Instructors

• Photography (July 14th)

Cary Conover is now in his 16th year of teaching at Andover High School. He teaches basic and advanced photojournalism classes and serves as an adviser to the Epic yearbook and Trojan TV broadcast journalism program. Cary is also an adjunct instructor at Newman University. Before starting his career as an educator, Cary was a freelance photographer in New York City. A native of Wichita, he continues to pursue personal photography projects. Since 2021, he has been working on the Kansas Border Project, which is a look at his home state as seen from various points along the borders. Cary has been teaching at the Flint Hills Publications Workshop nearly every year since 1998.

• Social Media (July 13)

Cindy Augustine is the President and CEO of Kazoo Media, a boutique paid media agency based in Kansas City that specializes in strategic media planning, buying, and digital marketing for clients. Her experience spans industries including restaurants, higher education, healthcare, and live events. A Kansas State University alum (BS ’98) and member of the university’s Advisory Council, Cindy has spent almost three decades helping brands figure out how to reach the right people, in the right place, at the right time—whether through traditional media, digital advertising, social, or even guerrilla marketing. Beyond running her agency, she is an active community leader and a passionate mentor for today’s future professionals. Cindy is excited to bring her real-world expertise to the Flint Hills Publications Workshop and share what she’s learned about making social media work — not just for scrolling, but as a powerful tool for storytelling and connection.

Nick Homburg

• Drone Photography/Videography (July 13)

Nick Homburg is a photojournalist, documentary filmmaker, and professor at Kansas State University’s A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication. His work centers on authentic, story-driven visual storytelling, often approaching projects with the mindset of a working anthropologist—observing, listening, and documenting with intention and respect. Through his production and education company, FotoProMedia, Nick leads workshops and field-based learning experiences that blend cinematic craft with real-world application. As an educator, he is committed to teaching through doing—helping students and participants develop not only technical skills, but a deeper ability to see, connect, and tell meaningful stories.

Jessica Bowman

• Leadership (July 14th)

Jessica Bowman has been advising student publications–including yearbook, website, newspaper, and magazine–in Kansas for 23 years. She has served several terms on the executive board of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, including serving as president of the association. Her journalism staffs have consistently produced high quality publications, earning publisher awards, individual and staff state titles, All Kansas distinctions, and a top 10 Best of Show nationally.  As a JEA certified journalism educator, Bowman has presented at numerous KSPA workshops and events over the years and has been an instructor focusing on student leadership for FHPW. She currently teaches ELA at Hillsboro High School, where she advises the Trojan yearbook. 

Spencer O’Daniel

• Advising (July 13), Recruitment (July 14th)

Spencer O’Daniel serves as the director of Collegian Media Group and adviser for the K-State Collegian at Kansas State University. O’Daniel has advised high school and collegiate student media for over a decade instructing and coaching students in newspaper, yearbook, magazine, television, podcasting and other content-creation mediums. At Texas A&M the past two years, O’Daniel advised The Battalion newspaper and website, Maroon Life magazine (a new stand-alone publication at Texas A&M) along with The Aggieland yearbook, earning several ACP Pacemaker finalists and over 200 total awards across the whole student media department. O’Daniel is one of the only student media advisers in the country to advise students who earned Pacemaker awards at the high school and collegiate level, in addition to six different publications earning the distinction. O’Daniel is highly involved in local, state and national student press associations such as the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, College Media Business Association Managers, Associated Collegiate Press and the College Media Association.

Ryan Tarletsky

• Broadcasting (July 14)

Ryan Tarletsky is a graduate of Friends University, where he majored in Journalism while being a member of the baseball team. Tarletsky spent his first years as a professional working as a web producer in the sports department at KWCH Channel 12. Focusing primarily on high school sports, Tarletsky acted as a writer, photographer, and special story correspondent during some of the biggest moments in Kansas sports. In 2016, Tarletsky made the transition to education when he became the Broadcasting Advisor at Circle High School. In 5 years there, Tarletsky jump started both a photography program and a sports broadcasting programs. Since 2020, Tarletsky has been teaching Broadcasting in the Maize School District. Under his leadership, students in his program have earned state and national recognition for their efforts as multimedia journalists, including 5 separate Emmy Award nominations. As a teacher, his area of expertise is in the digital medium; photography and videography. Tarletsky loves teaching students new and engaging strategies to find visually creative ways of sharing stories from within their community. This could be through feature stories, photo galleries, or even hype videos.

Tucker Love

• Design (July 14)

Tucker Love is the journalism teacher and publications adviser at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Love has advised students on The Patriot newspaper, Heritage yearbook, and photojournalism staffs to multiple individual and staff awards at the local, state, and national levels over the last eight years. He was named a JEA Rising Star in 2021, a KSPA Sunflower Award recipient in April 2022, and a JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser of the Year in 2024. When he’s not doing student journalism things, he’s probably planning where to get his next black coffee, adding books to a reading list, or texting his husband about what to make for dinner.

Jared Shuff

• Building Better Websites (July 13)

Jared Shuff is the journalism teacher and publications adviser at Lawrence Free State High School in Lawrence, Kansas. Shuff has advised students on The Free Press newsmagazine, the Talon yearbook and the Free Press Online news website, with students taking home various individual and staff awards at the regional, state and national levels over the past four years. The Talon yearbook was recently recognized a Pacemaker finalist for the 2024-2025 yearbook “This is Why.” In April 2025, Shuff was recognized as the KSPA Sunflower Award winner. When he’s not doing student journalism, he is probably looking for the most caffeinated drink available, spending too much money on vinyl records or attending as many concerts as possible.

Kristy Nyp

• TBD

Kristy Nyp is starting her 22^nd year advising student publications in Kansas and has been the journalism and communications teacher at Manhattan High for 15 years, where her students have produced award-winning yearbooks, newspapers and multimedia projects including an online news site, podcasting, video productions and livestreaming of school events. She is active in the Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Kansas Scholastic Press Association, where she is currently a member of the Board of Directors and is a past president, and her publications are members of the Kansas Press Association and Kansas Association of Broadcasters. She is also very involved in coordination of the Career and Technical Education program at MHS. Nyp has presented workshop sessions at various regional, state and national conferences and has led tracks at the Flint Hills Publications Workshop in multiple content areas.