REGION ONE Speaker Biographical Information
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REGION ONE Speaker Biographical Information Amanda Barrett , Associated Press Ms. Barrett has been New York 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 Newsday and as a sports copy editor and slot editor for the Orlando Sentinel and the Roanoke Times in Virginia. Barrett grew up in Roanoke, Va., and attended James Madison University. 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 television shows and networks, including the Nancy Grace 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 American University, 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 Philadelphia and the former executive director of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, 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 Chicago from 2003-2008 Sharon Epperson , Senior Commodities Correspondent & 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 London (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 the New York Times, Black Enterprise, NABJ Digital blog, and Black Web 2.0. Bernie Han, Vice President of News, Time Warner Cable/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 the hour. 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, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. 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 Alex Wagner" 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 Syracuse University. 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.