2025 Board of Directors

Tiffany Edwards-Hunt,  President

Tiffany Edwards Hunt is a middle school social studies teacher and a
"Greenwaves Gazette" adviser at Kea'au Middle School.  Prior to teaching and advising full-time, Hunt worked as an investigative reporter, freelance writer and
publisher of Big Island Chronicle. She has been a member of BIPC since
2001.

John Burnett, Immediate Past President

John Burnett is the senior reporter at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald with 16 years service at the Hilo daily newspaper, 14 of them covering police and courts. An Illinois native, he arrived in Hawaii in 1973 in the U.S. Navy and stayed after his honorable discharge in 1975. Burnett earned his bachelor's degree in English and a teaching certificate at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and a master's degree in education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He spent 30 years in radio, 12 in Honolulu and 18 in Hilo as a disc jockey, newscaster, talk-show host, program director and sports play-by-play announcer. He is the former voice of UH-Hilo Vulcans athletics and the Hilo Stars of the defunct Hawaii Winter Baseball league. He also taught English for six years in the Hawaii public schools system at Hilo and Waiakea high schools before being hired at the Tribune-Herald in 2006. 

Nancy Cook Lauer, Secretary

Nancy Cook Lauer has more than 30 years experience as a journalist, winning national and state awards for newspapers in Florida and Hawaii. She publishes a daily state government news aggregate and commentary blog, All Hawaii News. After retiring in December, 2022, as government reporter for West Hawaii Today, Lauer moved to a part-time position as student publications advisor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, where she's helping to grow new journalists on the island.

Former president of the Big Island Press Club as well as ongoing vice president of the Hawaii chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Lauer has a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, summa cum laude, from Old Dominion University. 

Robert Duerr, Treasurer

Robert Duerr is an award winning writer, film maker. Award winning films for NASA, The Department of the Treasury, World Healing in Hawaii and top music entertainers including AC/DC. Member of Outdoor Writers of America Association and has written for Surfing, Paddling, Cousteau Society, Outdoor Life. Columnist for Hawaii Fishing News. Throughout his career he has volunteered with many Hawaii community groups including independent schools.

Patsy Y. Iwasaki, Board Member

Patsy Y. Iwasaki, PhD. is a professor of English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. She teaches the introductory and advanced media writing courses, as well as rhetoric, multicultural literature and professional writing. Her research interests and teaching practices include instructional design and development, migration narratives in graphic novels, documentary film, English studies, diversity, place- and community-based, culturally relevant resources in education, and cross cultural exchange and collaboration. She has conducted extensive research activities, published articles, and given presentations in the United States, Asia and Europe in these areas. 

Iwasaki has also conducted research and developed educational projects about Katsu Goto, a 19th century labor advocate and important figure in the Japan-Hawai‘i immigration, labor and social evolution narrative. She has published a graphic novel Hāmākua Hero: A True Plantation Story and is currently creating and producing a documentary film about Goto. She is active in the community, serving on the boards for several organizations dedicated to diversity, education, the Asian American community and youth. 

She struggles to balance her work, projects, family, snacking on dark chocolate and watching The Mandalorian.  

Maya-Lin Green, Board Member

Maya-Lin Green is a University of Hawaii, Hilo student completing a bachelor's degree in mass communications and media journalism and a former staff writer for the student-led paper Ke Kalahea. In addition to school, Green is completing a multi-year research fellowship focused on scientific communication with the USGS-led Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC). Green is a mom of two and an avid reader. She lives on Hawaii Island, Hilo side. 
 

John Atwell

Atwell is a former CIA Senior Operations Officer. His 23-year career began as an analyst, took him to every continent except Antarctica, and included work in counterintelligence, counterproliferation, counterterrorism, and counternarcotics. He later worked for five years for DHS, retiring from federal service in 2020.

He is currently editor of The Weekly Intelligence Notes (a periodical of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers), author of The Island Intelligencer (a monthly column in the Hawaii Tribune Herald) and Editor in Chief for a private intelligence company in Europe. He regularly gives public talks on espionage issues and media literacy.

Megan Moseley

Megan Moseley is a Hawaiʻi-based communications specialist and journalist with nearly two decades of experience in media, government, and nonprofit sectors. She’s reported for local, national and international outlets including The Guardian and National Geographic, covering stories that center around elevating community voices that influence public policy.

Moseley's career spans high-impact roles—from serving as a Public Information Officer for the County of Maui during post-wildfire recovery efforts performing complex data analysis, to developing communication strategies for PISCES' and NASA’s telerobotic lunar landing pad initiative. Her expertise includes crisis communication, artificial intelligence, curriculum development, and cross-cultural storytelling through an Indigenous Standpoint Theory lens.

She is a graduate of Ohio University, holding both a Master’s in Communication degree and a BSJ in Magazine Journalism with specializations in History and Geology. She also has completed one year at New York University’s American Journalism Online master's program. Moseley has also taught and mentored young journalists and designed media curricula for Hawaiʻi youth.
 

Jim Wilson, Interim Vice President

Jim Wilson has a rich history with not only the Big Island newspaper scene, but is actively involved in many groups and associations here. Wilson is an original charter member of the Big Island Press Club.

Wilson graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bacehlor's Degree in Journalism and Business.

He joined Donrey Media in 1962 at Las Vegas Revue Journal. Donrey eventually became Stephens Media and WIlson became their media division manager responsible for 5 west coast dailies plus West Hawaii Today. In 2002, Wilson retired as the Hawaii Tribune Herald Publisher and Stephens Media Division Manager.

Wilson currently serves on the Pacific Tsunami Museum Board of Directors, the Volcano Art Center Board of Directors, and is a member of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce. 

In the past, Wilson has served on the boards of numerous associations in Hawaii, including serving role as President of the Hawaii Publishers Association and the President of Hawaii Society of Professional Journalists.

Ross Wilson, Board Member emeritus

Today, Ross serves as Principal, Current Events, a Strategic Communications Agency.

Ross Wilson Jr., a graduate of Hilo High School attended University of Hawaii Hilo and graduated University of Hawaii Manoa with a Bachelors Business Administration, Travel Industry Management.

Active in the community, Wilson was the West Hawaii Field Representative for former United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka. He serves in the same capacity for United States Senator Mazie K. Hirono.

He currently serves as the Co-Chair of Ahu’ena Heiau, Inc., Chair of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee, President, Home Corporation, member of the Board of Directors of the Big Island Press Club, Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation, Hawaii Community Builders, West Hawaii Housing Foundation, and is a member of Hawaii Community College Chancellor’s Advisory Board.

Wilson is a former Chair of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, Kona Family YMCA, Kuakini Exchange Club and University of Hawaii Hilo Chancellor’s Advisory Committee. He also served as a member of the Kukio Community Fund Advisory Committee, Kona Kai Ola Foundation, Kona Outdoor Circle Foundation and Hawaii Community Foundation’s West Hawaii Fund. Wilson is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, Friends of NELHA, Kealakowaa Heiau, Hawaii Employer Support for the Guard & Reserve, Hawaii Island Food Bank, Hawaii Island United Way, Big Island Visitors Bureau and Na Leo O Hawaii.

Ross Wilson Jr. is the recipient of the 2010 Hawaii Community College Mahalo Award and the 2012 University of Hawaii Hilo Distinguished Alumni Award.