Presenters

Anemona covers higher education for The New York Times and has worked a variety of other beats for the Times since her arrival in 1997. Prior to the pandemic, she traveled to West Africa for a brief stint of reporting there. In 2015, she spent three months covering the economic crisis in Greece and following the historic stream of migrants and refugees across Europe from the island of Kos to Denmark.

Arricca is a health and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in print and digital publications including Prevention, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, The Pioneer Woman, Veranda, The Spruce, Healthline, PureWow and many others. She writes extensively about children’s and women’s health, but her special interests are mental health concerns and the healing power of nature. Her goal is to empower readers to make positive lifestyle changes to balance mental and emotional well-being.

A graduate of Purdue University (and former member of the Golduster Dance Team), Bailey’s love for the Boilermaker brand runs deep. As Lead Brand Manager, she leads a cross-functional team dedicated to the University’s brand reputation and supports 550+ marketers and communicators across campus as the engine behind the Purdue Communicators Council. She is the creator and director of the Boiler Ambassador program, a peer-to-peer marketing initiative engaging more than 70 student ambassadors. She received an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan.

Dejenaba is responsible for utilizing communications mediums to embrace and showcase diversity as an institutional value. She nurtures and cultivates an inclusive academic environment through comprehensive campus engagement, partnering with units across the university, to amplify and demonstrate its institutional commitment. Previously, she led strategic marketing initiatives, produced events, and developed multimedia content as the director of marketing and communications for the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology.

Eric is responsible for the editorial direction of health and medical reporting on-air and on-line. He works daily with Good Morning America, GMA3, World News Tonight, Nightline, 20/20, ABC Audio, ABC Digital, ABC News Live and the ABC affiliated news outlets throughout the country. Over the past three years Eric has led the news division’s countless hours of coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic with ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a team of award-winning journalists and medical doctors.

Jennifer is the editor of MSUToday, MSU’s central news site. She has 12 years of marketing, communications, and PR experiences – the majority of which have been spent in digital spaces, overseeing and assisting with site management and content curation. She joined the University Communications staff at MSU in 2022. Prior to that, she served as senior content strategist for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at the university.

With 15+ years of communications and public relations experience, Katie Lawson serves as the Chief Communications Officer at the University of Maryland. In this role, she upholds and advances the reputation of a top-ranked public research institution while serving as a spokesperson and leading media relations and social strategy. Lawson works closely with the president to amplify executive voice and communicate presidential priorities to the campus community and higher education stakeholders.

Ken oversees AAU's public polling and institutional survey, as well as research studies in support of advocacy messaging and campaigns. He also directs institutional policy activities, a variety of special projects, and staffs the Chief Academic Officer (provosts) group. One of the country’s premier experts on political campaigns and the use and impact of advertising, he has authored or co-authored over 50 publications and combines his academic training with an ear for real politics.

A communications veteran who has promoted programs and their people for more than two decades, Kevin will co-present on Faces & Voices, an award-winning, multi-platform series that tells the Rutgers story through the faculty, students, staff, and alumni who make the University a dynamic place of discovery. As the project and script manager, he is responsible for organizing and managing resources to aid messaging and facilitate distribution. Previously, he served as Senior Associate Director of Athletics-Communications.

Mark has served as a public relations practitioner and marketer for 30 years and has led the strategic development and execution of award-winning public relations campaigns for Fortune 500 corporations. His campaigns have leveraged some of the world’s most popular sports and entertainment properties including the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl Halftime Show, Academy Awards and The Rolling Stones. He has authored three books Gen Z Graduates to Adulthood, Engaging Gen Z, and Decoding Gen Z.

Pedro oversees AAU's public affairs, communications, and media relations, while also staffing the public affairs network constituent group. Before joining AAU in 2017, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, working as a senior advisor on media, public, and employee engagement strategies. Previously, he was an Assistant Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was responsible for managing and overseeing external and internal messaging programs.

Shoshannah is a producer for Science Friday particularly stories about health, psychology, and the environment. Previously, she guest-hosted Utah Public Radio’s weekly science and research show UnDisciplined. She started her career in television at New Jersey’s PBS Station, where she produced daily news segments and the station’s weekly public affairs shows. She holds a master’s degree from CUNY Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, with a health and science reporting concentration and audio specialization.