2024 Mike Quinn Awards Luncheon is One for the Record Books!
On Saturday, October 5th, the Headliners Foundation welcomed a record number of guests to its annual Mike Quinn Awards Luncheon. More than 135 Foundation supporters, scholarship recipients, professional journalism award-winners, university faculty, Board members, Headliners Club members, managing editors, news directors and other industry professionals gathered in Austin for our annual celebration of the Texas journalism community.
Foundation Board Chair Patti Ohlendorf, who served as the day's emcee, kicked thins off with welcome remarks and recognition of special guests in the audience.
Patti Smith, Vice Chair of the Foundation and Chair of the Academic Excellence Committee introduced 20 outstanding scholarship recipients from seven different Texas universities, and each one had a moment to shine as they spoke about their college journalism experiences and career aspirations after graduation.
23 professional journalism award-winners were on hand to accept their award trophies and certificates from Professional Excellence Committee member and Foundation Secretary Kathleen McElroy. Journalists from small, medium, and large media markets across the state were honored for exceptional work produced in 2023. After the presentations, Foundation Board member Tony Pederson announced the creation of our newest journalism award, the Burl Osborne Award. The award honors the memory of Burl Osborne, former executive editor and publisher of the Dallas Morning News. The Foundation will announce the first Osborne Award-winner in the spring of 2025.
Foundation Governor and former executive editor of the Texas Tribune, Ross Ramsey, led Keynote panelists Manny Garcia, Debbie Hiott, and Matthew Watkins through a fascinating exploration of the impact of digital media platforms on the rapidly changing landscape of local media. The insightful discussion touched on a number of issues, including the integration of digital media formats into traditional journalism outlets, and advice for young journalists just starting their careers.
Huge thanks to Patti Ohlendorf, Patti Smith, Kathleen McElroy, Tony Pederson, and Ross Ramsey for their hard work and participation. Thanks, also, to the Keynote panelists for lending their time and talents to the program, and to all who joined in the celebration of Texas' exceptional journalism community. See you next year!
Innovating Local Journalism: The Rise of Digital Media
This year's keynote program will be a panel discussion on Innovating Local Journalism: The Rise of Digital Media. Moderator Ross Ramsey will lead panelists Matthew Watkins and Debbie Hiott in a conversation about why local media is important, how new, digital-only outlets are enhancing local journalism and affecting local policies, and whether these new outlets are promoting increased consumption of local news.
Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. Matthew is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended public schools and graduated from Texas A&M University. He’s spent nearly two decades in Texas journalism, and previously worked at The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and The Dallas Morning News. Matthew joined the Tribune in 2015 has held various roles, including higher education reporter, breaking news editor and politics editor. As a managing editor, Matthew has guided the Tribune’s award-winning journalism and other reporting of statewide significance, including coverage of elections and legislative sessions to major breaking news and ambitious storytelling about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas-Mexico border, the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, the impeachment of Texas attorney general and battles over public education. He lives in Austin with his wife, Susan, and their two children.
Headliners Foundation Board member Debbie Hiott is general manager of KUT, Austin’s NPR affiliate, and music station KUTX. She also serves as executive director of media operations for the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas. Before that, Hiott spent 28 years at the Austin American-Statesman, where she started as an intern while studying at Southwest Texas State University and spent her last seven years as executive editor. Hiott served twice as a Pulitzer Prize jury member, is currently on the board of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, and served for seven years on the board of the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. She lives in Northwest Austin with her husband and two children.
Manny García is the editor-in-chief of the Houston Landing. He held leadership roles at the Austin American-Statesman, ProPublica-Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative, USA Today Network, The Naples Daily News, Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald. García has a reputation for newsroom mentorship and organizational savvy — increasing impactful journalism, restructuring around areas of community interest and growing audiences.
Ross Ramsey co-founded The Texas Tribune in 2009 and served as its executive editor until his retirement in 2022, writing regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Before joining the Tribune, he was editor and co-owner of Texas Weekly. He did a 28-month stint in government with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Before that, he reported for the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Times Herald, as a Dallas-based freelancer for regional and national magazines and newspapers, and for radio stations in Denton and Dallas. Ramsey currently serves on the Headliners Foundation Board of Governors and sits on the Academic Excellence Committee, which oversees the Foundation’s scholarship program.
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Questions? Please contact Alison Unger or call the Foundation office at (512) 445-4520