Meeting/Event Information

New Mexico PRSA will host one of the most popular annual programs – Meet the Press Roundtable.

The importance of relationship-building with the media can't be overstated. Media and PR professionals rely on each other in story creation and to engage audiences. Brand awareness, credibility and crisis communications are other key areas of need for both. From broadcast journalists to newspaper editors and from radio hosts to social media experts, connect with these leaders in local journalism.

During this program, attendees rotate tables and interact with various members of the media to learn tips and tricks from news business professionals that will help your stories attract and gain attention. 

We will also learn about the components of a press conference with leadership from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center who will be sharing some exciting news. 

Agenda:
5:30-6 p.m.         Networking w/ Drinks & Appetizers
6-6:15 p.m.          NMPRSA Announcements & Introductions
6:15-6:30 p.m.    Mock Press Conference with IPCC leadership
6:30-7:30 p.m.    Media Roundtable

Featured members of the Press

Ryan Boetel has worked at the Albuquerque Journal since 2014. He's covered a variety of beats, including crime, higher education and politics. Prior to working at the Journal, Boetel worked at The Daily Times in Farmington for four years. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and lives in Downtown Albuquerque with his dog, Duke.

Shaun Griswold is a journalist in Albuquerque with Source New Mexico. He is a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, and his ancestry also includes Jemez and Zuni on the maternal side of his family. He grew up in Albuquerque and Gallup. He brings a decade of print and broadcast news experience. Shaun reports on issues important to Native Americans in urban and tribal communities throughout the state, including education and child welfare.

Megan Kamerick has been a journalist for 25 years and worked at business weeklies in San Antonio, New Orleans and Albuquerque. She first came to KUNM as a phone volunteer on the pledge drive in 2005. That led to volunteering on Women’s Focus, Weekend Edition and the Global Music Show. She was then hired as Morning Edition host in 2015, then the All Things Considered host in 2018. Megan was hired as News Director in 2021. Megan has produced stories for National Public Radio, Latino USA, Capital & Main and Marketplace. She’s passionate about getting women’s voices into media and is the former president of the Journalism & Women Symposium. Her TED talk on women and media has more than 350,000 views. She’s the treasurer for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Rio Grande Chapter.

Stephanie Muñiz is a bilingual reporter born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico with KOAT Action 7 News. Stephanie grew up with the diversity of New Mexico dancing Ballet Folklórico and playing Mariachi music. Stephanie is a proud Aggie graduate from New Mexico State University. In March 2019 she moved to Yakima, Wash. for her first reporting job at KNDO/KNDU-TV. While in Washington she reported on gang violence, Missing Murdered Indigenous Women Epidemic on the Yakama Nation, as well as farmworker strikes and wildfires. Stephanie is excited to be back home and honored to be able to tell the stories of people all over New Mexico.

Peter Rice grew up in Washington State and started working in terrestrial radio there while still a teenager. He has since worked at the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Denver Business Journal, a small twice-weekly on the Oregon Coast, KUNM, and the Albuquerque Tribune. In 2019, he founded Downtown Albuquerque News, a digital subscription news service covering Downtown, Old Town, and surrounding neighborhoods. 

Wende Schwingendorf has brought to the forefront subjects and stories important to New Mexicans – water and land issues, public safety, healthcare, education, economic development, financial literacy, and family health and well-being. Having been both a journalist and a PR/communications professional, she brings a unique perspective to today’s event. She started her career as a reporter at the Albuquerque Journal covering New Mexico's businesses, environment, educational institutions, and sports. Wende was recently brought on as the managing editor at Albuquerque Business First, where she oversees the day-to-day operations of the newsroom.  

Alexa Skonieski joined KRQE News 13 in June of 2022 as a Multi-Media Journalist. She is also the acting Weekend Evening Anchor and Executive Producer. Some of her notable coverage includes the murders of Muslim men in Albuquerque and the Farmington mass shooting. Prior to joining KRQE, she worked for KLKN-TV as a Multi-Media journalist in Lincoln, Nebraska, and an Assignment Editor/Digital Producer for WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A Michigan native, Alexa earned her bachelor's degree at Central Michigan University. When Alexa is not chasing down stories, she enjoys exploring New Mexico and spending time with friends.