Teresa Ponte, J.D., M.A. is an award-winning journalist with a 25-year career working at CBS News, NBC News, Telemundo Network, and Newsweek among other media organizations. She specialized in covering Latin America and the southeastern U.S., field producing stories that included Central America during the 1980’s time of war and upheaval in the region, the Japan embassy hostage crisis in Lima, Peru, the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia and Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Havana, Cuba. She was the executive editor of Divina.com, an innovative online bilingual magazine launched for a U.S. Hispanic and Latin American audience. Ponte was awarded a team National Emmy in the News and Documentary category for the coverage of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Ponte joined the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media faculty in 1999, leading the broadcast journalism sequence teaching courses on reporting, writing, and producing. She co-founded the award-winning South Florida News Service, a student produced bilingual digital-first news organization. She served as chair of the former Department of Journalism + Media from 2008-2021.