Meet the Staff
Patrick Villegas, Associate Publisher, is a multimedia marketing specialist. In addition to advising customers on print and digital marketing, Patrick manages the paper’s community events. He earned his journalism degree from the University of South Carolina and was an award-winning anchor for Live 5 News This Morning. After a successful career in journalism, Patrick transitioned to sales and marketing and enjoyed a 15-year career in the pharmaceutical and mortgage industries where he stressed providing outstanding value to customers. He brings enthusiasm and knowledge to community as he merges his two passions of journalism and marketing.
Ronda Schilling, Advertising Director, is an active resident in the Daniel Island community. Ronda is athletic minded, having served on the City of Charleston Recreation Commission, organized the first kids triathlon, and served as the treasurer of the Daniel Island Flying Fish swim team. Ronda has a bachelors of science degree, having worked as a respiratory therapist for 10 years and is a commissioned oil artist. Ronda, her husband Bob, and two children enjoy boating, running and the healthy Daniel Island lifestyle. Ronda can be reached at ronda@thedanielislandnews.com or at 843-276-8463.
Jan Marvin, Graphic Designer, owned graphic design businesses in Chicago and Madison, Georgia before moving to Mount Pleasant. Before that, she was a commercial A.S.I.D. Interior Designer. Jan holds degrees in Interior Design and Architectural Technology and has earned numerous Georgia and South Carolina Press Association awards. She was Copy Editor/Graphic Designer at The Eatonton Messenger/Lake Oconee News and helped to launch The Oconee Leader in Georgia. She has created and edited commercials and worked as a as a Production Tech/Floor Director during newscasts at WCBD-TV2 (NBC) in Mount Pleasant. In 2021 and 2022, Jan was selected as South Carolina Designer of the Year (2 years in a row!). She lives in Mount Pleasant with her children and grandchildren and in her spare time she runs her art business, Jan Marvin Art Studio. Jan can be reached at jan@thedanielislandnews.com.
Meet the writers
Emma Slaven, News and Feature Reporter, joined the paper’s staff in July, 2023. She gradated from Charleston Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications. At CSU, she was editor of the school’s literary magazine and a frequent contributor of news and features to the university’s website. After teaching ELA to middle school students in the Charleston County School District, she worked as a copywriter for GoSocial, LLC. Skilled in social media content creation, video editing, and multimedia storytelling, she brings a new set of reporting abilities to The Daniel Island News.
Elizabeth Bush, Features Writer. Elizabeth (Beth) graduated from Appalachian State University in 1989 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Communication Arts (and a concentration in Broadcast Journalism). After graduating, she worked at WCTI-TV 12 News in New Bern, North Carolina, as a Weekend News Anchor/Reporter and Producer. While at WCTI-TV, Beth also served as Bureau Chief for the station's Jacksonville office, covering a variety of stories about the Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune, military deployments to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm, and more. In addition, she traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to report on the marine's involvement in the Haitian Relief Effort.
In 1994, Beth transitioned into the field of public relations and took a position as Communications Specialist for Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, PA. After several years as a stay-at-home mom, she rekindled her journalism career in 2005 as a freelance writer for The Daniel Island News. In 2016, she became the editor of the paper. Beth loves being part of the Daniel Island community and considers it a privilege to be able to spotlight the people, events and activities that shape island life. You can contact Beth at (843) 670-8830 or via e-mail at: beth@thedanielislandnews.com.
Marie Rocha-Tygh is a California girl. She grew up in Silicon Valley before moving south to Laguna Beach, California. Marie graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in broadcast journalism. After college, Marie worked as on-air reporter for KSBW-TV in Salinas, California. She then shifted careers and started working on public relations campaigns at Atari and Warner Communications. Before moving to Daniel Island, Marie and her husband, Stephen, ran a successful silicon wafer business. Marie is always looking for upbeat story ideas. You can reach her at marierocha94@yahoo.com
Elizabeth Horton, news and feature writer. Elizabeth’s beat includes covering the local schools and also updating the community on crime. She also contributes other news and features. You can contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@thedanielislandnews.com or at news@thedanielilandnews.com.
Phil Bowman has over 30-years of experience in journalism, including over 20 years with the Post and Courier as a sports writer. Phil, who is a is full-time realtor with Caldwell Banker, covers high school sports and general sporting news and features. Pitch your sports stories to sports@thedanielislandnews.com.
Doug Dickerson is a Certified Leadership Trainer and coach. He is a communicator in all things leadership and the author of three leadership books. Doug also pens the “Management Moment” column week after week in The Daniel Island News. His passion is equipping and empowering leaders through his column and training employees to reach their full potential. Visit his website at https://www.dougdickerson.net.
