FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 3, 2026 CONTACT | Heather Birks | 202.602.0584
2026 BEA Lifetime Achievement in Creative Scholarship Presented to James Madison University’s Steve Anderson and John Woody
Washington, D.C. – Steve Anderson, Ph.D. and John Woody, James Madison University, have been awarded the inaugural 2026 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Lifetime Achievement in Creative Scholarship Awards.
John M. Woody dedicated 30 years to James Madison University, serving as a full professor of Media Studies until retiring in 2015. A specialist in advanced video post-production, he was known for blending creative storytelling with emerging technology in the classroom. In 2001, he was named an Apple Distinguished Educator in recognition of his leadership in integrating innovative technology into media education.
Throughout his career, his productions earned 28 national awards from organizations including BEA, AERho, CASE, PMAA, and NIRSA. He also developed the BEA Technology Rooms, partnering with Apple, Avid, and other software companies to provide professional training opportunities.
After retirement, Woody focused on mobile phone production and music photography. In 2023, he released A Year in the Pit, a feature-length documentary shot entirely on an iPhone that highlights 40 pit photographers and earned 12 festival placements. Today, he continues his visual storytelling through landscape photography.
Steve Anderson is an Emeritus Professor of Interactive Design and former director of the School of Media Arts & Design at James Madison University. His award-winning websites have earned top honors from BEA (Best of Festival), AEJMC (Best of the Web), and the W3 Awards, and he also developed an iOS app for the Apple App Store. He was selected as an Adobe Education Leader in recognition of his innovative use of Adobe tools in the classroom.
A longtime BEA leader, Anderson served as Production Aesthetics & Criticism Division chair, 2000 Convention Program Chair, Board member, and 2004–2005 BEA President. He created and maintained the BEA website from 1995–2005 and co-chaired the Creative Activities Task Force, which led to the creation of the BEA Festival of Media Arts—organizing its early years and awards ceremonies.
Anderson also led a journalism study abroad program in Urbino, Italy for 10 years and taught internationally in Cairo, Istanbul, Florence, and London. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Denver and previously worked as a weather anchor and environmental reporter in Denver. He lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia, with his wife, Mary Ellen.
The Lifetime Achievement in Creative Scholarship was launched in 2026 and honors a faculty member (or retired faculty member) who has exhibited evidence of an extensive media-related creative scholarship record, or significant sustained impact on students’ creative work, usually over at least a twenty-year span. This award is in recognition of their creative scholarly output.
The LAS will be awarded to Dr. Anderson and Mr. Woody at BEA’s annual convention at the Las Vegas Convention Center during a ceremony and reception on the evening of Friday, April 17. They will give a formal presentation during BEA’s annual convention.
About the BEA Convention – BEA’s annual convention is held in conjunction with NAB Show in Las Vegas every spring. BEA’s annual convention attracts 1,300 educators and students with 250 sessions, events, research panels, technology workshops and an exhibit hall, making BEA the largest conference partner of NAB Show.
About the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) – BEA is the professional association for professors, industry professionals and graduate students interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises. There are currently more than 2,500 individual and institutional members worldwide. Visit www.beaweb.org for more information.