Sue Kopen Katcef

Sue Kopen Katcef '76, an award-winning veteran broadcast journalist, is currently a freelance reporter for Maryland Public Television (with whom she previously worked from 1987-92).

Kopen Katcef spent nearly two decades teaching full-time at her alma mater, the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Prior to that, she was an adjunct instructor for a decade at the college. 

Kopen Katcef served as Merrill College's Capital News Service broadcast bureau director for 10 years. Her students and their production, “Maryland Newsline,” won dozens of local, regional and national awards.

Before coming to Merrill College, Kopen Katcef was a reporter and anchor for WBAL Radio in Baltimore, where she continued to freelance for a decade after leaving to teach full-time at the University of Maryland. She also worked as a reporter for WJZ-TV and WCBM/Metromedia Radio, both in Baltimore.

Kopen Katcef served as press secretary to former Maryland House Speaker Ben Cardin and, following his election to Congress and Maryland’s Third Congressional Seat, she traveled to Washington to serve Cardin in the same post on Capitol Hill.

She has long been involved at both the local and national levels for the Society of Professional Journalists. She was elected to SPJ’s national board for many years in her capacity as vice president for campus chapter affairs and campus adviser at-large.  She was also a long-time member of SPJ’s National Awards & Honors Committee and twice served as its chair.

In addition, Kopen Katcef served as adviser to the University of Maryland SPJ student chapter for two decades and received SPJ’s national Distinguished Teaching in Journalism and Campus Chapter Adviser Awards following nominations by her students.

Kopen Katcef is currently a member — and former chair — of the Education Committee of the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She is also a past member of the chapter’s board.

She is also a longtime member of the board of the Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association (CABPA) where she has twice served as president and is currently vice president/president-elect.

Kopen Katcef is also a longtime member of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and currently serves on RTDNA’s national Safety Committee.

She is currently vice president of the University of Maryland’s Journalism Alumni Network (affiliated with the campuswide University of Maryland Alumni Association).

Kopen Katcef's reporting has earned many awards over the years. They include honors from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the New York Festivals, SPJ, CAPBA, the American Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association.

In 2021, she was honored by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of NATAS with the prestigious Board of Governor’s Award for outstanding achievement and service to the chapter’s region.

Kopen Katcef was inducted into the NCCB-NATAS Chapter’s Silver Circle for “outstanding contributions to the broadcast industry” in 2017. 

She has also been honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the Washington, D.C., SPJ chapter. And in 2007, she was initiated into Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society.

Kopen Katcef is also the co-editor of “A Journalist’s Guide to Maryland’s Legal System” — a legal primer and contact resource

Expertise: Radio/Television News; State Legislative Coverage; Cameras-In-Court.

Affiliations: Society of Professional Journalists; Radio-Television News Directors Association; Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association; Bench, Bar, Media Ad Hoc Committee; WMUC Appointments and Advisory Board.

Courses Taught: Broadcast News Writing/Production; Independent Study.