Hispanic Heritage Month: Latinas in Mass Media

Jessie Degollado
KSAT 12 News Reporter

KSAT 12 News reporter Jessie Degollado is a familiar face with a last name that some viewers may have difficulty pronouncing, but always seem to remember.

With KSAT since 1984, Jessie is a general assignments reporter who daily covers a wide variety of stories.

Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues.

She and photographer Misael Gomez were recognized by the Associated Press in 1995 for their series, "Chiapas Revolt One Year Later."

Educated in Laredo public schools, with a journalism degree from Baylor University, Jessie also has received several awards in recognition of her longstanding career.

They include the Outstanding Alumna Award from the Baylor University Journalism Department in 2014, the Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 from the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists, the International Humanitarian Service Award in 2011 from Mujeres Hispanas Por Mejor Justicia, and the Alegre Award in 2016 from Norteno Radio.

In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.

Mayde Gomez
KABB Fox 29 News Anchor

Mayde Gomez joined the KABB Fox 29 weekday morning news team in October of 2020. She anchors alongside longtime Fox News First host Ernie Zuniga.

Before her return to San Antonio, Mayde anchored both the weekend morning, and later, the weekend evening shows, as well as reported during the week at KXTV ABC10 in Sacramento. She covered an array of stories including the deadliest wildfires in California history, the rolling power blackouts, and the sentencing trial for convicted serial killer Joseph DeAngelo, also known as the “Golden State Killer.”

Prior to KXTV ABC10, Mayde reported for ABC7 in Los Angeles where she covered a breadth of stories, from high-speed chases to the San Bernardino terror attack shooting and Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico City and El Paso, Texas.

Prior to ABC7 Mayde worked as a Multi Media Journalist for KSAT 12 San Antonio’s SA Live, a one-hour, feature and variety show where she produced and anchored the “Que Chismosa” entertainment segment, and contributed daily community stories.

Mayde first worked as a general assignment reporter at Telemundo 60 in San Antonio. She began her broadcasting career at Telemundo 39 in Dallas, where she began as a production assistant and worked her way up to fill-in Editor.

Mayde is a graduate of The University of Texas at Arlington; she earned her degree in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Criminal Justice.

She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Mayde loves to hear from viewers, whether it’s to say hello or pitch a story idea, be sure to drop her a line at magomez@sbgtv.com.

She is also very active on social media you can connect with her at:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Amanda Henderson
News 4 Reporter

Amanda Henderson is an Emmy nominated reporter who joined News 4 in January 2020. She recently moved back to San Antonio but is familiar to the area.

She has lived all over the country as both her parents were in the military, which included living in San Antonio twice. Back in 2015, she interned with our stations.

Amanda is a proud graduate from the University of Missouri and previously worked at our sister station in Springfield, IL before coming to back to San Antonio. While in Illinois, she got to cover several topics, which included a Presidential and Vice-Presidential visit, a mass shooting at a hospital and an hours long standoff after a man shot a Sheriff’s Deputy.

San Antonio is home for Amanda and she is excited to be back after some time in the Midwest. Her favorite activities include anything outdoors and visiting National Parks.

Melissa Vela-Williamson, APR, CDP®
Chief Communication Architect/Founder

Melissa Vela-Williamson, APR is an internationally-recognized and accredited award-winning public relations expert and national columnist with almost two decades of general market and multicultural integrated marketing communications experience in agency, corporate and nonprofit settings.

Today, she serves clients as the Chief Communication Architect of her own boutique firm, MVW Communications. Melissa is a 360° integrated marketing communicator but has expertise and accreditation in public relations. As a unique attribute, Melissa has worked in internal communications and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for a corporation during her career. She is one of only 5,000 PR professionals around the world with the “APR” distinction and recently earned her accreditation as a Certified Diversity Professional. Her inclusive PR point of view influences any communication challenge she tackles.

During her career, she has directed public relations, DEI, marketing, advertising or social media strategy for over 85 organizations such as Kampgrounds of America, H-E-B, Alamo Colleges District, Meals on Wheels San Antonio, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, and Texas State University. 

Melissa has received top industry recognition for both her individual and campaign accomplishments. In 2021 alone, she and MVW Communications won three national awards through PRSA and PRNews. Locally, she is the only professional in the city to receive both the Horizon and Professional of the Year awards from PRSA San Antonio.

In addition to agency work, Melissa is a sought-after professional workshop facilitator, trainer, and coach. She has led sessions for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, the Maestro Entrepreneur Center, CPS Energy, the San Antonio Zoo, the Intercultural Development Research Association, and Alamo Colleges Workforce Network. She is also a frequent guest presenter for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the Public Relations & Communication Association Americas (PRCA Americas), PR News, and colleges across the country.

Melissa's specialties include using PR for social good in the Hispanic/Latino, DEI, nonprofit, education, environmental, cultural, and corporate industries. A published creative writer, Melissa has crafted copy throughout her career - from media materials to van wraps. Her breadth and depth of experience inspires her 360º approach to communication.

Thought Leadership

As a thought leader in public relations, Melissa is a national columnist for the Public Relations Society of America’s newspaper, “Strategies & Tactics” reaching over 30,000 practitioners each issue. Her “Cultural Strategy” column is the first to ever focus on the Hispanic/Latino market and includes Melissa’s take on how to integrate DEI practices into public relations.

In 2021, she launched her industry-focused podcast, the Smart Talk Series, and a PR Pro Gear online merchandise shop to deepen industry conversations and elevate pride in the profession.

Her book on how aspiring pros from diverse backgrounds can enter and succeed in public relations will be published in November 2022.

Community Involvement

A past president of PRSA San Antonio, Melissa has represented San Antonio at the PRSA International Conference and remains the chapter’s current VP of Social Responsibility. She is a graduate of the Latina Leadership Institute and the Alex E. Briseño Leadership Development Program, both of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She’s also an alum of the Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce’s E.P.I.C. Leadership Development Program.

Melissa has donated time, talent or treasure with numerous nonprofits throughout her career. She was the founding Chair for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio Communications Committee and the founding Chair Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas’ Marketing Communications Committee. Melissa currently serves as a member of the KLRN (PBS) Community Advisory Board and the San Antonio Area Foundation’s Youth Success Advisory Committee. She recently served on the Latina Leadership Institute Steering Committee, actively volunteers with her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop, and is certified as a volunteer pet therapy team with her rescue dog Bevo through PAWS for Service.

Education

Melissa earned a bachelor's degree in English/Communication Arts from St. Mary’s University and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Texas San Antonio. 

A lifelong learner, Melissa stays on the cutting edge of trends and best practices through professional development, creating content, reading, listening to podcasts and strategic networking. Melissa truly cares about her clients and adds value to their organizations from day one.