Mass Comm Week Speakers

Andy Sevilla is the managing editor for news and investigations at the Austin American-Statesman. His team collaborations have won Edward R. Murrow Awards, the prestigious Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award and were named Pulitzer Prize finalists for Public Service for their coverage of the Uvalde mass shooting. Sevilla graduated from Texas State University 2009.

Billy Calzada is a veteran photojournalist who loves wielding the gentle power of the camera to tell the stories of our times and our lives. He counts it a privilege that people allow him into their lives to tell their experiences. Calzada has been a newspaper photojournalist since 1987. He recently left the San Antonio Express-News, having covered the Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, the deaths of 51 migrants in a trailer, San Antonio Spurs NBA basketball and much daily life. He was a Hearst Visiting Fellow at the University of Texas, has twice been a judge for the U.S. Air Force worldwide contest, has an NPPA President’s Medal, Tribune Newsphoto of the Year, numerous Texas APME and NPPA awards and the Texas Veterans Commission Excellence in Media Award.

 His career began in 1987 at the El Paso Herald-Post, where he covered Mexico, immigration and drug trafficking, in addition to shooting daily wild art and spot news. After the closure of the Herald-Post, he freelanced, including a short stint in Beirut, Lebanon. He then answered the call from the Orlando Sentinel, where he covered the wildfires of 1998 and events including the Daytona 500 and Bike Week. His skills include shooting and editing news video. He is an FAA certified drone pilot. He counts his brother, Victor, a recently retired photojournalist, as his inspiration. His work can be seen at www.calzadaphoto.com.

Former Cable One Chair and CEO Julie Laulis brings more than four decades of media industry leadership into the classroom for a candid look at what happens inside the executive boardroom. Drawing on her experience leading a major publicly traded media company and serving on corporate boards, Laulis will explore how executives turn strategic ideas into organizational action. 

Students will learn how successful leaders communicate recommendations with clarity, build credibility with decision-makers, anticipate difficult questions, manage competing priorities, and earn support when the stakes are high. The conversation will also examine executive presence, strategic decision-making, and the leadership skills required to move an idea from a strong proposal to an organizational commitment.

Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson is a senior projects reporter at the San Antonio Express-News. Her reporting focuses on immigration enforcement, ICE detention, policing, crime and accountability. She has covered investigations involving public officials, including U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, as well as the experiences of immigrants, detainees and other vulnerable communities. 

Her work seeks to hold powerful institutions and individuals accountable while amplifying the voices of those most affected by their decisions. She previously served as deputy metro editor, overseeing public safety coverage, and as deputy editorial page editor and columnist. She is a former president of the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists and serves as vice president of print for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer Elizabeth (Betty) Buckley brings more than 25 years of experience in film, television, new media, and animation. She is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Cinematic Arts at Texas State University and founder and president of Environmental Arts Alliance, a nonprofit production organization dedicated to telling stories that make a difference.

 Buckley recently produced the PBS feature documentary What’s the Story Wishbone? and wrote and directed The Stars at Night, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival and has been broadcast nationally on PBS. Her extensive credits include projects for HBO, HISTORY, National Geographic, CuriosityStream, and Scripps Networks. A longtime advocate for women in media, Buckley founded Women in Film Dallas and was a founding Advisory Board Co-Chair of Women in Film & Television Austin. She is also a member of the Directors Guild of America.