Newspaper: Indianapolis Star, AME/Sports

Since: 2000

APSE activities: 7 conventions; 7 winter judgings, including two years as a chair.

Background: Started at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal as a reporter and an editor. Covered the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia Tech for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Copy editor and assistant sports editor at the Florida Times-Union. Sunday editor and deputy sports editor at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Served as interim AME/Business for 10 months at The Star in 2003. Graduated from Wofford College, B.A. Accounting

Wheatley says: I'm a much better editor thanks to APSE. I have benefited greatly from the seminars and learned from some great editors. The contacts are invaluable when it comes to hiring.

Fun fact: My plan was to become a FBI agent, but I lived across the street from Jim Fair, the sports editor at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, and he asked me to work part-time when I was in college. That led to a full-time job and I've been working in sports ever since.