Celebrating Texas Journalism

Please join us at the 2024 Mike Quinn Awards Luncheon as we recognize Texas' best journalists for exceptional work produced in 2023, along with our outstanding 2024-25 Scholarship recipients.

Saturday, October 5
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Headliners Club
221 W. 6th St., 21st Floor
Austin, TX 78701

11:00 a.m. Reception
11:30 a.m. Luncheon Begins
12:00 p.m. Program Begins

Keynote panel just announced!

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.

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.

Questions? Please contact Alison Unger or call the Foundation office at (512) 445-4520