The Team

Ron Anderson

Originally from San Jose, Ca. Ron moved to Reno from Colorado in 1992. He worked in TV production for 15 years during the analog era and now works in manufacturing. In between senior moments, Ron’s favorite pass-time is scouring the “internet”, looking for little known facts on which he can then go off on a tangent, mostly about money. He’s kind of eccentric that way. No longer content with firing-off an occasional letter to the editor, Ron took up blogging in June of 2008. His blog is localsoandso.blogspot.com.

Laurel Busch

Laurel Busch came to Reno in the 1970s to go to college and never left. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UNR. “I’ve been gathering and sharing information all my life,” she says. “It’s what I do.” Besides working as a copy editor for a regional environmental firm, she shares genealogy and gardening information on her Web sites and writes a couple of blogs. Why is she involved with This Is Reno? “I’ve been frustrated by gatekeepers in traditional media, and I like the way This Is Reno welcomes all news from all sources. I also think it’s exciting to take advantage of technology to do things old media can’t do.”

Bob Conrad

Bob Conrad is a public information officer for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and was previously a director of marketing communications at the University of Nevada. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is accredited in public relations (APR) and is currently completing his doctoral degree. He writes at The Good, The Bad, The Spin (a blog about public relations and the news media). Bob’s articles on This Is Reno do not reflect the views, opinions or practices of his clients or employers.

Bethany Drysdale

Bethany is the media relations specialist for the Nevada Commission on Tourism. She graduated from California State University, Chico, with a bachelor’s degree in English and dual minors in journalism and psychology. She was the features editor for the Auburn Journal, a daily newspaper in Auburn, Calif., before moving to Reno and into public relations in 2004. With a background in features and hard-news reporting, Bethany enjoys working with journalists to tell the story of Nevada in a way that is relevant yet timeless.

Ryan Jerz

Ryan is into all kinds of stuff. He works as the Director of Electronic Media for the University of Nevada’s athletics department. At work he maintains and manages nevadawolfpack.com, runs in-game video operations, and produces multimedia content for the website and television. Ryan received a Masters Degree from the University of Nevada, Reno in Interactive Journalism, where he worked on using interactive online technology to engage the public. He has also been blogging and podcasting for over seven years.

Teresa Moiola

Teresa is the Director of Marketing and Public Information for the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. She holds a bachelors degree in Journalism with a focus in Public Relations from the University of Nevada Reno and is currently working on her Certified Public Manager (CPM) designation. She writes the weight loss surgery blog, Beyond Bariatric and prepares the calendar of events for Edible Reno-Tahoe Magazine. Email her at tmoiola@att.net.

Jim Scripps

Jim Scripps is director of marketing for the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, a non-profit organization that serves 9,000 children annually at 13 sites in Northern Nevada. Previously he worked in social media marketing at the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, and as a community newspaper reporter, editor and columnist, as well as editor for an online news organization. He is a Reno resident, San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of the University of Oregon, with degrees in Journalism and History.