positions: Colorado Press Women, currently president. Was also president of CPW in 2004. Have also run contest and arranged programs.

Years a member of NFPW:  38 years

Tell us a little about you.

Journalism is where my heart is, but I only used my journalism degree for four wild years in Wyoming — at UPI and the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune — before going to work in the corporate public relations office of Mountain Bell. I spent 25 years with that company (aka, US West when I left), working in employee communications, media relations, community/education relations and marketing before beginning a string of assignments as PR counsel on the staff of several vice presidents and one subsidiary president. I preached ethics and earning the trust of employees and communities. I also was the first elected president of Women in Management, a feminist networking organization recognized as a MB employee resource group that rapidly spread from Colorado to form chapters in all seven states — which some thought was why I didn’t get any more promotions.

After an involuntary early retirement, I earned a master’s degree and began teaching PR classes for adult students at Regis University for 10 years and for a short time at Metro State College. (Adjunct pay sucks!) Thanks to Press Women contacts, I got a part time job at American Water Works Association that eventually became full time as a managing editor-publications to members. I loved learning about the water industry, writing features and regulatory-legislative news.  I retired from there in 2011 to have brain surgery on a small benign tumor. I am pleased to have made a terrific recovery and am delighted to active in Press Women again.

My husband John and I enjoy keeping up with the kids and grandkids and took our first trip overseas last fall.

Any career advice you would give?

Ask for what you want. And don’t jump at the first salary offered. I learned that by accident when I switched to PR from journalism. The initial salary offered was 30% higher than I had been making and I was speechless. The guy took that as hesitancy and immediately hiked the offer another 6%.

Sandy Michel Nance

Which talent would you most like to have?

I’d love to be a blues & jazz singer. I mean, I can sing but not scat and am lousy at memorizing lyrics.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I’m a native of this little western suburb of Denver and am quite happy here. However, I wouldn’t mind having a second home in the mountains. Telluride is my favorite.

What book are you reading?

Broad Influence: How Women Are Changing the Way America Works  by Jay Newton-Small  and Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

You can also call me Commissioner because I’m on the Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission (along with Gay Porter DeNileon).

Why is your affiliate and NFPW important to you?

These are my peeps — my Press Women friends are the women who are most like me, and every new person I meet at an NFPW conference turns out to be the same.

Way to follow you on a website, twitter, Facebook, etc.

Facebook — Sandy Michel Nance. I also post occasionally on Colorado Press Women’s Facebook page.  I’m hoping to post more often on Twitter — @smnance  CPW just got a Twitter account:  @COPressWomen

Meet a Member: Judi Buehrer

I was fortunate to have dinner this past weekend with Judi Buehrer and other Colorado Press Women. The dinner was planned as part of the NFPW spring board meeting in Denver. Judi is working on a memoir about her experiences living in Moscow after the fall of the Soviet Union. Two of my friends have read the nearly competed book and tell me it will be a great book. I can’t wait to read it when it is published. Judi is a talented writer and a great asset to both Colorado and NFPW. Meet my friend, Judi Buehrer.

Judi Buehrer

 

 

Name: Judi Buehrer

City and State: Littleton, CO

Affiliate and any leadership positions: Currently Colorado Press Women Co-VP/Membership and Program Committee member; Colorado COA and NFPW Runner-up COA in 2008. Unfortunately, I was recovering from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and wasn’t able to receive the award in person. I’ve also served CPW as president, vice president, secretary, newsletter editor, and helped with high school contest and served on nominating committee and program committee.

Years a member of NFPW: 35

Tell us a little about you.

I am currently semi-retired and finishing Moscow Stories, a memoir about my experiences about living in and reporting about Moscow after the fall of the Soviet Union. I fell in love with journalism in high school and graduated from the University of Nebraska J-School with a major in journalism and minors in English and political science. I began my career as a reporter at the Lincoln Journal and then the Northern Virginia Sun. After our first child was born, I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom and switched to freelancing and reporting for weekly papers. Several years later, I worked as a managing editor at the American Water Works Association in Denver before and after my husband and I went abroad for nine years. During that time, I worked at The Moscow Times and returned to freelancing and stringing for area magazines during our postings in Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Over the years my freelance articles appeared in The Denver Post, Albuquerque Journal, Chicago Tribune, Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal, Travel Holiday Magazine and several magazines in Denver and New Mexico.

Judi Bueher attaching photos to a display.

Any career advice you would give?

Look for the story behind the obvious one. Things are seldom what they seem.

Which talent would you most like to have?

That’s easy. Figure skating!

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

On one of the idyllic beaches in Southern Thailand.

What book are you reading?

Wonder by Raquel Jaramillo, under the pen name of R. J. Palacio. It’s a wonderful, humbling, evocative story recommended by my 10-year-old daughter.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

When we were in Moscow, President George W. H. Bush stopped by the embassy during a 1991 Summit with Soviet President Gorbachev. After he and Barbara Bush spoke briefly, they shook hands with embassy staff and spouses standing in a long reception line. When he came to me, I told him that my son had served during the Gulf War and thanked him for getting our troops out of danger during the short ground war. He smiled, grabbed my camera, and said, “Well, that calls for a picture.” He held up the camera, clicked the shutter and took a selfie–a word that hadn’t been invented yet– of half of my face and the lower half of his. It’s one of my favorite photos of my time in Moscow.

Why is your affiliate and NFPW important to you?

Early in my career, I got two of my jobs through contacts at CPW and learned a lot from the professional programs and my colleagues. Most of us are retired now and have developed close, nurturing friendships. That explains our affiliate’s primary benefits — mentorships and networking.

Way to follow you on a website, twitter, Facebook, etc.

I have a FB page, but no website or twitter presence yet.

Meet a Member: Bobbi Gigone

Long-time member Bobbi Gigone is another of our outstanding NFPW members. She has served in a variety of positions on the affiliate and national level, helping to mentor other members. She has always found a way to support the issues and causes she believes in. She is another unique and unbelievable NFPW member. Meet my friend, Bobbi Gigone.

Name: Barbara Gigone (Bobbi to my NFPW and CPW friends)

Bobbi Gigone

Hometown: Louisville, Colorado

Affiliate and leadership positions:

Colorado Press Women, 55-year member; presently Co-Vice President for Programs (with Marilyn Saltzman); formerly Scholarship Chair and also served as CPW vice president and president.

NFPW, 55-year member (this year!!), served as Regional Director, Contest Chair, Treasurer, Education Fund Board (serving as board chair at one time.)

Tell us a little about you:

I grew up in northern Illinois and thought I’d like to follow in Margurite Higgen’s footsteps as a foreign correspondent. No one in my family had attended college but I received a scholarship to Monmouth College and ended up co-editor of the student paper as a sophomore. This prompted me to drop out for a year to earn enough to come west to journalism school at the University of Colorado. My job that year was editing a newsletter (and learning to carry a big Speed Graphic camera on my shoulder) at the Naval Supply Depot at Great Lakes Naval Training Station. This ended up helping me obtain my first job out of college as reporter-photographer at the Boulder Daily Camera. (The other reason was likely because I could substitute for the women’s editor when needed!)

My job offered just about everything I had dreamed about on a daily including the assignment covering the Mother of astronaut Scott Carpenter when he made his space flight, meeting Senator John Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt and lots of old silver and gold miners with wonderful stories. But not one foreign correspondent assignment.

I did, however, meet my life partner (also coming up on 55 years), and when I was expecting our first child, I was also expected to leave the Camera news room (those were the days that really surprise young women I meet). I could freelance, however, and left the Camera for good when my son was 9-months old and the Denver Post asked me to be their Boulder correspondent—relaying stories by phone for Post reporters to type out. Our second son was born a year later, and the Post called (I was still in the hospital) and asked that I go fulltime. That one was turned down and I began an 8-year association with a weekly newspaper in Boulder, freelance, then news editor.

Bobbi Gigone

In 1976 I accepted a position as the first public information officer for Boulder County. This grew with the years, founding an employee newsletter, guides to media relations, a TV program, and then adding work with the Criminal Justice System, Community Corrections, and finally, 15 years as director of the County Community Services Department.

I retired in 2002 and after living west of Boulder in Four Mile Canyon for nearly 44 years, we remodeled a 1904 home in Louisville, just a few miles east of Boulder.

I still love to travel and have led tours and published travel newsletters with friends in two small endeavors called News Systems and Travel Systems.

For more than 50 years, my husband and I have hosted international students attending the University of Colorado. Many of them are still an important part of our lives, along with our two sons, their wives, and our two grandsons.   Since retiring, I have been volunteering with the Louisville History Museum and the Boulder Carnegie Library doing oral history interviews.

Any career advice you would give?

I found copies of some presentations I made in Montana and South Dakota when serving as regional NFPW director. I talked about the mentors, including an aunt, women I met in Boulder, college professors, and especially, members of CPW and NFPW, who meant so much to me in my early career. I also stressed attending conferences and entering contests—as well as being involved in your community—as necessary for growth and for new experiences. I believe this still holds true and we need to encourage young women to stay involved and find their own mentors.

What talent would you like to have?

Every time I travel, or meet new international students and their families, I wish I were proficient in other languages.

If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

I still love Colorado and the western mountains but wish the front range hadn’t gotten so crowded. My early dreams of living in the west haven’t diminished.

What are you currently reading?

I prefer non-fiction and just finished Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lousitania by Eric Larson and Eye On the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I originally got my “nick-name” of Bobbi because there were three “Barbara’s” in a co-op house where I lived at CU.

Why are NFPW and your affiliate important to you?

I still look to CPW and NFPW for education, friendship and involvement in issues that are important to me.

Way to follow you on Facebook, etc.

I am on Facebook and keep up with NFPW and CPW sites, and on email way too many hours in the day!

Meet a Member: Gay Porter DeNileon

Gay Porter DeNileon is a leader for both NFPW and the Colorado affiliate. She is a hard worker who comes up with great ideas on ways to do things better. It has been a pleasure having her as NFPW secretary. She is dependable and is willing to work behind the scenes and give others credit in an effort to make improvements. She is a respected communications professional.She is a leader and a great asset to NFPW. It is a pleasure to introduce my unique and unbelievable friend Gay.

Gay Porter DeNileon pauses near American Falls, Idaho following the NFPW conference in Idaho in 2008.

Name: Gay Porter DeNileon

City and State: Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Affiliate and any leadership positions:

Currently president of Colorado Press Women (also was president 2007 – 2009); former chair of the CPW Program Committee. Current Secretary of NFPW

Years a member of NFPW: 11. I really got involved in 2005 when CPW started planning the 2006 national convention in Denver, that was so much fun and I really learned to appreciate the CPW members, especially the two conference co-chairs Marilyn Saltzman and Ann Lockhart, and then president Judi Buehrer.

Tell us a little about you.

I’m one of those lucky J-School grads (University of Colorado) who has always had a communications job. My college internship with the CU Athletic Department led to a stint covering World Cup skiing and the Winter Olympics with a niche publication called Ski Racing, which led to numerous freelance articles for different publications, including Sports Illustrated and Frontier Inflight. I continued to work in the ski business as the public relations manager for Crested Butte Mountain Resort and as the press liaison for national championships and the Aspen Winternational. Then I was a reporter and editor for a Crested Butte weekly for several years — covering everything from the town council to the local sports to the society news. When I moved to Denver area in the early 90s, I like to say that “my snow melted” and I began to work for the water industry. I’ve worked for American Water Works for 22 years now, first as managing editor and reporter of the association newsletter, then on two other periodicals and more recently as senior manager of editorial development and production of books. Books are a different challenge than writing and editing articles, and I’ve learned a lot along the way.

Gay having dinner with her husband, Mike, and daughter, Hilary, on the beach in Punta Vista, Uruguay

Outside of work, I’ve been happily married to Mike DeNileon for 19 years; we have two granddaughters from his two sons and another grandchild on the way. My daughter, Hilary, is a graduate student at Cornell. (I went back to school a few years ago so I could get my master’s before she did and received my Masters in Public Administration in 2009 from the University of Colorado – Denver.) I love to ski, ride my road bike, garden (although Mike is the real farmer; we had a great harvest the last couple of years), water sports, cook, read, bead, travel, spend time with friends. After we go to Alaska for this year’s NFPW conference, I will have visited every state except four — and I’ll get to those within the next decade.

Any career advice you would give?

Ask questions. That’s what reporters do and why we are important. If you don’t understand something, chances are your readers won’t either, so ask for fuller explanations, do more research, and tell the whole story.

Also, everybody needs an editor, and being an editor can improve your own writing.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I’d love to be able to do improv comedy — and to be able to break dance. I’ll probably take tap dancing lessons when I retire.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Gay sailing in Charleston Harbor on the NFPW post tour last year.

Well I grew up in Michigan, so I love the lakes, and I love the mountains of Colorado, so Lake Tahoe might be the perfect combination of both — if my family and friends were close!

What book are you reading?

I just finished The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (loved it!) and am buzzing through The Children Act by Ian McEwan. And I’m listening to The Wishing Trees by John Shors in my car.  I belong to two book clubs and organize the community reading event for the Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission (I’m a second-term commissioner) so I’m always on the lookout for a good read.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I was the water industry go-to person on counterterrorism right after 9/11. My involvement in the issue began in 1999 when I became the AWWA staff liaison to a group of water utility executives addressing the industry’s response to Presidential Decision Directive 63, which addressed security and critical industry. In that role, I attended training at Argonne and Sandia National Laboratories and was part of a research advisory group developing a risk assessment methodology for water (and later taught the RAM-W method to water utilities). In May 2001 a peer-reviewed article I wrote on the water community’s counterterrorism efforts and the potential to be attacked was published in Journal AWWA. So four months later, I was the only person in our office tracking the issue when terrorist-driven planes took down the World Trade Center. As the national source for water information, AWWA was inundated with phone calls about how secure the drinking water supply was against terrorist attacks, and I fielded a lot of the calls, set up a web resource center for our members, and my article was widely cited in the media.

Another surprising fact is I directed five plays for the community theater in Crested Butte (and acted in an equal number) and if I had known it could be a career, I might have become a movie director. I’ve got a couple plays in me that I’m hoping to write when I retire.

Why is your affiliate and NFPW important to you?

The active members of my affiliate and the people I’ve met through NFPW are all extremely bright women with interesting ideas and experiences that bring a lot to a conversation or an event. They and the events they plan stimulate me and expand my horizons.

Way to follow you on a website, twitter, Facebook, etc. 

LinkedIn, Goodreads, and Pintrest

Successful writer and editor Sandy Graham says good writing remains an essential skill

She has worked for several prominent publications during her career as a reporter and editor. She credits NFPW for helping her land a job with the Wall Street Journal. She is an outstanding writer, a talent that helped her transform to an extremely successful grants writing career. She was one of the outstanding affiliate Communicators of Achievement honored at the recent National Federation of Press Women conference. Meet another of our outstanding members, Sandy Graham.

Sandy Graham and her husband, Blair Johnson, earlier this year.

Name: Sandy Graham

Hometown: Columbine Valley, Colorado (Denver burb)

Affiliate: Colorado Press Women, currently serving as Communicator of Achievement Chair

Years in NFPW:

I joined New Mexico Press Women in the mid 1970’s. My first convention was San Antonio in 1978.

Tell us a little about you:

During the first half of my career, I worked for publications that one colleague recently told me have become known as “legacy media:” Albuquerque Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Rocky Mountain News, Gannett News Service, USA TODAY and USA WEEKEND. The second half, beginning in 1993, revolved around my own writing/editing business and gradually incorporated more electronic and social media. I’ve freelanced for or contracted with a wide range of entities including the National Safety Council, Coors Brewing Co. (managing the employee publication Silver Bulletin), Colorado Biz magazine, National Jewish Health and Good Housekeeping. In that work, I am most proud of helping found and managing Health Elevations, an award-winning quarterly journal of the Colorado Health Foundation, one of the state’s largest and most influential foundations.

When the Great Recession decimated my freelance business, I took a part-time staff job as grants specialist for the Children’s Museum of Denver, raising roughly $2 million in 5 years. I just learned today that one of my last grant applications received $150,000 in funding for the museum’s capital campaign. I retired June 11, 2014.

I’ve been married since 1986 to the wonderful Blair Johnson, also a recovering newspaper reporter who retired a few years ago after a successful public relations career for communications, cable, financial services and environmental organizations. We have two children, Jaime Graham Johnson, a K-8 music teacher, and Reed Murphy Johnson, a sales analyst for an international beverage company, both in the Denver area. Emmy the golden retriever, rounds out the family. I enjoy hiking, bicycling, traveling, yoga, reading and just hangin’ out with Blair. I am chair of our town’s Planning & Zoning Commission, which is almost a full-time job in itself these days since we expect to receive a proposal to develop 105 acres of farmland in the next few months.

The family at son Reed’s 2012 graduation at Cornell University. They are (left to right) Blair Johnson, Sandy Graham, Jaime Johnson and Reed Johnson.

What career advice would you share:

Regardless of whether one tweets or posts or blogs these days, good writing remains an essential skill. If you can write well, your potential is unlimited. I’m an example: My journalistic skills of knowing how to research a topic, understand my audience and write clearly and concisely for that audience allowed me to transition easily to grant-writing in 2009. Hone your writing skills whatever you do!

What talent would you like to have:

I want to fly like Superman! Or tap-dance …

Where would you live if you could live anywhere?

If I could live anywhere, I might move back to the Land of Enchantment and have a little adobe casita somewhere in northern New Mexico, but I’ll probably stay right here. Colorado is a great place.

What are you currently reading?

For the book club I’ve been in since 1993, I just finished The Goldfinch (marvelous!) and started Stars Go Blue. For me, I’m on Book 5 of A Song of Ice and Fire, better known as the Game of Thrones series.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I got my job at the Wall Street Journal because of NFPW. WSJ reporter Meg Cox, a speaker to NFPW’s Indianapolis convention in 1979, announced the Chicago bureau had a job opening for a reporter and I was the only person from an entire roomful of communicators who applied.

Why is your affiliate important to you?

CPW provides great professional growth opportunities – and great friendships.

Ways to follow you:

I really don’t have a “following” so let’s skip FB, Twitter and all that. FB is just for friends and I’ve never used my Twitter account.

Journalist reaches for new challenges in Boston

For the September issue of Aurora Magazine, Sara climbed her first fourteener.

Meet another unique, unusual and amazing NFPW member.

Sara Castellanos recently moved to Boston from Colorado. While in Colorado, she covered the Aurora theatre shootings in July 2012. She was also one of the co-vice presidents of membership for Colorado Press Women.

Name: Sara Castellanos

City and State: Boston, MA; previously Denver, CO

Affiliate and any leadership positions:

Current member of Colorado Press Women, previous co-chair of Membership.

Years a member of NFPW: three

In a paragraph, tell us a little about you.

I grew up in Lakewood, Colo., attended Green Mountain High School, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Denver. I had several newspaper internships in and after college, but I was most recently the city reporter for the Aurora Sentinel and Aurora Magazine. I held that position for nearly four years, and then moved to Boston in October to become a technology reporter for the Boston Business Journal. I’m a bookworm, a former competitive figure skater, a Food Network addict, and this past year I got into running for fun. I ran the Bolder Boulder 10k this past summer, which was an amazing feat for someone who, throughout all her life, could barely run a quarter of a mile without wanting to collapse.

Any career advice you would give?

Three pieces of advice:

1) Work hard in college. And not in the hole-yourself-up-in-a-library way. Get real, live newspaper experience. Intern at newspapers and magazines, even if they’re unpaid. Do your best to network with people there, and maintain those relationships after your internship ends. Both full-time jobs I got after college were because of internships I had in college.

2) Maintain ties. Networking can be hard and time consuming, but if you put in a little effort, the rewards are endless. Keep in touch with previous bosses, professors and classmates. Email them every so often to keep them updated on your career. With LinkedIn and Facebook, networking has become even easier. But don’t underestimate the value of a one-on-one coffee meeting or a handwritten ‘Thank You’ card.

3) Be optimistic, even when times are tough. News of newspapers shutting down and cutting staff is more grim than ever. There have been several times when I considered leaving journalism. But then I’d get a chance to write stories that might have otherwise gone untold. That’s powerful, and it’s worth remembering that it’s a skill, and a valuable one.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I wish I had a good singing voice. I’ve always secretly wanted to be a pop star. (Embarrassing.) Instead, my 20-year-old sister got the good singing and dancing genes, and those are just a few of her many talents!

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Any part of Italy. I studied abroad in Rome and not a day goes by when I don’t yearn for a bottle of house-made Italian wine, spaghetti bolognese and the richness of Italian art and culture.

What book are you reading?

The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Also on my nightstand is The Talisman by Stephen King and Personal History by Katharine Graham.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

Most people don’t know that I lived in The Netherlands for two years, from ages 7 to 9. The French fries always came with mayonnaise, which bothered this ketchup-lover a lot. It was a great adventure, and as a family, we traveled all over Europe while living there. I was too young to fully appreciate Holland then, and I hope to go back during tulip season someday.

Why is your affiliate and NFPW important to you?

Colorado Press Women has been great to me, and I’m so glad I joined. I think it’s important to band together as female journalists, especially during this time of uncertainty in the media world. We can empower each other while growing our professional networks and building our resumes with awards. I hope that through NFPW, I can inspire other young female journalists to be persistent in their journalism careers. I want young journalists to always fully appreciate the qualities of journalism that drew me to the profession in the first place: talking to interesting people and telling their stories.

Ways to follow you:

Add me on Linked in at http://www.linkedin.com/in/scastell, visit my professional portfolio at http://saracastellanosportfolio.wordpress.com, and follow me on Twitter at @BosBizSara

In the photo she is shown climbing her first fourteener.  Here’s the story: http://theauroramagazine.com/coloradical/coloradical-the-height-of-living/ (and yes, I did suggest she enter it in the NFPW communications contest.)