NAHJ President Brandon Benavides
Brandon A. Benavides is the executive producer of Good Morning San Antonio at KSAT12 (ABC), a Graham Media Group station in his hometown San Antonio, Texas.
He is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who worked in our nation’s capital at WRC-TV (NBC4) between 2010 and 2015. During that time, he also served as president of the NAHJ Washington D.C. Chapter for four years.
Under his leadership, the D.C. Chapter began offering members monthly activities. Membership meetings were held at various news organizations, federal agencies, the Mexican Embassy, the U.S. Capitol and The White House. The chapter also started an annual fundraiser, “Noche de Periodistas,” at the home of noted broadcast journalist Ray Suarez. Chapter members raised funds to provide students with transportation stipends named the Charlie Ericksen Student Supplement.
During his four terms as D.C. Chapter president, Benavides formed relationships with other area journalists of color associations. He was instrumental in creating networking opportunities for the members. Several journalists report receiving job offers that stemmed from their having attended these mega-mixers.
Benavides also had the idea to create a joint job fair, which has been a huge success. He chairs the planning committee comprised of the D.C. chapter presidents of NAHJ, AAJA, NLGJA, WABJ, SPJ Pro, and the Journalism and Women’s Symposium. Georgetown University’s Master’s in Journalism Program hosts the Washington, D.C. Journalism Job Fair.
NAHJ presented Benavides with the Si Se Puede Award, honoring his chapter leadership. The D.C. Chapter was awarded the National Chapter Cup under Benavides’ leadership. Over the years, Benavides planned many regional conferences, workshops, mixers, meetings and job fairs. Benavides joined NAHJ in 2004 as a student. He served in several capacities for the national association, including co-chair of the GLBT Caucus, Region 6 representative and General At-Large officer.
Benavides started his career as a producer at KETK-TV (NBC) in Tyler, Texas. He also has worked at KSTP-TV (ABC) in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.
Benavides earned his Master of Arts in Communication: Journalism and Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.