Alicia Coleman named 2026 Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists College Teacher of the Year
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Innovation News Center (INC) Managing Editor Alicia Coleman has been named the 2026 Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists (FABJ) College Teacher of the Year.
The second annual FABJ award honors college or university teachers in Florida who have made a significant impact on their students, the broadcast journalism industry and/or field of research.
Coleman has more than seven years of professional experience in television news and eight years in journalism education. Since 2017, she has taught at multiple institutions, including Bethune-Cookman University, Valdosta State University and South Carolina State University, with a focus on broadcast writing, producing and multiplatform storytelling.
She arrived at the UFCJC in 2023 and has significantly grown the enrollment of producers and anchors in the INC. Coleman and her colleagues established the “Midday” broadcast on WRUF as a key training ground for broadcast students. In August, she took on a leadership role as the INC’s Managing Editor and has since run the unit’s morning editorial meetings with a focus on increasing collaboration among all platforms.
“Even when I’ve been at my lowest, Professor Coleman has never doubted me,” former student Victor San Martin-Diaz wrote as part of her nominating packet for the FABJ award. “She’s completely changed the trajectory of my academic and professional career for the better.”
Before entering academia, Coleman worked as the 11 p.m. show producer at WJAX/WFOX Action News in Jacksonville, where she built and executed daily newscasts, collaborated with newsroom leadership on editorial decisions and managed live broadcast production under deadline. She also reported and produced at WCJB TV20 in Gainesville, WWSB-TV in Sarasota, and KWES-TV NewsWest 9 in Midland, Texas. Her professional work has been recognized with a National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Suncoast Chapter Regional Emmy nomination and a RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall News Excellence.
A colleague in the Innovation News Center, Kalisha Whitman, wrote, “She embodies humility and kindness. She approaches interactions with genuine care and a contagious joy that inspires those around her. Alicia is a beacon for future journalists.”
Coleman will receive the honor at the 2026 FABJ Awards Gala on April 11 at Rosen Center in Orlando.
Category: College News
Tagged: Alicia Coleman FABJ College Teacher of the Year Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists Innovation News Center
Subscribe to our News Digest
