Ashton Marra, an alum and Clarksburg native who has served as a teaching associate professor in the Reed School of Media and Communications since 2018, has been selected for the August Faculty Feature.
As a faculty member, she is dedicated to shaping journalism and sports and adventure media majors into the next generation of ethical and empathetic reporters. Her courses include news writing, video storytelling, investigative reporting and community-focused journalism.
Marra also facilitates capstone courses such as WVU News and Mountaineer Playbook, providing students with the hand-on experiences of producing television news and sports magazine shows that are aired on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Morgantown Public Access and KDKA in Pittsburgh, as well as streamed on news websites such as the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
“After eight years in the journalism industry, I returned to my alma mater to help students create deep, contextual news content that serves West Virginia,” she said. “I’m driven by my desire to help students understand the challenges and opportunities facing our communities, just as I have for most of my career.”
Earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2012 and master’s degree in integrated marketing communications in 2017, she began her broadcast career as a reporter for WDTV while still a student at WVU.
She then went on to work as a production associate at “Good Morning America” in New York City, collaborating with correspondents across the country on taped pieces for air. Next, she served as a statehouse reporter and assistant news director for West Virginia Public Broadcasting and as an education reporter for Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland, Ohio, with her work also appearing on NPR and PBS.
Beyond the classroom, she is the former executive editor of 100 Days in Appalachia and co-founder of Reporting on Addiction, a nonprofit that trains journalists and addiction science experts nationwide to use solutions-focused journalism to improve media coverage on addiction and reduce stigma.
“My goal is to involve students directly in improving journalism in the Mountain State,” she said. “Ultimately, I want to help them recognize how their work creates positive change.”
Marra, who spent almost two decades studying ballet and modern dance, now enjoys musicals, watching British comedy shows, and cooking for her friends and family in her spare time.