CCNMA

Miguel Melendez

CCNMA welcomes Miguel Melendez, a USA Today Sports mobile content producer, to join its Board of Directors.

“CCNMA events fueled my fire for journalism,” Melendez said, “and as a board member I want to do my part in making sure that CCNMA continues to produce quality events in hopes that it inspires aspiring journalists and professional journalists alike.”

Melendez curates and programs editorial content for the new USA TODAY Sports app. He previously worked for FOX Sports, NFL Network and The Orange County Register. His byline also has appeared in The Associated Press, Boston Globe and Oakland Tribune.

Melendez was 17 when he started as a freelancer at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune working on the sports desk answering phones. He covered high school sports at The Register before moving on to the pro soccer beat and later assisting with Lakers, USC, UCLA and Angels coverage. Melendez was the UCLA beat writer at the Daily News before becoming an editor at NFL.com. He was born in Tijuana, Mexico and lives in Downtown Los Angeles.

“I hope that my story — overcoming homelessness and escaping a drug and gang-infested upbringing — can inspire someone to continue their relentless pursuit of achieving their dreams,” Melendez said.

Julio Moran, left, poses for a photo with longtime CCNMA supporter Cecilia E. Alvear and NAHJ President Mekahlo Medina at the annual CCNMA Banquet on June 5, 2015. (Courtesy of Cecilia E. Alvear)

Julio Moran will be retiring as executive director of the nonprofit CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California after serving the journalism organization for 18 years.

The CCNMA board of directors thanks him for his service, particularly as the news industry underwent significant changes during the last decade.

“Julio shepherded CCNMA during a difficult financial period, and we appreciate all that he has dedicated to the organization,” said CCNMA President Yvette Cabrera. “Whether it was mentoring journalism students or guiding professionals on their career paths, Julio generously shared his wisdom with many generations of Latino journalists.”

CCNMA, the oldest regional organization of journalists of color in the country, was founded in 1972 to promote diversity in the news media by providing encouragement, scholarships and educational programs for Latinos pursuing careers as journalists. As part of its mission, CCNMA works to foster an accurate and fair portrayal of Latinos in the news media, and also promotes the social, economic and professional advancement of Latino journalists.

Moran first joined the nonprofit as a consultant in 1996, and then was hired as its executive director the following year. He is a former Los Angeles Times reporter who was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team honored for its groundbreaking coverage of Latinos in Southern California. The comprehensive 21-part series was published in 1983 and won a Pulitzer in the Meritorious Public Service category.

Throughout his career, Moran has been active in efforts to bring diversity to the nation’s newsrooms. In 1982, he served on the planning committee that organized the first national conference for Latino journalists, which was held in San Diego.

He sat on the first board of directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in 1984, and was elected vice president for print in 1986. In 1996, NAHJ presented him with the President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Moran also sat on the board of directors of Unity ‘94, an umbrella group of the four largest national associations of journalists of color. The first Unity conference was held in Atlanta in 1994 and attracted more than 5,000 participants.

Moran will continue to serve in an advisory capacity as CCNMA transitions and searches for his replacement. His last day will be Monday, June 15, 2015.

For the 35th annual CCNMA Scholarship Banquet, CCNMA is honored to have collaborated with NAHJ in recognizing distinguished California journalists.

CCNMA awarded scholarships to five students and presented the 16th Ruben Salazar Journalism Awards. CCNMA also honored three journalists instrumental to CCNMA’s mission in diversifying newsrooms: Celina Rodriguez, a longtime broadcaster in San Jose; Juan Esparza Loera, editor of Vida en el Valle in Fresno; and Magdalena Beltran-del Olmo, recently retired from The California Wellness Foundation.

The night included NAHJ’s Noche de Honores, which recognized three journalists and long time broadcaster Sylvia Lopez, who retired from KCAL 9 after 30 years on the air.

“It was an amazing night of celebration, gratitude and the start of a growing partnership with CCNMA,” NAHJ President Mekahlo Medina wrote to NAHJ members.

Medina acknowledged that NAHJ is the product of CCNMA more than 30 years ago.

“Both CCNMA and NAHJ have the same mission to diversify newsrooms,” said CCNMA President Yvette Cabrera. “Our efforts are only stronger when we work together.”

Check out photos and buzz around Friday’s event in the Storify below: