Co-President and Interim Treasurer Susanna Capelouto
Susanna Capelouto is the Southern Bureau Chief for National Public Radio. She works with reporters in 13 Southern states to produce content for NPR’s digital and radio audiences. Before joining NPR Susanna served as Deputy Managing Editor at Atlanta’s Public Radio station WABE.
Throughout her long career as a journalist, she worked as a writer for CNN Digital and as a news editor at CNN’s International desk.
Susanna got her start in journalism at Georgia Public Broadcasting, the state’s 17-station public radio network where she worked as a producer, reporter and eventually as news director. There she reported on state politics, healthcare, and education policies.
Susanna is a graduate of Georgia State University. In her free time, she works with bees as a Georgia Certified Beekeeper, a passion she says can also be applied to news leadership. In 2024 she co-wrote an article about “7 things newsroom managers can learn from beekeeping. ”
Susanna, who has served as treasurer on the SPJ Georgia 2025/2026 Board of Directors, joined SPJ and SPJ Georgia because of the advocacy for our profession that is so needed. Defending press freedom, media literacy and setting the standard for journalism ethics are core elements she wants to support during her tenure.
Co-President Patty Rasmussen
Patty Rasmussen has had a long career in journalism, predominantly as a freelancer but with additional experience working on a magazine staff and a brief stint as a corporate content writer.
She’s a regular contributor to Georgia Trend magazine, and her clients include Bookhouse Group, Notable Line and Conway Data. She’s also written for the Atlanta Braves, the AJC, Major League Baseball, Site Selection Magazine, and Georgia Tech, among many others.
She 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, Patty was selected as a Higher Education Media Fellow by the Institute of Citizens & Scholars, a reporting fellowship which focused on postsecondary education and Career and Technical Education (CTE).
She 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.
Her focus as co-president of SPJ Georgia is to increase breadth and depth in membership and leadership to ensure that the chapter continues to thrive well past the 15-month tenure of her co-presidency.
Vice President Joshua Wilson
Joshua Wilson is the managing editor of Appen Media Group in Atlanta. He previously served as executive editor of The Macon Melody. 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, who previously served as SPJ Georgia’s media literacy committee chair, is 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.
Secretary Rachel Spooner
Rachel Spooner is a junior Communications student at Oglethorpe University, minoring in writing. She’s the co-editor of the college’s student-run newspaper, The Stormy Petrel, and she’s set to take on the role of editor-in-chief next semester.
A storyteller at heart, she has a deep interest in people and their stories. Through in-depth interviews and narrative articles, she’s shared those stories with those who need to hear them.
With experience in marketing and content-creation, as well as extensive writing skills, she is well-equipped to spread the word. She is a Dean’s List student who’s always seeking opportunities to grow, collaborate, and learn in creative and supportive spaces.
At-Large Member Benjamin Grady
Benjamin Grady currently works as a communication specialist for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia. (ACCG). His role includes primary messaging and marketing of legislative information for all digital communications, producing and editing content for internal and external communications, and establishing and maintaining a working relationship with county officials, subsidiaries, and regional partners throughout the state of Georgia.
As an undergraduate student from Oglethorpe University, he previously worked as a digital communications intern for the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation (AFRF) in Atlanta. Benjamin also enjoys photography in his free time, photographing a variety of subjects in the form of landscape, portrait and street photography. He currently lives in Smyrna.
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 has a Masters in print journalism from the University of Southern California, where she helped professors hone the online journalism program (which is now itself a Master’s program), and while in Los Angeles, worked the celebrity courthouse beat for E! Online.
Jennifer loves to collaborate and bring together diverse voices, because in connecting with people of different backgrounds and cultures, our experience can only be richer. A dedicated mentor, she has guided emerging editors and interns, taking immense pride in helping rising writers sharpen their voices.
A graduate of the 2026 SPJ Leadership Institute, Jennifer has built strong relations with the SPJ student chapter at Augusta University and organized SPJ’s first dedicated media mixer in Augusta. Going forward, she aims to increase visibility for SPJ’s programs in Augusta and the surrounding area and to help grow professional membership.
At-Large Member Sabriya Rice
Sabriya Rice is KFF Health News’ Southern bureau chief. Her team focuses on bolstering health coverage about equity, race and poverty in the South and Texas.
Previously, she wrote about the business of health care for The Dallas Morning News, covered quality and safety issues in U.S. hospitals and health systems for Modern Healthcare, and produced television and digital medical news stories for CNN.
Most recently, she was the Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism at the University of Georgia. Sabriya is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists, where she serves as co-chair of the Right to Know Committee.
At-Large Member Kim Woodcock Speece
Kim Speece is a media relations professional with an array of experience from education and business to nonprofits and entertainment. Speece’s clients include Emory University School of Law, Goizueta Business School, Atlanta Press Club, Target, Construction Ready, Georgia Works, Facebook, Rally Foundation and Global Ministries.
Originally from Richmond, Va., Speece is a graduate of James Madison University with a double major in Communications and Health Sciences. She was one of the college television station’s first female sportscasters. Speece worked as a television news producer focusing on special projects and long format news shows in Richmond, Va., and Charlotte, NC. She was a freelance health and education producer in New York City. After a move to Atlanta, she worked as an educator and writer focusing on learning differences and educational disparity before moving to media relations.
Speece is an active member of the Atlanta Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, the Georgia Entertainment PR Alliance, the Atlanta Track Club and IRIS Breast Cancer Rehabilitation. When not working, she is either out for a run, reading, or pacing while fanatically watching college sports.
At-Large Member Mark Woolsey
Mark Woolsey was always fascinated by radio. After starting out as a DJ, he got hooked on journalism. That led him into a gypsy career, working as a radio anchor/reporter in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington DC.
After growing more interested in weather, he took courses and was certified as a meteorologist through the Mississippi State University Broadcast Meteorology Program. That brought him to Atlanta and The Weather Channel.
Along the way, he also developed his skills as a print freelancer, writing for many newspapers and magazines. And he worked a couple of TV jobs. He’s semi-retired now but still doing part-time radio. He’s been very blessed to find something he likes to do and to get paid for it.
Journalism is important, he says, because it helps people make better decisions about their lives.
Student Representative Jackson ‘Lee’ Peters
Lee Peters is president of the KSU student chapter of SPJ. As a board member of SPJ Georgia, his goal is to support student chapters across the state. He is motivated to help fellow students build professional skills and connections.
Born and raised in Cartersville, Ga., Lee was sports reporter, social media manager and editor of the Cartersville High School student newspaper nearly 10 years ago.
He is majoring in journalism and emerging media with a minor in political science. He earned President’s and Dean’s List honors in four straight semesters. He is interested in investigative and/or data journalism.
Lee also currently works as a sales representative and team lead for a State Farm agent in Vinings.
Immediate Past President Katja Ridderbusch
Katja Ridderbusch is an award-winning, independent journalist based in Atlanta. A media veteran of three decades, she reports for news organizations in the U.S. and Europe — mostly about police, public safety, healthcare and social issues.
Katja’s work has been published by KFF Health News, NPR, TIME, U.S. News & World Report, The AJC, Police1 and The Times of Israel.
Originally from Germany, Katja immigrated to the U.S. in 2005 and proudly became an American citizen. She previously worked for the Berlin-based German daily WELT as a staff writer, international military and crisis reporter and foreign correspondent in Brussels.
Katja holds a master’s in history from Free University of Berlin. She is an Arthur F. Burns Fellow and the recipient of a Holbrooke Research Grant from the International Center for Journalists. Her work has been recognized with a National Azbee Award of Excellence, an Association of Health Care Journalists reporting award, a Native American Journalists Association award, and several Green Eyeshade awards.
Katja, who is also a member of the SPJ National Programming Committee, became the first immigrant to serve as president of SPJ Georgia.
During her tenure, SPJ Georgia expanded its professional development programming for journalists as well as its public education efforts. Katja placed a particular emphasis on journalist safety and security and on strengthening media literacy. Under her leadership, SPJ Georgia secured a grant from the SPJ Foundation to launch the statewide “Georgia Knows Media” campaign.
SPJ Georgia 