L.A. Journalist to Join Western University's PR Department
POMONA, Calif. — July 16, 2007 — Award-winning journalist Rodney Tanaka
has been hired for the newly-created position of senior communications
writer in the Office of Public Affairs, University Advancement at Western
University of Health Sciences. Tanaka is scheduled to begin Monday, July
30.
Tanaka, a resident of Burbank, has extensive journalism experience,
having been published in several Southern California newspapers including
the Burbank Leader, Foothill Leader, Glendale News-Press, and San Gabriel
Valley Newspaper Group (Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
and the Whittier Daily News).
“”We are pleased to have someone of Rodney’s journalistic abilities
joining our media relations team,”” said Dereck Andrade, executive
director of public affairs at Western University. “”Rodney is a consummate
journalist and he will most certainly bring value to Western University.””
Tanaka’s accolades include first place in the Spot News Coverage category
from the Los Angeles Press Club. In 2003, Tanaka took a second-place
award for Hard News Coverage for his story, “”Ecoterrorists Torch San
Gabriel Valley Auto Dealership.””
Tanaka graduated in 1996 from the University of California at Los Angeles
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, where he was also a writer for
the UCLA Daily Bruin.