CONFERENCE SCHEDULE IS HERE!
Last Updated: September 20
2024 GRC Speaker Bios
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Wajahat Ali
Author, Journalist
Wajahat Ali is a Daily Beast columnist, public speaker, recovering attorney, and author for Go Back To Where You Came From, where he crafts universal narratives through a culturally specific lens, aiming to entertain, educate, and challenge the status quo to bridge global divides.
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Collin Arnold
Director of New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
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Michael August
Kyle Radio (Texas) KDUR (Durango,CO)
Mike's first community radio station experience was in 1970 as an original volunteer at KPFT - Houston. He later served as the General Manager. He has also managed community radio station WYEP - Pittsburgh, and the nation's first community television station, KBDI - Denver. Mike is a founding member and former board member of KWVH - Wimberley. He currently volunteers at KDUR - Durango, CO and is a board member of Kyle Radio in Texas.
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Tel Francois Balliet
WTUL-FM, Tulane University
Tel is the adviser for Tulane’s student media organizations, including WTUL, New Orleans’ oldest non-commercial radio station. She’s been working with the student leaders of the station for more than 25 years.
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Paul Bame
Prometheus Radio Project
Paul got hooked on Grassroots Radio by listening to Boulder's KGNU in the mid 90's. That also led him into activism for global economic dignity in the "Seattle-era" street movement. Along the way he also stood against police brutality, for an end of racism toward Native Americans and others, an end of media bias including that at NPR, of discrimination and dehumanization aimed at women, LGBT, and undocumented immigrants. When he co-founded Grassroots Radio station KRFC between 1997 and 2003, he also co-founded its news collective. Since 2010, Paul has been a broadcast and allocations engineer at the Prometheus Radio Project.
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Michael D. Brown
Brown Broadcast Services, & Community Media Assistance Project
Michael Brown is a Radio Engineering Consultant, specializing in FCC applications, signal propagation and interference analysis, and transmitter site construction. He has built or rebuilt dozens of studio and transmitter facilities, and prepared over 1500 FCC applications over the past 40+ years. He’s also a site supervisor at the “most radioed” FM tower site in Oregon, with 13 stations. He is certified as a Senior Radio Broadcast Engineer with the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), and is an associate member with the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE). He was previously employed by commercial stations in Oregon and California in several capacities, including Station Manager. Michael is President of Community Media Assistance Project (CMAP), a non-profit organization assisting NCE and LPFM stations.
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Stella Linder Byrne
KMRD-LP
Co-founder and Station Manager of KMRD-LP, independent community radio serving Madrid, New Mexico and the surrounding rural area.
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LaToya Cantrell
Mayor, City of New Orleans
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Mike Clifford Longman
Public News Service (publicnewsservice.org )
National Newscast anchor for Public News Service (publicnewsservice.org) and former New Orleans, award winning investigative Radio and TV broadcast journalist.
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MarkAlain Dery
102.3 WHIV-LP
Dr. MarkAlain Déry co-founded 102.3FM WHIV-LP, a community radio station in New Orleans dedicated to human rights and social justice. He also serves as the Grassroots Radio Conference 2024 co-chair. As an infectious disease physician and public health activist, Dr. Déry has been instrumental in using radio as a platform to address health disparities and social justice issues in the New Orleans community. His passion for grassroots media and its role in protecting democracy aligns perfectly with the GRC2024's theme, "Using Our Platforms to Protect Democracy."
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Kyle DeVries
Board President, New Orleans Pride Center
Serving as President for the board of the New Orleans Pride Center, Kyle brings two decades of nonprofit organizing and operations experience with a focus on LGBTQ2IA+ communities. They have worked for the National LGBT Task Force, as executive director for the Groundswell Institute, and now provide strategic communications and development consulting for organizations. They are also interim station manager for 102.3 WHIV-LP.
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Davyne Dial
General Manager WPVM 103.7 Asheville, NC
Upon retiring from a 30 year career as a wearable art designer, I became an activist using new technology to livestream local political, and public affairs events in Asheville, NC. In 2014 it became known that our local community station was facing shutdown, due to financial woes. I met with that station's Board to discuss what needed to be done to save the station, and developed a plan to relieve the station of debt that was threatening forclosure. In 2015 after satisfying the bank loan, the Board voted to transfer the license to my nonprofit. Since than I have managed WPVM 103.7 in Asheville and it has been quite the adventure. Listen to us on any device, worldwide. www.wpvmfm.org
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Joe Duke
Loyola University
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Bob Dunn
WXDR-LP
Bob Dunn started in radio at a college station decades ago, and then after a long career in broadcasting, has come full circle as the founder and coordinator of WXDR-LP at Delgado Community College in New Orleans. He has been a TV reporter, videographer, sound designer (snagging two Emmy awards), radio personality, broadcast engineer, and retired as a college professor. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in communications, and certification from the Society of Broadcast Engineers.
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Jim "Radio" Ellinger
Austin Airwaves
Austin-based community media activist group Austin Airwaves has been involved in many radio rescues, development projects and media conferences around the world for decades, including: Establishing KAMP 'AstroDome Radio' (and Lower 9th Ward Radio in NOLA) following Hurricane Katrina, is the only 'temporary/emergency' radio license ever issued by the FCC, put RZPF, "Radio for the Peasants," in Fonda, Haiti, back on the air six weeks after deadly earthquake, member of the Int'l Board of AMARC, World Assoc. of CR Broadcasters, for four years, informally introduced LPFM boxes to Tunisia for the Arab Spring, and many other rescue and media development projects. Covered George Floyd/Mike Ramos riots in Austin and Confederate Statue demonstrations in Georgetown, TX. Current license holder for KKYL-lp 94.1 FM in Kyle, TX, due on the air soon. Volunteer Fire Fighter for Pyropolis, TX.
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Liana Elliott
102.3 WHIV-LP
Liana Elliott is a prominent community advocate in New Orleans, best known for her pivotal role with WHIV-LP (102.3 FM). As a co-founder and current board chair of this low-power FM radio station, Liana provides crucial leadership and strategic direction for WHIV's mission of amplifying underrepresented voices and promoting social justice. Her work is instrumental in maintaining WHIV as a vital platform for discussions on local activism and community issues, reflecting her commitment to grassroots media as a tool for positive change in New Orleans.
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Britain Forsyth
Step Up Louisiana, Forum For Equality
Britain Forsyth grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana and moved to New Orleans with his family as a teenager. He began his political career in 2017 as a campaign intern doing field work, which gave him the opportunity to talk to folks all over the city about what mattered to them. Since then, Britain has worked in government, electoral campaigns, and advocacy. He's worked on policy and organizing around sex work, LGBTQ+ issues, the criminal legal system, and low wage workers. Currently, he's the Legislative Coordinator for Step Up Louisiana and the C4 Board Chair for Forum For Equality. He also aims to pull from his experience as a trans man native to Louisiana to fight for all suffering under oppressive systems - believing that our liberation is bound together.
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Lillian Foster
The Tulane Hullaballoo
Lillian Foster is a sophomore at Tulane University studying Mass Communication and Spanish. As the Breaking News Editor for the Tulane Hullabaloo, she is dedicated to uncovering timely, compelling stories. An alumna of both NOCCA and the School of The New York Times, she aims to make a positive impact on her local community by producing equitable and captivating investigative journalism.
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Scott Galante
Galante & Ross, LLC / Host of NOLA Law Talk on WHIV FM
Mr. Galante is the managing partner of Galante & Ross, LLC a litigation firm in New Orleans. His practice is focused primarily on toxic exposure victims, catastrophic injuries, and civil litigation. Prior to founding his firm, Mr. Galante spent eighteen years as the founding partner of Galante & Bivalacqua, LLC. Mr. Galante is a 2000 graduate of Tulane Law School. Scott practiced as a student attorney in Tulane’s Environmental Law Clinic where he served as student attorney to people in Louisiana experiencing environmental damage. During his time at Tulane, Scott served as an Administrative Justice on the Moot Court Board and was the 1998 Moot Court Junior Appellate champion and was admitted to the Order of the Barristers. Following, Scott returned to Tulane as an Adjunct Faculty member in Tulane’s Trial Advocacy program starting in 2005 and in 2018 he was elevated to Co-Director of the Tulane Trial Advocacy Program. Scott hosts a weekly show with his law partner Billy Ross on WHIV FM in New Orleans called NOLA Law Talk where they discuss general legal issues as a public service in the New Orleans area and invite guest attorneys to join the discussion.
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Marcus Hanson
General Manager, Gila/Mimbres Community Radio, KURU 89.1 FM Silver City NM
Marcus Hanson has been the General Manager of Gila/Mimbres Community Radio (KURU 89.1 FM Silver City, NM) since 2021. Recently, a stranger came into the KURU studio and attempted to attack a DJ while live on air. Marcus will discuss the event, the stations reaction, and how to navigate the current climate that small town community radio stations exist within. Marcus was originally born in New Zealand and immigrated to the United States at age 12 in 2001, where he has lived ever since.
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Thom Hartmann
The Thom Hartmann Show
Leading progressive talk show host and bestselling author, recognized for his insightful commentary on politics and social issues in America.
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Tera Hurst
Executive Director, Oregon Health Justice Recovery Alliance
Tera Hurst is a nationally recognized social innovation leader who has developed coalitions across government, nonprofits, and corporations to lead the nation in critical climate and drug policy innovations. She is known as a “fierce” advocate for change and for her focus on scientifically proven solutions. She led the coalition to implement Oregon’s first-in-the-nation experiment with drug decriminalization and secured hundreds of millions of dollars in annual state funding for the development of a low-to-no-barrier system of care for people struggling with substance use. Previously, she led the local and national coalition that secured a cap on greenhouse gasses and the country's most ambitious climate executive order. Hurst is a peer-reviewed author and is regularly featured in national and global media, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, VICE, Oregonian, CBC, BBC, and National Public Radio. She was named one of the top Change Agents of the Year by the Portland Business Journal for 2024. Hurst is frequently invited as an expert to present at conferences, legislative bodies, and universities. She developed her political strategy acumen working on various political campaigns and with the Oregon House Majority Leader and then serving as the chief-of-staff to the mayor of Portland, Charlie Hales.
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Marta Jewson
The Lens
Marta Jewson covers education in New Orleans for The Lens. She began her reporting career covering charter schools for The Lens and helped found the hyperlocal news site Mid-City Messenger. As a woman in journalism, she's worked to ensure her staff is equipped and empowered to protect their health, safety and wellbeing while reporting. She had to do a serious reassessment of her online footprint after concerning calls received earlier this year.
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Calvin Johnson
102.3 WHIV-LP
Retired Criminal Court Judge. Host, 8 years of the Hump Day Show on WHIVFM. The first 5 years of the show grandaughter participated.
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J Christopher Johnson
Mobilizing Millennials
J. Christopher Johnson is a dynamic leader and change-maker known for his work in activism, strategic planning, and public service. He made history as the youngest candidate to run for Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District in 2021. He holds a degree from Dillard University and is pursuing a Master of Social Work at Southern University at New Orleans. As the Founding Executive Director of Mobilizing Millennials, he leads efforts in civic engagement and policy development. Johnson is also recognized for his roles in judicial administration and community service, emphasizing diversity, inclusion, and organizational growth.
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Barthelemy Jolly
102.3 WHIV-LP
I am Barthelemy Jolly, just Jolly for most people in New Orleans, a proud member of the Haitian community, the vice president of the Haitian community center of Louisiana, The co-founder of the first Haitian Creole radio station in Louisiana “ Radio Gonbo Kreyol” a proud host of the only station who give a voice to more community than any station in Louisiana:” WHIVFM”. I am also a telecommunications technician working for AT&T for 20 years now, and a ex Journalism student at Ashford University. Being in radio for over 10 years as CEO and a host I am going to speak about the difficulties of integrating that field and what it takes to let a host do his work even under the board member's pressure.
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Kendall S. Jones
102.3 WHIV-LP
I am a dynamic professional who transitioned from a successful career in radio production to becoming a compassionate veterinary technician. With a background in managing the fast-paced world of radio, I was able to hone my organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills, I found a new passion for animal care. After several years of helping bring stories to life on the airwaves, I decided to pursue my love for animals by enrolling in veterinary technology training. Today, I’m using my experience to not only assist veterinarians in caring for animals but also to advocate for animal health and well-being, combining media expertise with my dedication to improving the lives of pets and their owners.
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LaGanzie Kale
KLEK-LP 102.5 FM
LaGanzie Kale is the founder and General Manager of KLEK 102.5 F.M., the first minority-owned and operated radio station in Jonesboro, Arkansas, launched in 2015 and named in honor of his mother, Lovie Edmond Kale, who died from complications of breast cancer in 2012. A graduate of Arkansas State University with degrees in general studies and radio-television, Kale also holds a master's degree in teaching and learning with technology from Ashford University.
Kale's commitment to community service has earned him numerous accolades, including an Arkansas Community Service Award from Gov. Asa Hutchinson, recognition from U.S. Senators, and being named a "Living Legend" by Arkansas State University in 2020, and two-time winner of ASU's "Excellence in Community Diversity Award". He has been instrumental in community initiatives, such as the successful campaign to rename a street after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Jonesboro, hosting interviews and debates with local political candidates, and PSAs focused on voter education, registration, and engagement.
Active in his community, Kale serves as a Deacon at New Life Empowerment Ministries Church and holds leadership positions in various organizations, including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Craighead County NAACP, and Arkansas State University advisory boards. Originally from Helena-West Helena, AR, he now resides in Jonesboro, where he continues to make significant contributions to local media and community development.
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Max Kelley
WAYO-LP Rochester, NY
Max Kelley is the Station Manager at WAYO-LP 104.3FM in Rochester, NY, an all-volunteer, freeform community radio station which airs more than 80 locally-produced shows on a weekly basis. His start in radio began as a shortwave listener as an early teen, then as a ham radio operator at age 13, co-station manager at his high school radio station, then as a staff engineer at his college radio station, WITR 89.7. As a software/electrical engineer for a Silicon Valley company by day and a sound engineer at a historic Rochester dive bar by night, Max loves to smash all those skills together at WAYO to help build and grow a robust platform which highlights and elevates Rochester's vibrant music, art, and cultural scene.
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Michelle Kelley
American Archive of Public Broadcasting / GBH
Michelle Kelley is the Media Historian and Curator of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, a collaboration between GBH and the Library of Congress to preserve and improve access to historically significant public media. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, the Washington Post, Film Quarterly, Cineaste, and the edited collection Screening Race in American Nontheatrical Film (Duke University Press, 2019).
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Lisa Kettyle
Prometheus Radio Project
Lisa Kettyle is a dynamic and energetic leader with a proven track record of identifying and delivering initiatives in alignment with an organization’s mission. She is a broadcast media professional with 20 years experience in leadership, management, and nonprofit arts organizations. She is currently working with the Prometheus Radio Project supporting organizations and community groups through the most recent Low Power FM license application process. In her work, she consults stations that have been granted a new license or are navigating MX and Informal Objections. Lisa is consulting stations in the station-building process, with a focus on fundraising, community engagement, organizational capacity, programming, and volunteer management.
Lisa recently served as the Program Director for the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB), where she had executive oversight of programming, a national conference, and the core services and communications of NFCB.
Before NFCB, Lisa served as the Chief Operating Officer at Marfa Public Radio. Lisa had executive oversight of the day-to-day operations of the radio station, including leadership, facilitating the executive director’s vision for the station, project management, broadcast operations, board relations, DEI, and more.
She has worked with federal and national organizations, including CPB and the FCC, to advocate for community media. -
Bennett Kobb
KZSM-LP San Marcos TX
Bennett Kobb is a volunteer at KZSM-LP in San Marcos, Texas. He is a retired Senior Associate for Defense and Security at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington DC, where he worked in public emergency communications. He is a veteran of radio stations KPFT, KTRU and KFMK in Houston; KMFA, KIXL and KHFI in Austin; KAIR in Boulder, Colorado and WERA-LP in Arlington, Virginia.
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Alex Lawson
We Act Radio
Alex Lawson is the Executive Director of Social Security Works, the convening member of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition— a coalition made up of over 340 national and state organizations representing over 50 million Americans. Mr. Lawson has appeared on numerous TV and radio outlets and is a frequent guest covering Social Security and Medicare issues on The Thom Hartmann Program, one of the top progressive radio shows in the country.
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Lisa Loving
KBOO
Lisa Loving is the executive producer of Pacifica’s twice-monthly program featuring local election news from around the country, Election Report 2024. Her 10-part grassroots journalism training series for elections reporting is free and available on the Pacifica.org website. As a staff member and volunteer at KBOO Community Radio in Portland, Oregon, she has trained hundreds of everyday people in the tools of independent journalism. She is the author of Street Journalist: Understand and Report the News in Your Community (2019, Microcosm Publishing).
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Betty McArdle
Community Media Assistance Project (CMAP)
Betty McArdle is Executive Director of Community Media Assistance Project. She helps non-commercial stations with many tasks: preparing applications for license, governance, organizing, translating FCC speak, and much more. Betty has 45+ years of experience working in and with community and environmental protection groups in the Northwest. She served as President of Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, and has served as a board member and volunteer for several organizations including the Sierra Club, Puget Consumers Co-op in Seattle and her local neighborhood association in Portland, Oregon. Currently she is on the board of Oregon Community Media (OCM), a group of community radio stations in Oregon.
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Cicely Moore
Assistance Executive Director, New Orleans Black Pride
Cicely S. Moore was born in Lake Charles, LA but has spent the last 19 years of her life in Baton Rouge, La. As a “country girl,” Cicely grew up with a huge loving family that encouraged, inspired , and most of all, loved without boundaries. Her life consisted of, first, a strong sense of family, traditional southern religion, education, sports and most of all, being an instrument & servant to her community. Cicely has always witnessed and been apart of altruistic generational acts and this help build character.
Cicely attended McNeese State University where she and 3 friends decided to create an organization for Masculine Presenting Lesbians. Through friendships, experiences, and spiritual discernment, Cicely recognized the deficiency in the LGBTQ+ community for Masculine Presenting Lesbians. As a servant leader, her main objective was to build a platform that offered a “safe haven” for all who identified and desired to build lifelong bonds while also serving in the community. Gamma Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was founded in 2006 in Baton Rouge, LA. The mission was, and still is, to transform individuals through culture, leadership, service and brotherhood. As true servants in the community, Cicely has assisted with leading continuous projects in the area. As a result of the organization, many individuals have excelled in various careers and social statuses. Cicely’s goal and mission is to continue uplifting and inspiring individuals to strive for excellence and exceed their own personal expectations.
Additionally, Cicely joined the New Orleans Black Pride Team as Nikki’s Assistant Director as of April 2024.
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Grant Morris
Grant Morris is founder & president of audio production company INO Broadcasting, producer of the 14 year old podcast and NPR affiliate radio program Out to Lunch among other shows and custom podcasts. Grant was co-founder of streaming pioneer Fastband Globalcast and a DJ on New Orleans music station The Zephyr.
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Katie Moylan
University of Leicester/UK Community Media Association
Katie Moylan is Associate Professor in Media at the University of Leicester (UK) and a Council member of the UK Community Media Association (CMA). She has been researching community radio for over a decade, in two books: Broadcasting Diversity: Migrant Representation in Irish Radio (2013) and The Cultural Work of Community Radio (2019) and in multiple articles. Between 2019 and 2021 she was an EU Marie Curie Global Research Fellow, researching Indigenous radio as a settler scholar; working with Native American radio practitioners, she drafted an online map of Native American radio stations: https://tinyurl.com/MappingIndigenousRadio In collaboration with Leicester multilingual station EAVA FM, Katie co-teaches on the Community Radio in Practice module, in which students produce their own radio programmes. Before studying radio, Katie hosted music and arts shows on pirate, regional and university radio in Dublin and Galway in Ireland and Glasgow, Scotland. More information about Katie’s teaching and research can be found here: https://le.ac.uk/people/katie-moylan
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Jospeh Orozco
Association of Affiliates
Joseph Orozco, Hupa/Hopi, is the Vice Chairman to the Pacifica Association of Affiliates, Board. His Native media experience includes being the first editor of the only independent newspaper in Hoopa Valley 1978-79. In 1978 he worked with the Tribal Education Committee on their Radio Project. In 1980 KIDE-FM Hoopa Tribal Radio signed on-air as the first Tribal owned and operated Non-Commercial Educational FM Radio station in California. In 1988 he was hired to be the Station Manager. He stepped aside in 2020 to take a part time role as the KIDE Website Coordinator. As a member of the Indigenous Communications Association, he was a part of the group to start the PRSS satellite channel called the American Indian Radio on Satellite, AIROS. Now known as NV-1. His is a co-producer to the 2002 documentary, “Dying for Water, Indians, Politics and Dead Fish in the Klamath River Basin.” The story about the Great Fish Kill, when cold water needed for the spawning Salmon was channeled to the Central Valley farmers, 63,000 Adult Salmon died trying to reach the Trinity River. He was recently invited by the Indigenous Journalist Association as a radio member to the Reservation Economic Summit 24, a panel addressing, Press Sovereignty: Good Governance, Self-Determination and Economic Development through Independent Native Journalism. He is a member of the Hoopa Tribal Education Association who are spearheading the Trauma Informed Movement (TIM) in Hoopa Valley to help address the generational effects of genocide, poverty and disenfranchisement in the American society. He will never retire from Native Media.
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Alex Owens
Be Loud Studios
Alex is a dedicated educator with over 10 years of classroom experience. Throughout this time as an educator, Alex has stewarded creative schools and learning environments that encourage hands-on learning, student autonomy, and collaborative problem-solving. He founded and is Co-Director at Be Loud Studios, a non-profit radio station dedicated to amplifying youth confidence through radio and digital media production. Alex loves to make, create and produce things. He lives in New Orleans with his family, where he enjoys renovating his home, mixing music, and spending time with his adventurous kindergartener.
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Jimi Palacios
102.3 WHIV-LP / NOLA County Radio
Jimi Palacios started off doing radio in the Summer of 2015 with The Spaghetti Western Show on 102.3 WHIV-LP New Orleans. In 2016 a good friend of Jimi's from law school retired his band name, NOLA County, and Jimi picked it up as his show name as well as made a conscious effort to showcase emerging Americana music. In 2020 he was offered a position at Gimme Radio to be Production Manager under famed PD Brian Turner of WFMU. There he produced shows as well as created Gimme's first daily Americana show - Country Du Monde. Jimi won the Ameripoitan DJ of the year award in Feburary 2023 after having been nominated 5 consecutive times. Unfortunately Gimme Radio was not able to secure funding past April 2023. Jimi then resurrected NOLA County Radio on Mixcloud and Spotify Podcasts for the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. In June of 2024 Spotify changed their Podcast structure and Jimi found broadcasting partners in SteelRadio.org out of Austin, TX; AmericanaRoundup.com out of Cleveland, OH; EastVillageRadio.com out of New York, NY; and a return to WHIV-LP. Archived episodes of all shows are on Mixcloud. Jimi Palacios has conducted over 2000 artist interviews and 3000 produced shows. He has been a board member of WHIV-LP since 2017.
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Monica Pierre
Pierre Principle Communications
Louisiana native and an Emmy award-winning jounalist, author, and communications strategist known for empowering media initiatives and motivational storytelling.
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Elizabeth (EP) Press
The Sanctuary for Independent Media
Elizabeth Press is a freelance media maker and lecturer in the Arts Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, teaching classes in digital filmmaking and studio production. Press cut their teeth in journalism as a producer for the independent TV/Radio program, Democracy Now!, and brings the radio expertise and organizing skills honed during that time to their work with Media Alliance. As a videographer, producer and editor, Press worked with BRIC Arts Media, The International Institute for Sustainable Development covering the UN climate negotiations, StreetFilms, GritTV with Laura Flanders and PBS. A Fulbright Scholar, Press has also taught classes at New York University, The New School, Fulton Montgomery Community College, and several after-school and community media centers including at The Sanctuary for Independent Media. E.P. helped bottom-line the launch of our low-power FM station and the daily local news show, The Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
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Jess Quint
WTUL New Orleans
My name is Jess Quint, I use they/them pronouns and I'm the general manager of WTUL New Orleans! I spent two years as the apprentice director for our station, teaching new DJs how be good DJs, and now I help run all things WTUL with my incredible advisor, Tel and Chief of Staff, Lily! I have specific interests in keeping WTUL progressive, DIY, and punk in presentation while maintaining visibility and relevance in the city of New Orleans!
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Wade Rathke
WAMF-LP, KABF, and other AM/FM noncommercial stations
Founder and Chief Organizer of ACORN and ACORN International and director of AM/FM that supports and manages noncommercial radio stations in the US, Kenya, and Uganda. AM/FM has assisted 47 communities in applying for low power stations with 45 still pending before the FCC.
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Bruce Reilly
Voice of the Experienced (VOTE)
Community organizer and policy expert in voting rights and civic engagement, specializing with formerly incarcerated community
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Murf Reeves
Music Director at WWOZ
I am a show host and the music director at WWOZ , a community radio station in New Orleans. My job is to get the music to the show hosts, whether it is prerecorded music, interviews and any other way to connect musicians, show hosts and the listening audience.
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Norman Robinson
Retired Newscast and former CBS White House Correspondent
Norman Robinson has been a part of the journalistic landscape in New Orleans since 1976. In June of 2014 he began a well-deserved retirement, after 38 years on television in the crescent city. Prior to that he spent 24 years anchoring the 6pm & 10pm newscasts at the NBC affiliate, WDSU-TV. He also served as the moderator of WDSU's award winning Hot Seat broadcast, which held politicians and policy makers accountable following the events of Hurricane Katrina. In addition to New Orleans, Norman has worked for broadcast outlets in Southern California, Mobile, New York City and Washington, D.C. where he was a member of the White House Press Corps as a Correspondent for CBS News.
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Chris Rose
Chris Rose is a New York Times Best-Selling New Orleans, Louisiana, writer and journalist. For years best known for light-hearted writing in the Times-Picayune, he gained greater attention for his chronicles of the effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans since 2005.
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Ursula Rudenberg
Pacifica Network
Ursula Ruedenberg has been the Network Manager for Pacifica's affiliate network since 2002 and co-created the Audioport.org program syndication platform. Her work at Pacifica began in 2000 when she worked for Pacifica in Exile during the Pacifica struggle to stop the corporate takeover. She co-founded the popular weekly syndicated show Sprouts Radio From the Grassroots and currently produces Ukraine 2 4 2. Ruedenberg launched KHOI community Radio in Ames, Iowa, in 2012 and served as its Station Manager and Program Director for ten years.
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Dorothee Schaefer
KMUD - Redwood Community Radio
I arrived in the U.S. six years ago and was introduced to community radio, something I had never encountered in my home country of France or in the other places I’ve lived. I quickly fell in love with the strong sense of community and the quality of the programming. For the past two years, I’ve been the Membership and Development Coordinator at KMUD, a 37-year-old rural community radio station. Before stepping into this role, I volunteered as a programmer at KMUD. While I’m relatively new to my position, I’ve been fortunate to work closely with two dedicated committees: the Membership Drive Committee and the Development Committee. These committees include experienced volunteers who’ve generously shared their knowledge with me. KMUD still relies on traditional fundraising methods like on-air membership drives, events, tabling, and selling merchandise. However, we’re actively exploring new strategies as times are becoming increasingly challenging.
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Mike Schmidt
Multnomah County District Attorney
Mike Schmidt was elected Multnomah County District Attorney in May 2020. DA Schmidt has led the office through unprecedented situational and capacity challenges during his tenure, including court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting caseload backlogs, a historic lack of public defenders, hundreds of cases resulting from racial justice protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an increase in gun violence, inadequate social supports to address housing, addiction, and mental health, and community concerns about public safety.DA Schmidt has advanced work to make the criminal legal system more equitable and reduce collateral impacts while holding offenders accountable. Outside of work, Mike enjoys playing darts, board games, watching the Blazers and the Saints, and spending time with his family exploring Oregon. He lives in Portland with his wife and kids.
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Stephanie Schubert
Pacifica Network
Stephanie Schubert is the Operations Manager for Pacifica's affiliate network. She works with stations and producers nationwide daily, manages Pacificanetwork.org, writes the monthly newsletter, and produces the popular national show Sprouts Radio From the Grassroots.
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Sharon Scott
WXOX 97.1 FM
Sharon Scott is the author of Low Power FM for Dummies (2023) a how-to manual for community stations of all shapes and sizes. The book is based on her experience as Co-Founder and General Manager of ART FM / WXOX 97.1 FM Louisville, a noncommercial radio station committed to providing artists and community members access to the airwaves for creative and experimental use. Scott is dedicated to uniting and empowering community radio stations nationwide through leadership roles in groups like the LPFM Solidarity and the Association of Affiliates (AOA). Since the passage of the Local Community Radio Act and the global proliferation of listening online, Sharon Scott sees a bright future for creative broadcasting and a powerful force in community radio united.
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Sam Seder
The Majority Report
Prominent political commentator and host of "The Majority Report," known for his incisive analysis of current events and progressive issues in American politics.
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Max Selby
WXOX 97.1 FM , Louisville, KY
Louisville Maxwell Cash Selby was born into the ART FM family and has been an intricate part of the station's development since day one. Over the years he has played many roles from program coordinator to graphic designer to technical assistant. He has been a DJ and station promoter for WXOX 97.1 FM since he was a child and has recently cultivated a number of youth initiatives for student broadcasters nationwide including the Next Wave Teen Academy and the 2024 GRC Student Radio Summit.
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David Sirota
Editor-In-Chief, The Lever
David Sirota is an American journalist, author, and political commentator known for progressive views and investigative reporting. he founded The Lever, and independent news outlet, and co-wrote "Don't Look Up," earning an Oscar nomination. Sirota has worked for Bernie Sanders, written for major publications, and authored books on American politics and economics.
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Vic Tredwell
Belfast Community Radio, WBFY-LP, Belfast, Maine
I was a founding member of Belfast Community Radio in 2016 and have been General Manager since 2017. Before that I have been a long-haul mover, a computer programmer, a fortune teller, a writer and editor in college, a quartermaster in the US Navy and the Maine high school mile champion 1973 and 1974.
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Olivia Warren
Tulane Hullaballoo
Olivia Warren is a senior at Tulane University studying International Relations and Environmental Studies. Olivia originally fell in love with journalism at her high school paper in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Now, as the News Editor of the Tulane Hullabaloo, Olivia has covered local issues ranging from abortion politics to the pro-Palestinian encampment on Tulane's campus last spring. She is excited to meet more passionate journalists at her first GRC.
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Arely Westley
Activist, Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition / Home Is Here
Arely Westley is a long time Advocate for immigrants,latinxs and LGBTQ+ communities originally from San Pedro Sula Honduras. Arely works with numerous organizations in New Orleans and nationwide to uplift LGBTQ+ youth, stop abuses in ICE detention facilities and expand access to migrant support services. She is a social change consultant,community organizer and national activist., she is a member of theBoard of Directors for the Southeast Immigrant Rights Network (SEIRN), and also serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Tulane Total Health Clinic. She recently joined the Board of Directors of Asheboro Latinxs Services and Alianza Tran Latinxs and is also a vital member of South East Dignity Not Detention Coalition, and a part of Detention Watch Network´s Freedom Fighters Cohort. In June 2022 Arely joined the HOME IS HERE NOLA team as Project Resource Coordinator and the Detention Visitation Project Coordinator. She was honored as the 2023 Deep South LGBTQ FreedomFighter by the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity of Mississippi and recently received the 2024 ROBERT F. KENNEDY human rights award. Arely is dedicated to the liberation movement in all aspects of her life.