Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah-Jiles hails from McNair, Texas and she is the chief executive officer of the Houston Defender Network. She purchased the Houston Defender at age 27 in 1981. Sonny has enjoyed stints at KHOU/ KPRC/KRIV, Xerox and Houston Chronicle. A graduate of the University of Houston with a BA Degree in Political Science and Economics/Journalism, she is the past chair and current board member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and she has won numerous awards for journalism and community service. Sonny sits on the advisory board of the Texas Southern University School of Communication and she also received the Ida B. Wells Award from the National Association of Black Journalists,
