MARIO ALBERTO SEQUEIRA QUESADA(804) 625-7811 / sequeiraquema@vcu.edu / Website / LinkedIn / Muckrack

Richmond, Virginia

EDUCATION:

- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.Bachelor of Science in Mass CommunicationsConcentration: Print and Online JournalismGPA: 3.721

2017 – PresentClass of May 2020

- University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa RicaHumanities Program, 12 Credits – GPA: 4.00

2015

SKILLS:

● Presentation skills in front of crowds or camera

● Sony NX Camera Handling and similar● Interviewing, reporting and news-story

developing skills

● Video and audio edition on Adobe Audition and Premiere

● Associated Press Rules ● Social Media Managing

● Trilingual: Spanish (Native), English (Excellent), Italian (Fair)

● Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign

● Microsoft Office (Word, Power Point, Excel)

JOURNALISM EXPERIENCE:

Capital News Service, VCU, Fall 2019- Reported social matters, including campaign and Election Day of the Virginia General Assembly Election of November, 2019. Published

various stories that were distributed by several local and state-wide mediums related to national media chains like ABC, CBS and NBC.

Copy Editing, VCU. Fall 2019- Applied Associated Press’ rules and methods to edit news articles. Careful detailing of key elements in the AP Stylebook, noticing the

newest additions to the book and updating news writing.

Reporting for Print and Web, VCU, Spring 2019- Developed and reported stories that included interviews and official data, including social media and multimedia material to illustrate stories.

Published twice in The Washington Post web and Associated Press. (Washington Post offers local news for limited time only.)

Graphics for Journalism, VCU, Spring 2019- Created a 16-page magazine with a double-page infographic, applying basic concepts of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign

Broadcast Writing, Audio and Video for Journalism, VCU , Spring 2019- Prepared, scripted, recorded and edited a radio wrap and two T.V. news packages, including event coverage. Applied voice overs and

actualities for radio wrap and filmed interviews for T.V. packages.

ATHLETIC/LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE:● Captain of the VCU Men’s Soccer● Virginia Commonwealth University Men’s Soccer● Under-20 Costa Rica National Team (Qualification/Participation 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea)● Captained youth teams for Deportivo Saprissa including the Second Senior team● Back-up goalkeeper in the Senior team of Deportivo Saprissa● Played in youth system of Deportivo Saprissa as a soccer goalkeeper. San José, Costa Rica

2018 – Present2017 – Present

2016 – 20172016 – 20172010 – 20162006 – 2016

AWARDS:- Ambassador of the “Invest in Me” campaign for VCU- Atlantic 10 Conference All-Championship Team Award, 2018- Atlantic 10 Conference All-Conference Second Team Award, 2018- Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team Award, 2017- VCU Dean’s List. Spring 2018 VCU Dean’s List, Fall 2018- Member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, VCU. 2017 – 2018 and 2018 – 2019 Academic Years.- Member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, 2017 – 2018 Academic Year

AFFILIATIONS:● Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

Communications and Social Media Chair 2018 – Present2019 – Present

11/8/19, 3(08 PMVa. General Assembly reaches highest women representation in history | WSET

Page 1 of 4https://wset.com/news/at-the-capitol/va-general-assembly-reaches-highest-women-representation-in-history

Jennifer Kiggans beat her Democratic counterpart Cheryl Turpin to fill the empty seat in District 7 (Campaign photo)

RICHMOND, Va. (CNS) -- Election Day concluded and women nowhave the biggest representation in the General Assembly in thehistory of Virginia politics.

The House of Delegates saw the biggest increase of the twochambers. Four women gained seats and pushed the total offemale-held seats to 30. The Senate added two more femalerepresentatives, including Ghazala Hashmi, who is also the firstMuslim woman in the history of the chamber. Now women will hold41 of the 140 seats in the General Assembly.

Hashmi beat Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Richmond, by nine percentagepoints, turning Senate District 10 to female representation. She isthe only woman in the Senate who will take a seat previously held bya man. Republican candidate Jennifer Kiggans beat her Democraticcounterpart Cheryl Turpin to fill the empty seat in District 7. Now theSenate will include 11 female representatives.

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11/8/19, 3(08 PMVa. General Assembly reaches highest women representation in history | WSET

Page 2 of 4https://wset.com/news/at-the-capitol/va-general-assembly-reaches-highest-women-representation-in-history

Ghazala Hashmi photographed in Richmond, VA on Saturday August 24, 2019. Photographer: ChristopherDilts / Friends of Ghazala Hashmi

Over 85 women -- Republicans and Democrats -- ran for the Houseand Senate, and that is a volume never seen before, according toDeirdre Condit, associate professor of political science at VirginiaCommonwealth University.

"A breakthrough started in 2017, like huge cracks in the glass, andnow this is the glass that shattered," Condit said. "This ismonumental for moving women forward."

In the House of Delegates, Carrie Coyner, District 62, Nancy Guy,District 83, Martha Mugler, District 91, and Shelly Simonds, District94, will occupy seats previously held by men.

Guy defeated incumbent Sen. Christopher Stolle, R-Virginia Beach,and Simonds did the same against incumbent Del. David Yancey, R-Newport News; both represented a Democratic victory.

Coyner will replace fellow Republican Sen. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell,who did not seek reelection. Mugler ran as the Democratic candidatefor the open seat left by Del. Gordon Helsel, R-Poquoson.

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11/8/19, 3(08 PMVa. General Assembly reaches highest women representation in history | WSET

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Carrie Coyner will replace fellow Republican Sen. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell, who did not seek reelection(Campaign photo)

In addition to representing a win for women, Tuesday alsorepresented a step forward for religious and racial minorities.

"The election of Hashmi in defeating Glen Sturtevant is really alandmark change in the state of Virginia," Condit said. "It's a reallyimportant descriptive representation but also policy and ideologyshift for many people in the state of Virginia."

Condit said that although African American candidates did not winmost races, their representation and support has increased. Shepointed out to Sheila Bynum-Coleman, who challenged Speaker ofthe House Sen. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights. Bynum-Colemanobtained 47% of the votes for House District 66, which Conditconsidered "outstanding" for a mostly unknown African Americanwoman.

"She had a really strong showing against an incumbent, arguably themost powerful incumbent in the House of Delegates," Condit said. "Ithink that it's really important to see women of color leading."

House District 66 was redistricted in 2018, giving Democrats anadvantage before the 2019 elections, according to the Virginia PublicAccess Project. Condit said despite Bynum-Coleman's loss, herperformance is a step forward for the African American community.

Ghazala Hashmi celebrated her win on social media.

"This victory, is not mine alone. It belongs to all of you who believedthat we needed to make progressive change here in Virginia,"Hashmi said on Twitter. "Today we sent a message that the statusquo is no longer accepted."

-----------

Patricia Cason contributed to this report.

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10/4/2019 New GRTC chief outlines 5 strategies to grow public transportation

https://www.nbc12.com/2019/10/04/new-grtc-chief-outlines-strategies-grow-public-transportation/ 1/10

×

By Mario Sequeira Quesada

Capital News Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- The new CEO of Greater Richmond Transit Co. has a vision of how to build on its recentbreakthrough success of increased ridership, and it involves boosting regional commitment.

CEO Julie Timm, a Hampton Roads native, returned to Virginia after serving three years as the chiefdevelopment officer for Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority and Regional Transportation Authority ofMiddle Tennessee. On Sept. 23 she turned her focus toward continuing the growth of public transportation inthe Richmond area. GRTC is increasing its numbers of passengers, dodging a national trend of decliningridership.

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From 2014 to 2017 bus ridership nationally dropped by more than half a billion riders, according to a 2017report by the National Transit DatabaseNational Transit DatabaseNational Transit Database. But GRTC reported over 16% growth in the past fiscal year, accordingto its ridership trendsridership trendsridership trends report report report.

Timm wants the regional network to become more dynamic and target cluttered streets.

“We definitely have traffic issues here. But I think this is the right time to be addressing them,” she said. “If youwait until you have gridlocked traffic to try and address where the cars go, the cars are already here, and youcan't address it anymore.”

In an interview with Capital News Service, Timm detailed five key components that she thinks will help theregion build its public transportation and offset vehicle congestion: partnerships, developing a true regionaltransportation system, investment from local governments, improving service reliability and transit-centereddevelopment.

Forming Partnerships

Timm acknowledged Richmond’s recent double-digit population growth and its impact on traffic. She believesit is vital that GRTC connects with local and state government, educational institutions, public services andprivate businesses to ensure that as the city grows, so does the accessibility to transportation services.

“If we don’t address how to move in an integrated way of all the different modes and how they share our limitedinfrastructure we can find ourselves gridlocked,” Timm said. “When you have the city or the state, or you haveagencies who provide benefits to people for transportation, it reduces their barriers to be able to work, live andplay.”

For instance, with the partnership between GRTC and Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU students,faculty and staff can ride the bus for free through a three-year deal. The university sealed the negotiation inJune for $4.6 million, paid to GRTC in three annual, increasing payments.

According to VCU, over 95% of students and employees expressed support for continuing the GRTC service. TheVCU community accounts for approximately 12% of GRTC’s total ridership, averaging 87,400 trips a month, theuniversity said.

Partnerships like this help with vehicle congestion and also provide economic relief to citizens, Timm said.

“To be able to provide those benefits to people, it supports their ability to maintain their housing and their jobsand their education,” she said. “I just can’t speak highly enough about how important it is for people to comeon board and provide those benefits to the community in partnership with GRTC.”

Regional Transportation System

GRTC serves the city of Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield counties. The organization is “handcuffed”because it is not an independent authority, Timm said. It operates under policies set by its Board of Directors,

10/4/2019 New GRTC chief outlines 5 strategies to grow public transportation

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which consists of six members who serve one-year terms but are eligible for annual reappointment. Three areappointed by Richmond City Council; three are appointed by the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors.

The organization’s internal structure restrains its expansion, Timm said, and those issues have to be addressedin order to become a true regional transportation authority -- or to partner with one.

“How we do that and how we move forward is something that needs to be established by the board and by ourpartners and by the state legislature in combination,” she said.

Timm said the groundwork must begin soon. “I’m hoping that we can have an answer over the next year in thedevelopment of a regional system that we can all embrace, we can all buy into and that everyone’s voice can beheard in it,” she said.

Investment from Local Government

GRTC generates revenue from bus fares and through advertising. The agency also receives money from federal,state and local government entities such as the Federal Transit Administration, Virginia Department of Rail andPublic Transportation, Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield. In some cases, money that comes from thesesources can only be used for certain purposes.

But it is local funding from the districts covered by GRTC that is so vital for the company’s growth.

“We can’t function without that local funding because the money that we receive from state and federal sourcesrequires a local match,” she said.

Timm pointed to Henrico as an example of how impactful local funding can be. Henrico recently budgeted itslargest transit investment in 25 years, resulting in a 400% increase in the county’s ridership across all routes,according to GRTC’s 2018 annual report2018 annual report2018 annual report.

Reliability of the Service

A big challenge Timm believes GRTC faces is the perception of public transportation. The organization isworking to change those views.

“People, sometimes, when they think about public transit, they think about the buses from 50 years ago, theythink about the school buses they rode that used a lot of diesel,” she said.

Providing a reliable service that offers accessibility, safety and consistency is the key Timm believes will helpchange the culture of public transportation.

“To have that level of frequency, that level of reliability, you will see people respond to it and people will startusing it,” she said.

Rider Marina Williams said she celebrates the efficiency of the Pulse line, which runs every 10 minutes in theday over a 7.6-mile loop through Richmond and parts of Henrico. Williams said the other lines aren’t as

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convenient.

“I wish they had more buses on some routes,” Williams said. “It is very inconvenient to rely on buses every 30minutes.”

Church Hill resident Marcel Cheatham agreed that the Pulse is a good service and that other lines are plaguedby too many delays. “It takes me two hours to get to work and two hours to get back; the buses don’t stopfrequently enough,” he said. “They need more buses.”

Timm agreed that many routes need to run more frequently and for longer hours.

“Of course, we can only provide as much service as we have funding for and for which we can show there is gooddemand to serve our current and future riders,” she said.

She said they are looking for opportunities to increase service to help passengers access a variety of resources.

Timely Planning of City Development

As the city population grows, so do its businesses, services, housing and infrastructure. Timm urges localleaders and developers to include and prioritize transportation access in their planning. Timm hopesdevelopment will target high-density corridors where GRTC already has infrastructure in place or can connectto it.

“As we look to grow, and as we look to provide that access, think about mobility first, think about it as part of anintegral part of the process. Not later,” she said.

Timm appreciated that Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney factored in public transportation in the Navy HillNavy HillNavy Hillredevelopment projectredevelopment projectredevelopment project with the proposed GRTC Transit CenterGRTC Transit CenterGRTC Transit Center. The project is still under review by RichmondCity Council, but it includes a 65,000-square-foot connection hub for bus passengers that would replace thecurrent temporary transfer center on 9th Street. GRTC was already seeking a large space to build a “multi-multi-multi-modal transportationmodal transportationmodal transportation hub hub hub” that could help streamline and coordinate scheduling and provide a secure place forwaiting passengers.

“I think it is amazing and exciting that it is part of the conversation,” Timm said. “Too many times you seedevelopment and infrastructure and cities grow without having the conversation for how to embrace transit.”

GRTC has concluded the first stage of the Greater RVA Transit Vision PlanGreater RVA Transit Vision PlanGreater RVA Transit Vision Plan and is now under consultant reviewbefore the second stage starts, according to spokesperson Carrie Rose Pace. Part of the review is identifyingincremental goals that can be implemented in the next five to six years over current service areas inChesterfield, Henrico and Richmond, Rose Pace said.

10/4/2019 New GRTC chief outlines 5 strategies to grow public transportation

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Timm’s watch is just beginning, but she is optimistic that GRTC can provide the public transportationRichmond wants and needs.

“It’s important to show that when you provide good, frequent, reliable transit ... people will use it,” she said.“Slowingly reducing the barriers of how public transportation is perceived will help the growth of ridership.”

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture.Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

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11/8/19, 3(14 PMAs election nears, Democrats haul in the cash -- Republicans arenʼt daunted

Page 1 of 8https://www.nbc12.com/2019/10/20/election-nears-democrats-haul-cash-republicans-arent-daunted/

FIRST ALERT FORECAST / Coldest weather of the season arrives ××

POLITICS

As election nears, Democratshaul in the cash --Republicans aren’t daunted

Virginia Capitol (Source: Patricia Cason)

October 20, 2019 at 3:00 PM EDT - Updated October 20 at 3:00 PM

By M. Quesada | Capital News Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- In competitive General Assembly races,a majority of Democratic challengers and incumbents areoutraising their opponents and hoping dollars convert to

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11/8/19, 3(14 PMAs election nears, Democrats haul in the cash -- Republicans arenʼt daunted

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voters on Election Day.

Stakes are high with all 140 General Assembly seats up forre-election on Nov. 5 and a push to flip both chambers to aDemocratic majority. A win for Democrats would mean theparty leads both the executive and legislative branchesand could be better positioned to pass legislative agendas.

Democrats raised $13.7 million total to Republicans $8.1million total in five key Senate races and 26 in the Houseof Delegates determined by a CNS analysis of competitiveraces, redistricting changes and recent voting trends onVirginia Public Access Project.

In competitive House races, six Democratic challengersoutraised Republican incumbents in the past threemonths, based on new data released by VPAP. Only threeRepublican incumbents held a fundraising edge overDemocratic challengers -- Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper,Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax, and Del. Christopher Stolle, R-Virginia Beach. Freitas did not register in time to have hisname on the ballot, but pledged in August to mount awrite-in campaign that could translate to a win in theCulpeper Republican stronghold.

Democratic challenger Sheila Bynum-Coleman outraisedSpeaker of the House Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, byover $200,000 during the same period. Independentcandidate Linnard Harris Sr. raised $2,167.

On the other side, with 11 Democratic incumbents seekingreelection, only two Republican challengers outraisedtheir contenders. Ian Lovejoy is vying for Democratic Del.Lee Carter’s House District 50 seat. Lovejoy outraisedCarter by over $70,000. Challenger H. Otto Wachsmann Jr.outraised Del. Roslyn Tyler, D-Sussex, in the race for theseat of House District 75.

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11/8/19, 3(14 PMAs election nears, Democrats haul in the cash -- Republicans arenʼt daunted

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Carter said he wasn’t surprised, or unsettled, by hisopponent’s cash advantage, "given the fact that Virginiahas no limits on corporate contributions.”

“In fact, I've been continually surprised by how weak hisfundraising has been compared to other Republicans inthe area, and the fact that the overwhelming majority ofhis money ... comes from the Republican Party or otherRepublican campaigns,” Carter said. “I've never taken asingle dime from for-profit corporations or industryinterest groups, and I never will. That grassroots supportis certainly reflected in our conversations with voters, andI'm very confident that I'll be able to win despite beingoutspent, just like I did in 2017."

A U.S. Supreme Court decision upheld a redistricting mapthat favored Democrats and also left six Republicans inDemocratic-leaning districts. Some Republicanstrongholds also began to fade blue when Donald Trumpran against Hillary Clinton, and in recent House and U.S.Senate elections.

There are five battleground races in the Senate, based onVPAP data. In Districts 10 and 12, Democratic challengershave outraised Republican incumbents.

Del. Debra Rodman, D-Henrico, raised over $1.4 million inthe last two filing periods. She outraised her opponent,incumbent Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, whosecash haul was $694,844 in the same period. The twocandidates were the first to spend over $1 million in mediaad-buys. District 10 challenger Ghazala Hashmi outraisedfirst-term incumbent Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Richmond,by $487,951.

Sen. Lynwood Lewis, D-Accomack, the only Democratic

6, 2019 at 6:41 PM

" Election2019:Democratsgain controlof House,SenatePublished November6, 2019 at 10:42 AM

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11/8/19, 3(14 PMAs election nears, Democrats haul in the cash -- Republicans arenʼt daunted

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incumbent in this group, holds an advantage of nearly$20,000 over his Republican challenger ElizabethLankford.

Republican Jen Kiggans and Democrat Cheryl Turpin arevying for the seat vacated by Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach. Turpin raised over $890,000 and Kiggansbrought in just over $600,000.

Democratic candidates in these competitive Senate racesaccumulated just over $4.1 million in three months,compared to the $2.1 million raised by Republicancandidates, according to campaign finance reportscollected by VPAP.

Jeff Ryer, press secretary for the Virginia SenateRepublican Caucus, said the party has faced similarsituations before.

“Hillary Clinton outspent Donald Trump ... and yet DonaldTrump was able to prevail,” he said. Ryer said thecandidates’ message during an election is more importantthan money. “Every indication that we have is that most ofthe races are very close and that both State Senate andState House could go either way.”

Democrats see the uptick in fundraising as proof of themomentum they are gaining in Virginia. The party hasalso had a higher number of candidates run in the past twoelections -- more than double the number in 2015.

“In 2017 Virginia really started a ‘blue wave,’ followingTrump’s election,” said Kathryn Gilley, director ofcommunications for the Virginia House Democrats. Gilleybelieves out-of-state money and interest is important forthe future of Virginia. “People see that there is a

11/8/19, 3(14 PMAs election nears, Democrats haul in the cash -- Republicans arenʼt daunted

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possibility of flipping the chambers this year,” she said.

Across the state, Democrats have raised large amounts ofcash in the past three months, even in districts that leanheavily Republican and don’t offer great odds of victory, inpart due to a flood of donations Gilley referenced. Butthere are opportunities based on climbing voter turnout inoff-year elections; heightened by the increasing popularityof absentee ballots. Still, the last time all seats were up forgrabs in 2015, only 29% of registered voters turned up.

“There is greater enthusiasm, right now, amongDemocratic-inclined voters than Republican-inclinedvoters,” said Quentin Kidd, director of the Judy FordWason Center for Public Policy at Christopher NewportUniversity. “The candidates that are better funded at thispoint have a better chance in using that money to turn outvoters on election day.”

Kidd said out-of-state donations represent the attentionthese elections have around the country. “People arelooking at Virginia as a bellwether to see where voters areand then look forward to next year in the presidentialrace,” he said.

Key races are identified in this story from VPAP’scompetitive index of House and Senate races and alsoinclude districts that lean Democratic after Houseredistricting. Races with an Independent candidate werenot included.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia CommonwealthUniversity’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Studentsin the program provide state government coverage for avariety of media outlets in Virginia.