Tucson, Arizona – April 3, 2014 – Arizona Public Media announces the addition of Debi Chess Mabie as host of AZ Illustrated Arts, the weeknight news magazine which airs each Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. on PBS 6. Additionally, veteran AZPM reporter, Fernanda Echavarri has been selected as a 2014 New York Times Fellow for The Changing Face of America: Immigration and the Politics of Reform, at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism.
About Debi Chess Mabie Debi Chess Mabie has over 20 years of experience in the non-profits sector as a community organizer and program and development specialist. Prior to moving to Tucson in 2010, Debi was executive director of Boocoo Cultural Arts, Center and Café in Evanston, Illinois—a multi-cultural venue to promote the arts as a community development tool. She currently works for the Tucson Pima Arts Council. Debi holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and graduate degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. About AZ Illustrated Arts AZ Illustrated Arts is the weekly Thursday night edition of Arizona Public Media’s AZ Illustrated nightly news magazine series on PBS 6. The program, which airs Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., explores the vibrant arts and culture community that is distinctly Southern Arizona.. The program is hosted by Debi Chess Mabie, and produced by Mark McLemore. To watch AZ Illustrated Arts episodes, visit here.
Fernanda Echavarri has been accepted as a New York Times Fellow for The Changing Face of America: Immigration and the Politics of Reform, at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. Echavarri covers immigration and the border, in addition to education and public affairs for Arizona Public Media. Her fellowship comes at a key time to enhance coverage of the immigration debate in the United States and the country’s changing demographics. Echavarri is one of 20 selected nationwide for the 2014 fellowship taking place in May.
About Fernanda Echavarri: Fernanda Echavarri covers public affairs, education and immigration for Arizona Public Media. Echavarri, a graduate of the University of Arizona School of Journalism, produces content for radio, TV and online. She started her career in print journalism as a reporter for the Tucson Citizen, covering everything from immigration and in-depth pieces to daily breaking news. She then went on to work for the Arizona Daily Star, where she focused on public safety and investigative reporting. Echavarri, as part of a team of reporters at AZPM, received the Edward R. Murrow Award for radio documentary in 2013. She also received a Freedom of Information Award from the Arizona Newspaper Association in 2011 for her work in a series published in the Arizona Daily Star. She is an alumna of the New York Times Student Journalism Institute and joined Arizona Public Media in 2011.
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.