Sewell Chan (AAJA-Los Angeles) has been named a deputy managing editor at The Los Angeles Times. In this position, he will supervise a team of journalists responsible for initiating coverage and developing content for its digital, video and print platforms. Sewell previously spent the past 14 years at The New York Times where he worked as a reporter in Manhattan and Washington; as deputy editor of the Op-Ed page and Sunday Review section; as a news editor in London responsible for breaking news from Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and, most recently, as International News Editor in New York. He grew up in Queens, New York, graduated from Harvard and studied politics at Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship before joining The Washington Post as a metro reporter. Follow Sewell on Twitter at @sewellchan.
Shehan Jeyarajah (AAJA-Texas) recently joined Dave Campbell’s Texas Football as the publication’s college insider and editor. He will be responsible for developing in-depth, day-to-day content on every college football and basketball program in the state of Texas, with a particular focus on the 12 FBS programs. Before joining Dave Campbell’s, Shehan worked as a Big 12 and SEC college football writer for Cox Media Group’s college football vertical team. A 2016 graduate of Baylor University, Shehan has also worked with The Dallas Morning News, Sports Illustrated for Kids and ESPN Central Texas. He won AAJA’s national award for general student excellence for his 2015 story on underrecruited Baylor linebacker Taylor Young. Follow Shehan on Twitter at @ShehanJeyarajah.
James Koh (AAJA-Los Angeles) is joining DIRECTV’s Fantasy Zone as an analyst and host. The show, which airs on Sundays during the NFL season, will cover every NFL game in real-time with a focus on fantasy football. James previously worked at the NFL Network and also hosted the NFL Fantasy Live Podcast in addition to writing a popular weekly column focused on advanced analytics entitled, “Koh Knows.” Prior to NFL Network, James worked at local affiliates in Los Angeles, San Diego and Bakersfield. A winner of four Emmy awards, he has also been honored with an Edward R. Murrow award, a Golden Mike award and an Associated Press Reporter of the Year award. James holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a graduate degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. When not obsessing over fantasy teams, he spends his free time chasing after his adorable daughter. Follow James on Twitter at @JamesDKoh.
Mariecar Mendoza (AAJA-San Francisco Bay Area) was recently promoted to senior digital arts editor, entertainment and engagement for The San Francisco Chronicle where she oversees daily arts and entertainment coverage for Datebook and datebook.sfchronicle.com. Prior to The Chronicle, she was a features digital editor for the Los Angeles News Group where she specialized in music, food and festival coverage for the region. Mariecar has also worked as a multimedia news reporter for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, California where she covered city hall politics, crime and courts for nearly seven years. She is a proud alumna of the Chips Quinn Scholar program, AAJA Voices and the Executive Leadership Program. She has also served as an AAJA-Los Angeles chapter board member for three years, with her last two terms as vice president of print. She currently serves as co-director of AAJA Features Forum, an affinity group that aims to provide programming, services and support for features, arts, entertainment and lifestyle journalists of color.
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