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REGION ONE Speaker Biographical Information

Amanda Barrett , Ms. Barrett has been City news editor for the Associated Press since July 2011. She joined the AP in 2007 as the content coordinator for Multimedia, then served as the Deputy East Editor from 2009-2011. Before the AP, she was editor of amNY.com. She was previously editor of NYNewsday.com. She also has worked on the features desks at and as a sports copy editor and slot editor for the Orlando Sentinel and the Roanoke Times in . Barrett grew up in Roanoke, Va., and attended .

Chuck Carter, Assistant News Director, WVIT-TV (Hartford, CT) Chuck Carter has been an assistant news director at the Tribune-owned fox affiliate in Hartford, CT since 2012. Prior to that, he was an executive producer for the station from 2010-2012. Before joining WVIT-TV, he worked as assistant news director/executive producer for WRNN-TV/Verizon Fios 1 News in Rye Brook, NY.

Midwin Charles, Attorney and Legal Commentator Midwin Charles is founder of the law firm Midwin Charles & Associates LLC. In addition to practicing law, she provides regular commentary on law, pop culture and politics for various shows and networks, including the Show and Showbiz Tonight on HLN, CNN, Bloomberg TV, and MSNBC and is guest host for “Express Yourself” on New York’s 107.5 WBLS. Charles earned her law degree from the , Washington College of Law.

John Childress, President, Childress Business Consulting John is an experienced business leader who has excelled at both starting businesses and working within existing businesses to help them grow. He is president of Childress Business Consulting in and the former executive director of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of , New Jersey, and Delaware. Over the years his management consulting firm has connected small businesses with over $3 million in new revenue and contracts. Camille Edwards, News Director, WABC Camille Edwards was named Vice President of News at WABC-TV in 2012. She came to WABC from NBC-owned WRC-TV in Washington, DC where she held the title of Vice President of News from 2008-2012. Prior to that, she was news director at NBC’s WMAQ-TV in from 2003-2008

Sharon Epperson , Senior Commodities & Person Finance Correspondent, CNBC As CNBC's senior commodities and personal finance correspondent, Sharon covers the global energy, metals and commodities markets from the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange and also reports on personal finance for the network, CNBC.com and other NBC Universal properties. Sharon is a regular contributor on NBC's "Today" and appears frequently on "NBC Nightly News," MSNBC and NBC affiliates nationwide. She had often reported for Public Television's “Nightly Business Report,” which is now produced by CNBC.

Kiratiana Freelon, Co-chair of NABJ’s Digital Journalism Task Force A travel expert, Olympic enthusiast, journalist, speaker, and author. Kiratiana first caught the travel bug as a 20-year-old college student studying abroad in Munich. After graduating from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in economics, she was awarded the prestigious John H. Finley fellowship that took her across West Africa, Brazil and Europe. Feeling the need to share her experiences and encourage others to engage in impactful cultural exploration while traveling, she authored her first travel-focused book, aptly entitled,“Kiratiana’s Travel Guide to Black Paris: Get Lost and Get Found.” As a traveller, she has explored more than 25 countries, spanning 5 continents, and has lived in France, Germany, and Brazil. As an author, she has written for Jet magazine, theGrio.com, BlackAtlas.com, Bonjourparis.com. As a journalist, she has covered the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Bejing (2008) and (2012), as well as the 2011 World Track & FieldChampionships in Daegu, South Korea. As an expert on exploring global culture, she has been featured in many prominent media outlets, including , Black Enterprise, NABJ Digital blog, and Black Web 2.0.

Bernie Han, Vice President of News, /NY1 Bernadine Han has been at Time Warner Cable’s NY1 since the local cable operation started in 1992. She started out as a writer and over the past 20 years risen up the ladder to her current role. In 1997, Han was named assistant news director of NY1 and became news director in 2003 and then vice president of news in 2005.

Vince Hill, Business/Finance Editor, CBS Radio Philadelphia, KYW Newsradio Vince is one of KYW Newsradio’s most senior anchors, runs the KYW Business Center every weekday morning, giving listeners an idea of what to expect throughout the upcoming day. As business and finance editor at KYW, he coordinates the reports of more than 40 stock, bond, and mutual fund brokers and other commentators heard daily on KYW Newsradio at :25 and :55 after .

Gordon Johnson, M.Ed., LLD, President and CEO, Neighbor To Family, Inc Mr. Johnson began his career in the child welfare field in 1959 as a cottage officer at the Jamesburg (PA) State Home for Boys. He quickly rose through the ranks of child welfare agencies in Pennsylvania, New York and Florida, and in 1983 was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Mr. Johnson was responsible for 600,000 children in state custody over his 7 year tenure as Director of Illinois’ DCFS.

Johnson was faced with the unprecedented crisis of having over 1,000 African-American children needing adoptive placement. He joined efforts with the faith community to develop an innovative response to the need. The goal was to find one family in one church to adopt one child, hence the name One Church One Child. This program was selected in 1986 by Ford Foundation and John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University as one of the 10 Best Government Partnership Programs in the country. In addition to the One Church, One Child program he developed a myriad of other cutting edge programs and services, including:

• Creation of the Statewide Adoption Central Clearinghouse with Illinois Child Care Association for waiting children and parents who want to adopt children with special needs. • Legislation in Illinois to allow state employees to adopt hard to place children. • Development of the country’s first regulations giving foster parents preference in adopting their foster children. • Implementation of the nation’s first statewide Child Welfare Training Institute to oversee 7,000 employees training in child welfare, adoptions, licensing, train the trainer, etc. • Appearances on hundreds of TV and radio programs, seminars, and conferences to promote special needs adoptions at national, state, and local levels.

Mr. Johnson left DCFS in 1990 to become President/CEO of Jane Addams Hull House Association in Chicago. In 1994, he created a new approach to foster care that enabled sibling groups to be placed together, and remain together, in a single foster home. In 1998, Mr. Johnson was asked to bring the program to the Daytona Beach area, where it was incorporated as a private, not-for-profit organization, Neighbor To Family, Inc. (NTF).

Neighbor To Family sibling foster care model has been rated by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare with a scientific rating 3, promising research evidence.

Since 1998, NTF has expanded its service area from Daytona Beach NTF Program and Corporate Offices to additional locations in Jacksonville Florida, , Maryland, and . NTF has serviced over 10,000 children. Over 600 children and their families are served daily with an average 9 months length of stay versus 24 months national length of stay.

Brandi Kellam, Booking Producer, MSNBC Brandi Kellam is a booking and planning producer for MSNBC. She works as a planning producer for "NOW with " while also working as a booker in MSNBC's central booking unit. Previously she was an anchor producer and worked on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" conducting research, contributing to the show's blog, pitching stories, and booking guests. Kellam earned her M.S. in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from .

Trenae V. Nuri, Multimedia Reporter, Philadelphia Tribune and WHYY/NewsWorks Trenae Vashaun Nuri is a multimedia journalist specializing in digital media story telling. Since 2010, Trenae has worked in the Mid-Atlantic region focusing on the lives of Black Americans through written articles and originally produced news packages. Her maturation as a journalist has been cultivated through her work at the Philadelphia Tribune--the oldest continuously running African American newspaper. At the paper, Trenae has served as a freelance correspondent, Learning Key coordinator and general assignment reporter. Earlier this year, Trenae began to introduce video content to supplement her articles for the publication. She also is the First Place recipient of the 2013 Youth Writer Section Merit Award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Trenae also freelances for the South Jersey Journal and WHYY/NewsWorks. This fall, she begins a Master’s program with a concentration in public communication at Drexel University.

Joi-Marie McKenzie, Producer, ABC News/Editor-in-Chief, TheFabEmpire.com Joi-Marie McKenzie is an entertainment producer for ABC News. She is also the creator and editor- in-chief of, The Fab Empire, an award-winning website that covers society, politics, celebrities and local events in Baltimore, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. McKenzie, with her team of contributors and photographers, has successfully created a brand that speaks to the needs of young urban professionals. McKenzie earned her master's degree in Digital Media from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree in communications from The University of Maryland, College Park.

Natalie P. McNeal, Editor, TheFrugalista.com Veteran journalist Natalie P. McNeal created and launched personal finance blog, The Frugalista Files, in 2008. Through her blog, Natalie teaches people how to live the frugal and fabulous life. In 2010 she authored the book, "The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life" She has been an editor for AOL's City's Best, a web producer for PBS' The Nightly Business Report, and a reporter for The Miami Herald and The Raleigh News and Observer . McNeal is a graduate of Howard University.

Darisha K. Miller, Director, Ross Associates Darisha K. Miller is the Director of media relations for Ross Associates Inc. She has also served as vice-president for The Philadelphia Black Public Relations Society.

Christopher Nelson, Assignment Editor, NBC News Christopher is an Assignment Editor at NBC News based in New York. Previously, he was a freelance multimedia journalist, contributing to the websites On Being a Black Lawyer (OBABL) and The Loop 21. In a previous stint with NBC News, Nelson was a researcher on the Network News Desk, after having joined NBC News as part of the highly regarded News Associates program. He began his career as a news writer at WJZ-TV (CBS Baltimore), and was a blogger for 's BTheSite.com. He holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola University Maryland and a master's degree from the Law Center.

Roy Paul, Political Commentator & Contributor Roy Paul is a political commentator, speaker and analyst. As a journalist he has interviewed notables such as Dr. Maya Angelou, Fmr Mayors Koch and Dinkins, and Lilly Ledbetter. He contributes political commentary on WABC 7 in New York and is a contributor to RapGenius.com.

Patrick Riley, Freelance Producer/Writer Born in , Japan and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Patrick graduated 's illustrious Morehouse College cum laude with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. He is currently based outside of in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. As an independent producer, personality, and writer for a little more than a decade, Patrick's clients have included: HARPO PRODUCTIONS, OWN, CNN.com NBC, BET, AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, "The Show", "Anderson Cooper", New York Public Radio/The Greene Space, AT&T, ESPN, Dubose Entertainment, Hurricane Productions, I-Style TV, Crosswalks TV, Levi’s, Remy Martin, and HBO.

Dedrick Russell, Education Reporter, WBTV (Charlotte, NC) Dedrick started at WBTV in 2003 and covers the education beat for the Raycom-owned station in Charlotte, N.C. He is also NABJ’s Vice-President of Broadcast. Dedrick has been in the media industry for more than a decade. He got his start as a one man band reporter in SC. After spending several years in the Palmetto State, he moved to DC and became a photojournalist at NewsChannel 8. Dedrick then worked his way up to reporter. In 2003 he left DC to become a reporter in Charlotte, NC. While there he won SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi award for an educational series called the "Troubled Ten." Principals told Dedrick their plans to boost academic achievement at the ten lowest performing high schools in Charlotte.

Mark A. Thomas, Former Director, City Limits Magazine Mark A. Thomas is a 2014 Fellow at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and is the former Director of City Limits Magazine, which employs freelance investigative journalists.

Mark A. Thompson The year 2013 is the Rev. Mark A. Thompson’s 25th anniversary as a broadcaster. He began his career in 1988 with Radio One, Inc. under the guidance of Cathy Hughes. His show, Make It Plain, was the first to sign on XM Radio in 2001, and the only show to have been broadcast on XM exclusively, then Sirius exclusively, and now broadcast on both.. Currently, Make It Plain is a daily, afternoon-drive, political, human rights and call-in program heard on SiriusXM Left 127 (siriusxm.com/siriusxmprogress). He is the first and only African American talk host on SiriusXM Left and the only African American in the U.S. hosting a daily, national show on a progressive/liberal talk format, as opposed to either an urban format or a conservative format.

He broadcast from South Africa during the first democratic elections, and received his traditional African name, Matsimela Mapfumo, which means, “firmly rooted soldier.” Mark anchored SiriusXM's coverage of both the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the dedication of the MLK Memorial. For several consecutive weeks, he broadcast Occupy Wall Street live, on location from New York's Zuccotti Park. Mark also broadcast from Sanford, Florida with exclusive coverage of the Trayvon Martin case. He was the first journalist and activist to declare Trayvon Martin is Emmett Till in a piece so entitled at uptownmagazine.com. Mark anchored SiriusXM’s coverage of both the 2008 and 2012 presidential election seasons. He has broadcast from every Democratic National Convention since 1992. For the past five years, Mark has been the only broadcaster to provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the NAACP Annual Convention.

Later matriculating at the University of the District of Columbia, he was organizer and spokesperson for KIAMSHA, the 1990 eleven-day student protest and boycott, and was named one of the "100 Most Powerful People in Washington" by Regardie’s magazine.

In 1993, after organizing the weekly civil disobedience on Capitol Hill that helped win the first-ever Congressional vote on DC Statehood, Mark was jailed for 20 days. Both the Stand Up for Democracy Coalition and Mark received the United Nations Association 2004 Human Rights Award. In 1996, He joined Dick Gregory, Cong. Maxine Waters and journalist Gary Webb in exposing the CIA’s role in the crack cocaine epidemic.

Mark co-founded the Umoja Party, the only U.S. ballot-status Black political party from 1994 -2000, and was a candidate for the DC Council. He co-chaired the 1996 National Black Political Convention with Dr. Benjamin Chavis. In 2004, Mark was an advisor to the Rev. ’s presidential campaign and he appeared in Michael Moore’s critically-acclaimed documentary, Fahrenheit 911.

Mark served on the national committees for the Million Man March, the Million Family March, the Millions More Movement, the Millions for Reparations Rally, the One Nation March, the National Action Network's Emancipator to Liberator March & Dedication of the MLK Memorial, the NAACP's Stand for Freedom, and every anniversary March On Washington including the most recent 50th anniversary, and he also emceed each of these historic events. Mark annually participates in the commemoration of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, including 2012 March from Selma to Montgomery, and in 2007, the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute awarded him the Builder of the Flame Award.

Mark has also chaired the NAACP Metropolitan Police and Criminal Justice Review Task Force for the DC Branch. In that capacity, he co-authored legislation establishing the Board and Office of Police Complaints, and facilitated the beginning of an unprecedented study on racial profiling. He has also taught courses in diversity awareness and sensitivity to police officers. From 2001-2005, Mark developed a radio broadcast curriculum for the DC Public Schools and taught radio broadcasting at Ballou Senior High.

Mark is a primary subject in bestselling author and geneticist Brian Sykes recently published DNA USA: A Genetic of .

Mark has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of the District of Columbia and a Masters in Divinity from Howard University. He was ordained by the Rev. Dr. Morris L. Shearin, Sr., Pastor of the Israel Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Mark lives in Harlem, New York, and is the proud father of a 20-year-old daughter in college and an 11-year-old son. He is a Life Member of the NAACP, the National Action Network, the National Congress of Black Women and the National Organization of Women. Mark is also a frequent guest on numerous television networks.

Renee Washington, Executive Producer, WABC-TV Renee Washington is an Executive Producer at WABC-TV in New York, Disney-ABC Television Group's station. Ms. Washington manages the daily production of Eyewitness News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. which includes working closely with producers on show content, showcasing and promotion. She was previously an Executive Producer at WPVI-TV, the Disney-ABC Television Group's station in Philadelphia. Ms. Washington has also worked in news management in Cleveland and Tampa. Prior to her news management experience, Ms. Washington was employed as a News Producer at the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis. Ms. Washington holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana

D. Bernard Webster, President & CEO, Vanguarde Consulting Group D. Bernard is president and CEO of Vanguarde Consulting Group in New York City. He is an entrepreneur and business development professional with expertise in marketing strategy, financial growth planning and online business models. Bernard is a highly sought-after public speaker and business coach who has used his rich entrepreneurial experiences to educate sand support nearly 7,000 aspiring business owners across New York and northern New Jersey. Marc Willis, Public Affairs Specialist at Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives Marc Willis is a Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In Marc’s primary role he manages the agency’s various strategic communications and media relations programs that include serving as the lead instructor for the agency’s crisis communications training for first and second line supervisors. Before joining the ATF in 2009, Marc worked as a broadcast news journalist for the NBC affiliate WPXI Channel 11 News in Pittsburgh, Pa covering a variety of significant local and national stories. Prior to Pittsburgh, Marc was a general assignment reporter for the NBC affiliate WYFF News 4 in Greenville, SC and the CBS affiliate and news leader in August, Ga. WRDW News 12. Marc has also worked as an adjunct professor for University of South Carolina in Aiken and Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. Marc is an associate member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) where he has served as a professional mentor and instructor for the North Carolina A&T State University NABJ Short Course since 2003 and the NABJ Broadcast Student Project and most recently the NABJ PR Student Project. Marc holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. and a masters of journalism degree in Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising from Temple University.

Benét Wilson , Social Media/Newsletter Editor, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Benét Wilson is the Social Media/Newsletter Editor for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. She is on the board of the Online News Association and serves as vice president of education for the NABJ Digital Journalism Task Force.

Wendy Wilson, News Editor, Essence Magazine Wendy L. Wilson currently serves as news editor for ESSENCE magazine. In this role she is responsible for assigning various in-depth feature stories, profiles, special reports, and commentaries for the news section. She is the former news editor for ESSENCE.com, where she provided daily news coverage and content for , including breaking news and exclusive stories. Previously she was a staff writer for ESSENCE magazine, a staff writer for TEEN PEOPLE, and an Assistant Editor for TEEN PEOPLE. Wilson earned her B.A. in English from Skidmore College, and a M.A. in Magazine Journalism from New York University

William Wright, Senior Editor, NBC News William Wright is a Senior News Editor at MSNBC’s TheGrio.com and a Diversity Specialist for NBC News. At TheGrio.com he works with the writers and producers of MSNBC’s African American Internet portal in the development and execution of content. In matters of diversity, Wright collaborates with NBC News senior management in on-air diversity tracking, creating and maintaining metrics that demonstrate NBC Universal News Group’s commitment to diversity. Will has been General Manager at Cablevision’s HD News the nation’s first 24/7 news network broadcast entirely in High Definition. He was Executive Producer of “The BET Nightly News." He was Vice President and News Director at WWOR in New York, Vice President and News Director at KRIV in and was Assistant News Director at KYW in Philadelphia. He was also a producer at CBS News, having begun his professional news career there in 1972 as a desk assistant. Wright is a graduate of and was a Michelle Clarke Fellow at The Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.