The Eastern Echo Hall of Fame Selection Committee announced three alums who will be inducted at the 2025 Student Media Gala.
This year's inductees are Kim Kozlowski, Joe Misiewicz and Kristy Montee.
Joe Misiewicz worked for The Echo in the 1960s, serving as an assistant editor in his junior year.
Misiewicz was nominated by Dennis Beagen, an Eastern Michigan University professor emeritus of speech communication.
Beagen described Misiewicz as a devoted professional of broadcast journalism for 42 years and a loyal champion for students, colleagues, and academic media programs in journalism and broadcasting.
Misiewicz was the News Director at WEMU, and he later taught at Central Michigan University, Ball State University and EMU. He retired from Ball State in 2012. His students often referred to him as "Dr. Joe."
Misiewicz has received the following awards: The John Knight Award from the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters; Broadcast Education Association Distinguished Educator Service Award; Inaugural Inductee into the Central Michigan University College of Arts & Media Hall of Fame; Inductee of the Indiana Public Broadcasting Hall of Fame; and EMU Alumnus of the Year in 2002.
Kim Kozlowski worked at The Eastern Echo from 1989-91 and studied to be a teacher until she realized she liked writing about education more than she liked teaching.
Kozlowski spent three semesters writing for The Echo.
After graduating, Kozlowski worked at the Ypsilanti Press and the Kansas City Star. She has written for the Detroit News for the past 25 years.
The Society of Professional Journalists named her Journalist of the Year in 2021, mostly for her coverage of the late-Dr. Robert Anderson sexual misconduct story.
Four years before, Kozlowski did memorable work covering the sexual abuse scandal perpetrated by Larry Nassar at Michigan State University.
Kozlowski was nominated by Echo alumni Larry O’Connor and Kevin Allen.
Kristy Montee was a part of The Eastern Echo through all four years of time at Eastern, from 1968-72, as a reporter and an editor. She served as assistant managing editor during the last year with the newspaper.
After her time at The Echo, Montee worked as a journalist in Michigan and Florida. After several years as a reporter, she served as the assistant managing editor for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
She eventually joined forces with her sister to write the New York Times bestselling mystery novel series published under the pseudonym P.J. Parrish.
All three of this year's inductees will be celebrated at the 2025 Student Media Gala on March 27, 2025. The event is at 7 p.m. at the Freighthouse in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Buy your tickets now!
Editor's note: This article has been edited to correct the title Kozlowski had at the Eastern Echo.
