SPJ Georgia will hold elections for the positions of president, vice president and at-large member of the board of directors July 6-12.

Elections will be held by electronic ballot. All SPJ Georgia members in good standing will receive a voting form by email.

Questions? Please contact us at spjgeorgia@gmail.com

The candidates:

For president: Susanna Capelouto and Patty Rasmussen (co-presidents)

Susanna Capelouto and Patty Rasmussen have joined forces to run for co-presidency of SPJ Georgia.  

Their goal is to build on Katja Ridderbusch’s diligence and leadership by focusing on growth in membership and promoting leadership opportunities, such as the SPJ National Leadership Institute.

Building breadth and depth in membership and leadership will ensure that SPJ Georgia continues to thrive well past the 15-month tenure of their co-presidency. Susanna and Patty plan to divide administrative tasks but are united in their goal to strengthen SPJ Georgia. 

More about Susanna: 

Susanna Capelouto has had a long career in public media with Georgia Public Broadcasting and WABE in Atlanta. She’s also worked for CNN. She’s currently the southern bureau chief for National Public Radio.  

As a reporter, she covered the state legislature for Georgia Public Broadcasting and later became GPB’s first female news director. She then joined CNN — first as a radio editor and later as a freelancer on the international desk. She started at WABE in 2015 as an editor and joined NPR in 2023. 

Susanna joined SPJ and SPJ Georgia because of their advocacy for the journalism profession that is so needed. Defending press freedom, media literacy and setting the standard for journalism ethics are core elements she wants to support as co-president of the SPJ Georgia chapter. 

More about Patty:

Patty Rasmussen has had a long career in journalism, predominantly as a freelancer although she worked on the staff of a magazine and briefly as a corporate content writer. She’s a regular contributor to Georgia Trend magazine, and her current clients include Bookhouse Group, Notable Line and Conway Data. She’s written for the Atlanta Braves, the AJC, Major League Baseball, Site Selection Magazine, and Georgia Tech, among many others. She has co-authored the memoir “A Way Out: Faith, Hope, and a Love of the Game” with Billy Wagner, a former Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher. 

In 2021, she was selected as a Higher Education Media Fellow by the Institute of Citizens & Scholars. She has also served as a mentor to other fellows and as a member of the Higher Education Media Fellowship Planning Committee, where she developed convening programming and selected fellows. 

Patty is not one to sit on the sidelines. She joined SPJ and SPJ Georgia last year mainly because she wanted to advocate for her profession, mentor younger journalists, and ensure that ethical standards are maintained. 

For vice president: Joshua Wilson

Joshua is currently executive editor of The Macon Melody and will become managing editor of Appen Media Group in mid-July. Before relocating to the Peach State in 2025 from his native Mississippi, he helped launch the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at The University of Southern Mississippi, taught college journalism and media literacy courses, and led the Mississippi Business Journal, The Pine Belt News and Signature Magazine. 

Joshua holds an M.B.A. and bachelor’s degree from William Carey University and a graduate certificate in economic development from Southern Miss. 

Joshua is running for vice president because he’s passionate about helping fellow journalists grow in their careers and have a community that understands and supports them. As vice president, he plans to market the SPJ Georgia chapter to journalists all over the state and aggressively grow the membership roster.

For at-large member: Jennifer McKee

A freelance writer and editor based in Augusta, Jennifer McKee began her career at the Chicago Tribune and has written for travel publications in more than two dozen markets. She worked for Morris Communications for more than 20 years, and as editor of Orlando magazine, received seven Charlie Awards from the Florida Magazine Association. 

She loves to collaborate and bring together diverse voices, because in connecting with people of different backgrounds and cultures our experience can only be richer. 

After joining the SPJ Georgia chapter in January 2026, Jennifer reached out to the student chapter at Augusta University and spoke at the communication department’s “Future of the First Amendment” lecture. She organized SPJ’s first dedicated media mixer in Augusta and participated in AU’s CommuniCon program. 

Earlier this month, Jennifer was accepted to the SPJ Leadership Institute in July 2026. 

In the fall, Jennifer plans to bring the “Georgia Knows Media” media literacy campaign to AU. As an at-large member on SPJ Georgia’s board, she aims to increase visibility for SPJ’s programs in Augusta and the surrounding area and to grow professional membership.