Sarah Ray is director of public affairs at Middlebury College (VT), where she has worked since 1997. She began her career in advertising in New York City and has worked in corporate PR and book publishing.

Tracy Syler-Jones is vice chancellor for marketing and communication at Texas Christian University. She is responsible for overseeing development of integrated strategic marketing and communication plans that include the latest in new media and social networking.

Steve Drummond is senior national editor for National Public Radio News. He oversees NPR’s network national news coverage and a team of more than 80 reporters, producers, and editors in Washington, DC, and 19 domestic bureaus.

Tamar Lewin is higher education correspondent and a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for The New York Times. Since joining the Times in 1982, she has reported on education, social policy, business and the law, aging, and family issues.

Christian Stone is assistant managing editor of Sports Illustrated. He founded Sports Illustrated on Campus. First published in 1954, more than 3 million people subscribe to Sports Illustrated.

Timothy McDonough, assistant vice president for public affairs for the American Council on Education, manages a communications program to enhance public understanding of higher education issues and has extensive experience with policy debates in Washington.

David Collins is an award-winning, home-grown reporter for Baltimore’s WBAL television station. He graduated from Towson University (MD) with a political science degree and has also worked as a radio anchor, reporter, and assistant news director.

Jennifer Connic is editor of Millburn-Short Hills Patch, one of the first and most successful “hyper-local” web publications. Her Patch, located in the northern New Jersey suburbs, is one of 30 community-based, AOL-owned web publications.

Dave Marcus is author of two books, co-winner of a Pulitzer Prize, and the higher education reporter for Newsday. He has also written for U.S. News & World Report, Boston Globe, and Dallas Morning News.

Maria Ebrahimji, director and executive editorial producer for Network Booking, has been at CNN for 11 years. She leads a team of editorial producers in guest coverage, newsgathering, and story planning for CNN in Atlanta.

Robin Gradison is a producer for ABC’s “World News with Diane Sawyer.” She has also worked as a producer of “Nightline,” “Good Morning America,” and NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

Cat McGrath is a producer for John Merrow’s company, Learning Matters, which has been reporting on education for “PBS NewsHour” for more than 14 years. Learning Matters regularly produces segments on higher education as well as K–12 education.

Brian Eckert, director of media and public relations at the University of Richmond, has spent 17 years in campus public relations. Previously, he worked for 14 years as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and radio-TV anchor.

Megan Galbraith, director of communications for the State University of New York’s 64-campus system, has held positions in sports information, media relations, and communications at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Lehigh University, Cornell University, Siena College, and Sage Colleges.

Scott Jaschik, editor, is one of the founders of Inside Higher Ed, an online daily attracting more than two million monthly page views. He leads editorial operations that oversee news content, opinion pieces, resources, and interactive features. He and selected reporters/editors will exchange ideas with members of the audience.

Jeff Selingo has been editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education since 2007 and has served on the editorial staff since 1997. He directs more than 70 editors and reporters who write about higher education and academe. He and selected reporters/editors will exchange ideas with members of the audience.

Christine Garton is curator of USA Today’s new philanthropy community, “Kindness: New Ways We Give and Volunteer.” Through “Kindness,” she shares inspirational stories and articles about those who are doing noteworthy things every day across the country.

Bret Stephens writes a weekly foreign affairs column, “Global Affairs,” for The Wall Street Journal. He is also a regular panelist on “Journal Editorial Report,” a weekly political affairs talk show on Fox News Channel.

Federico Quadrani is NBC’s “Today Show” supervising producer. “Today Show,” the first morning news and entertainment TV program in the world, began in 1952. It has been the highest-rated show of its kind since 1995.

Council of Independent Colleges
One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 320
Washington, DC 20036-1142
Phone: 202.466.7230 , Fax: 202.466.7238
Email: cic@cic.nche.edu

American Association of State Colleges and Universities
1307 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005-4704
Phone: 202.293.7070 , Fax: 202.296.5819
Email: info@aascu.org