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What do you do, and what is most interesting about it?
I am the Director of Marketing at CBS 6 (WTVR-TV) in Richmond, Va. In that position I basically oversee station promotions, Web promotions, commercial production, design development, community services and station publicity.

How did you get your job?
I worked in news for 10 years at various television stations before delving into promotions and marketing about eight years ago. I worked at this station from 1999 to 2001 as Promotion Manager, so when the position of Director of Marketing opened up, I was a "known quantity" to the management team that hired me.

What is your best professional lesson learned at the J-School?
Pursue substance and quality over trash and fluff. Who is more respected in America, 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace or tabloid-TV leader Jerry Springer? It is true that you can often gain notice and rise quickly with gimmicks and tricks, but substance usually beats style in the end. They taught us that in the J-School, and it has proven true in every facet of my broadcasting career.

What would be your best advice to current students?
Don't go into broadcasting if you simply want to be on television. If being "famous" is your real goal, please go to Hollywood or New York and become an actor. Brad Pitt left the J-School and has a great career in the movies. If you love journalism and "might" want to anchor or report someday, then you should pursue TV, but if "mug time" is your real, hidden, goal, you will end up being the least respected person in the newsroom.

What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?
I shot, edited and produced more than 2,000 daily news packages during my 10 years as a photographer, all on daily deadlines, and I only missed my slot in the newscast one time! Everyone deserves one free pass.

What is something about you that might surprise people?
After eight years in marketing, I still miss journalism.