Marie D. De Jesús is the director of Pictures of the Year (POY) and College Photographer of the Year (CPOY)programs at RJI. The two international photojournalism competitions are respected worldwide as a leader in recognizing the best in visual journalism.

Before coming to Mizzou, Marie served as the founding director of photography for the Houston Landing and worked as a staff photojournalist for the Houston Chronicle, where she concentrated on developing relationships with Houston’s diverse communities.

Prior to working for the Chronicle, Marie worked for the Democrat and Chronicle, in Rochester, New York, and the Victoria Advocate in Texas. From 2022 to 2024, she served as president of the National Press Photographers Association, a professional organization representing thousands of photojournalists across the country.

In 2017, she was part of a team finalist for the Pulitzer Prize of Public Service and is a winner of the staff award for Public Service Award from the Scripps Howard Foundation. 

Marie was born and raised in Puerto Rico, five miles from the Arecibo Observatory. She developed her interest in journalism from her father, who worked as a television camera director for nearly 30 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in photography from the University of Central Florida in 2008.