2026 WHYY News Civic News Summit Panelist Bios

Jennifer Lynn, Morning Edition Host & Producer
Jennifer Lynn is an award-winning broadcast journalist and host and producer of WHYY’s “Morning Edition.” She’s a native Delawarean and graduate of Boston University who started her career in New Hampshire and Vermont.

 

Carmen Russell-Sluchansky, WHYY News
Carmen Munir Russell-Sluchansky covers politics for WHYY News. His award-winning work has appeared in a variety of print, television, and radio outlets including NPR, National Geographic, The Hill, NBC News, PBS, ABC News, the BBC, al Jazeera, The China Post, and the Washington City Paper. He previously produced and hosted the internationally broadcast radio news show and podcast “Due Diligence,” covering national campaigns, the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court.

He has reported from around the world including China, Japan, Haiti, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, mostly focusing on human rights and the environment. His documentary on Haitian restaveks — children indentured as domestic servants — was funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Carmen previously chaired the International Correspondents Committee at the National Press Club and holds degrees from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Georgetown University Law Center.

 

Tara Pixley, Master of Journalism Program Director, Temple University
Tara Pixley, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Journalism at Temple University where she directs the Master of Journalism program. Dr. Pixley studies ethics of care in journalism and efforts to re-vision marginalized communities via the new(s) media sphere. Her visual practice and scholarship understand images as opportunities to re-frame race, gender, climate futures, LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities through a liberation lens. 

She is a Fulbright Specialist and previously a Reynolds Journalism Innovation Fellow; Pulitzer Center Grantee; awardee of the World Press Photo Solutions Visual Journalism Initiative; and a Knight Fellow at Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation for Journalism. Her work has been published by New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Newsweek, ProPublica, The Atlantic, Nieman Reports, Visual Studies, History of Photography, Visual Communication Quarterly and The Black Scholar, among others. Tara’s co-authored book Critical Photojournalism: Contemporary Ethics and Practices provides a trauma-informed framework for visual journalistic practice. Her current research examines transparency practices and ethics of care at the intersection of visual journalism and generative-AI. 

Dr. Pixley is on the Boards of Stocksy United, Photography Ethics Centre, and served as Vice President of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). She co-founded and now directs Authority Collective — an organization dedicated to establishing equity in visual media.

 

Robert Farley, Deputy Director, Factcheck.org
Robert Farley is the deputy director of FactCheck.org, a political fact-checking website run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. A journalist for over 35 years, Farley was a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times – now Tampa Bay Times — for more than 13 years before coming to FactCheck.org as deputy managing editor in 2011. Farley previously worked for PolitiFact.com, a political fact-checking website created by the St. Petersburg Times, and he was part of the team that won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Farley has also worked as a reporter at several newspapers in Pennsylvania, including the Harrisburg Patriot-News, the Intelligencer in Doylestown and the Ambler Gazette.

 

Molly Eichel, Deputy Managing Editor, Live and Breaking News at The Inquirer
Molly began her career at the dearly departed Philadelphia City Paper before joining the Daily News in 2010 and eventually moving to The Inquirer in 2015. She has held titles ranging from features reporter, Philly gossip columnist, and arts editor, before managing the breaking news portfolio at The Inquirer. In between, she freelanced, mostly in pop culture criticism, for outlets such as the AV Club, Spin, Salon and Backstage magazine. 

Molly was born in Philadelphia and has lived here for most of her life, with short stints in London and New York. While I have traveled extensively around the globe, I will continue to rep Philly as the best city in the world.

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Mark Eichmann, Interim Editor of Billy Penn and News Director at WHYY News
Mark Eichmann is news director at WHYY News. He focuses on maximizing the quality of radio newscast distribution, as well as leading City Hall coverage, arts and culture, and the Delaware news operation. He’s also currently interim editor at WHYY’s BillyPenn.com Since starting at WHYY in 2008, he’s produced hundreds of stories for radio, TV, and web. He’s the creator of a series of TV specials that take a fun look at Delaware’s unique history and people. You can find Dela-Where?, Dela-Where 2? and Dela-Where Else? at WHYY. He’s also led the Delaware team in the production of Emmy award-winning specials focused on the city of Wilmington, including Rebound from Murder Town and Where Is Wilmington High?

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Craig Santoro, Senior Director of Education Programs
Craig Santoro (he/him) joined WHYY in 2002 and shortly thereafter started the station’s first youth media program. Since then, he has created and managed ongoing after-school documentary workshops for area teenagers and partnered with community centers to hold video production classes for teens that have dropped out of school. He’s developed award-winning video summer camps, partnered with numerous schools to train teachers to use video in their classrooms, organized the WHYY Youth Media Awards and regional spelling bees for Philadelphia and South Jersey, and created video learning experiences for nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions and learners of all ages. He developed the WHYY Media Lab program as an extension of this work which has provided hands-on, media arts education to more than 28,000 Philadelphia students, grades K-12.

 

Ethan Rodriguez, Philadelphia Regional Organizer/Assistant Program Coordinator, PA Youth Vote / POPPYN
Ethan Rodriguez is a 22-year-old born and raised in North Philadelphia. He’s a first-gen college student and alumni of Arcadia University. His background is in Media and Communications, and has a passion for non-profit youth-centered program work.

Some of his accomplishments include co-producing a gun violence documentary with PBSNewshour Student Reporting Labs, which was screened at multiple film festivals. In addition to that, he is a published journalist in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Teen Vogue and Chalkbeat. Since graduating college, he’s had the opportunity to work with PA Youth Vote as the Regional Organizer of Philadelphia. Within that role, he has focused on building out the curriculum for PAYV’s civic engagement program, supported student advocacy in the Philly area and has started a magazine club within the organization.

Not only that, but Ethan also serves as Assistant-Program Coordinator of POPPYN, which has been a dream come true for him. As a former participant and media educator of POPPYN, transitioning to the assistant program coordinator role has allowed him the opportunity to give back to the organization that equipped him with the skills he has today.

 

Ewdi Rosario, Student Representative at PA Youth Vote & POPPYN
Ewdi Rosario is a junior at Central High School who engages in many activities. He is the president of Afrocentric, a black student magazine at Central, an intern at POPPYN, a youth news media organization, and a youth advocate in PA Youth Voter. He has been engaged in Youth civic engagement programs for many years now, creating documentaries in order to educate fellow youth in Philadelphia.

 

Charles Rinker, Former Student Board Representative of the School District of Philadelphia and Justice Ambassador for Franklin Learning Center
Charles Rinker is a junior at Franklin Learning Center who served as the Student Board Representative for the Philadelphia Board of Education during the 2024-2025 school year.

Driven by a commitment to youth advocacy and restorative justice, Rinker applied for the role to elevate student voice in district leadership and address challenges such as strengthening transition programs that better prepare students for life after high school. In addition to his board service, Rinker contributed as a member of the District’s Facilities Planning Process Advisory Group, participating in conversations around long-term infrastructure planning and equitable resource distribution. At his school, Rinker serves as Vice President of Student Government and has also been the Head of Public Relations. He is additionally involved in citywide student government, further advancing student representation and engagement across the district. Rinker is also actively involved with the Philadelphia Community Youth Court (PCYC) as a Justice Ambassador. Founded in 2012, PCYC is grounded in the philosophies of restorative and transformative justice and works to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by diverting youth from the juvenile justice system into peer-led restorative forums. Youth court members receive extensive training in restorative and transformative justice, trauma awareness, crimes codes, mental health first aid, and youth court roles before being certified and sworn in. Through his leadership in education governance and community justice, Rinker is committed to building systems that center accountability, opportunity, and meaningful youth participation in public decision-making.

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Jos Duncan-Asé, Founder of Love Now Media
Jos Duncan-Asé is an award-winning filmmaker, media entrepreneur, and storytelling innovator with over 15 years of leadership. Expert in transforming vision into scalable business models, mobilizing cross-sector partnerships, and designing revenue-generating programs rooted in equity, empathy, and cultural strategy. A proven builder of brands, teams, and creative ecosystems that drive impact and financial growth.

Jos designs programs for media entrepreneurs and narrative leaders, and has partnered with national organizations to guide newsrooms and media companies through AI adoption with a clear commitment to equity, ethics, and human-centered leadership. She has coached more than 100 people, from independent creators to news and media founders, on how to start, operate, scale, and integrate AI into their workflows.

Consulting clients include the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the American Press Institute, Tiny News Collective, and Blue Engine Collaborative. Jos also served as an inaugural coach for the Google News Initiative’s AI Lab, supporting journalism leaders at the forefront of AI adaptation. Combines executive coaching, operational strategy, product design, and human-centered storytelling to help organizations thrive in complex environments.

Founder of Love Now Media: Scaled a single-vision storytelling concept into a nationally recognized media and communications enterprise, securing over $3M in funding and service-based revenue through multimedia content and strategic partnerships. Positioned the company at the intersection of innovation, justice, and narrative design while leading a diverse team of full-time staff, contractors, and collaborators.

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Shawn Mooring, Director of Philadelphia Programs, Lenfest Institute for Journalism
Shawn Mooring is Head of Philadelphia Programs at The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, where he leads grantmaking and initiatives advancing sustainable, equitable local news. He champions collaborative journalism, spearheading efforts like the Local News Business Sustainability Initiative and the Philadelphia Media Founders Exchange to strengthen partnerships, shared learning, and ecosystem-wide impact.

With a background in philanthropy and social innovation, Shawn has held roles at The Philadelphia Foundation, Ford Foundation, and leading evaluation firms. A 2022 Sulzberger Executive Leadership Fellow, he holds degrees from Hampton University and the University of Delaware. A proud Philadelphian and a devoted Eagles fan.

 

Solomon Jones, Host, WURD
Solomon Jones is host of Wake Up With WURD and a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist. Jones, who is an Essence bestselling author, appears frequently on CNN. A licensed Baptist minister, Jones is the founder and executive director of ManUpPHL, a non-profit that partners with the Philadelphia School District and criminal justice agencies to reach those most likely to be impacted by gun violence. He holds a B.A. in journalism from Temple University, has won numerous journalism and public service awards, and lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two youngest children.

 

Némesis Mora, Managing Editor, 2PuntosPlatform
Némesis Mora is a bilingual journalist and editor based in Philadelphia, with more than a decade of experience in cultural and community-centered storytelling. Her work focuses on documenting and amplifying Latino experiences in the city through thoughtful, ethical narratives across digital, print, and public platforms. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Puerto Rico and has completed additional studies in creative writing and literary journalism at New York University (NYU) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

 

Gabriela Watson-Burkett, Founder and Executive Director, Inti Media
Gabriela Watson-Burkett is an award-winning filmmaker and Founder & Executive Director of Inti Media, a journalism and documentary production hub advancing equity through bilingual, community-centered storytelling. She also serves as Vice President of the NAHJ Philadelphia Chapter. Her work centers Black and Latine voices and challenges dominant narratives in media.

 

Jeremy Rodriguez, Editor, Philadelphia Gay News
Jeremy Rodriguez (they/them) is a queer nonbinary writer, editor and podcaster. Throughout their career, they have interviewed government officials, activists, and high-profile celebrities and have won several accolades for their work, including awards from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and the National Newspaper Association. Jeremy hosts the One Tree Hill rewatch podcast, “Always and Forever,” now on hiatus, and has made guest appearances on several pop culture podcasts, including “Buffering the Vampire Slayer” and “Why Are We Like This?”

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Tony Cuffie, Senior Manager, WHYY News Community and Engagement Team
Anthony “Tony” Cuffie is a senior manager for community and engagement at WHYY News. The Philadelphia native leads the news team’s community-focused professionals and their corresponding activities, partnerships and programs. Tony joins WHYY after spending a year at a Philadelphia K-8 school as a team leader of climate and culture. Prior to working inside a city school, he spent about 30 years as the vice president of local advertising at The Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition to his professional work, Tony has directed the Mt. Airy summer camp, coached baseball and is active in martial arts.

 

Vanessa Maria Graber, Senior Director of Journalism and Media Education at Free Press and Co-Owner / Reporter at the Philadelphia Hall Monitor
Vanessa Maria is an award-winning bilingual journalist, educator, and community organizer. As Senior Director of Journalism and Media Education at the media and tech advocacy organization, Free Press, she leads the Future of Journalism education initiatives. In this role, she creates resources for newsrooms and trains journalists about civic journalism, press freedom, community engagement, and assessing information needs. She coordinates Philly Comunicadores, a Free Press-led collaborative of Spanish-speaking journalists and media workers in Philadelphia. Vanessa Maria is also a co-owner and reporter at the Philadelphia Hall Monitor, an independent hyperlocal news cooperative focused on civic journalism.

 

Dr. Guy A. Sims, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Free Library of Philadelphia

 

Anuj Gupta, The Welcoming Center
Anuj is a proven leader in Philadelphia’s government, non-profit and private sector communities with a professional track record of achieving impactful results.  Anuj now serves as President and CEO of The Welcoming Center (TWC), an organization he helped start with his graduate school research in 2003.  In this role, he leads the organization’s strategic vision towards catalyzing Philadelphia’s growth through immigrant economic integration.  During his tenure, TWC has doubled its staff size and budget providing a broad array of economic pathways for immigrants. Additionally, for the first time, TWC has started serving immigrants beyond Philadelphia in communities including Kennett Square and Scranton.

Prior to this, Anuj served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-03).  In this role, he oversaw the Congressman’s legislative and policy agenda, the communications strategy, constituent service delivery and managed staff in the Philadelphia and Washington offices.  In addition to building a team, across two offices, Anuj has led successful legislative strategies towards passage such as the $1B Reconnecting Communities fund in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.  Prior to this, Anuj served as the General Manager of the historic Reading Terminal Market for five years.  In this role, he oversees all aspects of the nearly 80 merchant market’s day-to-day operations including leasing, marketing, special events, as well as guiding the non-profit corporation’s strategic direction.  During this time, Anuj was selected as a Public Space Fellow by the Knight Foundation for his work in making the Reading Terminal an inviting, accessible space for all Philadelphians.  Prior to this role, Anuj served as Executive Director of Mt. Airy, USA.  Under his direction, Mt. Airy USA undertook the redevelopment of one of the largest Transit Oriented Development sites in Philadelphia which in 2014 became a second campus for the acclaimed K-8 Wissahickon Charter School, invested over $1 million in redeveloping blighted sections of Germantown Avenue, launched a new business association and destination website for Mt. Airy and expanded the organization’s housing counseling capacity to serve nearly 600 people annually. 

Prior to this position, he served for three years (2008- 2010) in Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s administration in a number of roles including Chief of Staff of the Department of Licenses & Inspections, and Deputy to the Managing Director.  Anuj was an attorney at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP where he practiced in the firm’s real estate/affordable housing group from 2004-2007.  Anuj also started a fast-casual Indian restaurant in 2013 in Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy neighborhood called Jyoti Indian Bistro, utilizing his family’s traditional recipes.  

 Anuj is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D., 2003), the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government (M.G.A., 2003) and Carnegie Mellon University (B.S., 1996).  He is currently a board member of the Reading Terminal Market Corporation, Philadelphia Works, Independence Public Media Foundation, Chestnut Hill Hospital, and Regional Housing Legal Services.

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William Marrazzo, WHYY President and CEO
William (Bill) J. Marrazzo is President and Chief Executive Officer of WHYY, Inc., the leading public media organization serving the tristate area. Bill is a leader in the development of new digital technologies with an evolving number of video, audio and web distribution pathways, enabling WHYY to systematically grow in ranking amongst a large number of regional media outlets. During his tenure at WHYY, Bill has tripled the size of the newsroom, earning the reputation as the most trusted source of news and information, with a cultural arts program amplifying the creativity of the region’s rich cultural heritage. Consequently, WHYY enjoys growth from its general audience, corporations and foundations, positioning it as one of the most financially stable non-commercial media enterprises in the nation.

Before joining WHYY in November 1997, Bill’s career included senior executive roles in both the environmental and water industries, which, for Bill, are equally important to the quality of life opportunities. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Roy F. Weston, Inc., a leading publicly traded environmental engineering company, Bill’s role enabled him to support the nation’s effort to remediate Superfund sites and develop one of the earliest multi-disciplinary practices supporting sustainability planning. Prior to his role at Roy F. Weston, Inc., Bill held the position of Water Commissioner at the City of Philadelphia Water Department. As Commissioner, Bill’s contributions resulted in a massive regional program to restore the Philadelphia region’s water system to a fishable and swimmable status.

By choice, Bill and his wife Randi have made their home in the City of Philadelphia. Bill and Randi, an opera singer and instructor, have a lifelong commitment to civic affairs resulting in a healthy list of public and private recognitions. Bill currently serves as chairman of the board of directors Friends of Independence National Historical Park and The Fund for the Fairmount Water Works. Marrazzo earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Delaware and he completed graduate course work for a master’s in chemical engineering at Villanova University. Bill was named one of the Philly Power 100 on November 2, 2022. Randi and Bill have two children, who also live with their families in the City of Philadelphia. 

 

Kathy Merritt, Former COO, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Kathy Merritt has spent her career in public media, advancing from a student part-time production assistant in college to one of public media’s leading strategists. Her goal has been to increase public media’s relevance and impact in American communities, with an emphasis on local journalism and sustainability at public media stations. She is recognized nationally for her efforts in collaborative journalism and is the recipient of the inaugural Keystone Collaborator Award from the Center for Cooperative Media.

In her most recent role, Merritt served as Chief Operating Officer at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting where she oversaw more than $500 million in federal funds appropriated annually by Congress to support public media. She worked closely with CPB’s board of directors to develop strategies to advance journalism, innovation, public safety, and sustainability in public media. Merritt held multiple roles at CPB during her 16-year tenure. She was the architect of more than $50 million in grants to build collaborative journalism among public radio stations. She led multiple reviews of CPB’s Community Service Grant Program, resulting in significant changes to the frameworks for awarding millions of dollars to radio and television stations. And in 2025, Merritt led the process that launched Public Media Infrastructure, an organization dedicated to providing innovative distribution technology to public media.

Merritt began her career as a journalist at public radio station WFAE in Charlotte, NC, where she was news director for 13 years. She filed reports nationally for Morning Edition and All Things Considered and served as Southeast Bureau Chief for Marketplace for six years. She also produced reports and hosted programs for local public television stations. Merritt later became news director at WAMU in Washington, DC, where she hosted a local weekly news magazine and was substitute host for local talk shows. She advanced to WAMU’s executive team, managing daily operations, leading the station’s successful transition to an all-news/talk format, and overseeing coverage of the 9/11 attacks.

Merritt’s interest in the larger structure of public media led her to the Station Resource Group, a public radio organization dedicated to helping its members develop strategies for success in a changing media landscape. As Director of Public Media Strategies, she gained expertise in station governance and local programming challenges. Her experience was an asset as Merritt moved to CPB in 2005. With the exception of four years at Public Radio International as Vice President of Content Strategy and Development, Merritt remained at CPB until January 2026. Congress rescinded CPB’s funding in July 2025, and Merritt helped oversee the dissolution of the organization, ensuring all remaining funds were distributed in a responsible way that would best support the public media system.

Merritt is a past president of the Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (now the Public Media Journalists Association) and has received numerous awards for journalism, including the Society of Professional Journalists’ National Award for Public Service in Broadcasting and the New York Festivals’ Gold Medal for Best News Magazine. She was a fellow of the Public Media Diversity Leadership Initiative. In 2023, Merritt received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Alumni Association.

 

Bill Johnson, General Manager, WRTI
Bill Johnson is the General Manager of WRTI. He has worked in the non-profit sector for over three decades, including positions in development and leadership in higher education, the arts, and public media.

He is currently the board chair of Greater Public and serves on the board of Station Resource Group, Radio Research Consortium, and Play On Philly.  He also serves on the Noncomm Music Alliance (NPR) Advisory Council.  

He is regularly called upon to offer advice and expertise on the unique business model and value proposition of non-commercial music media within public broadcasting and society in general.  He is a strategic thinker who embraces the call to understand and employ the full power of public media to serve local communities and the nation at large.

Previous board positions include Jazz Philadelphia (chair), International Society for Improvised Music and the African American Jazz Caucus.  Bill has also served as a development officer at Cornell University, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Temple University, and Executive Director of the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Bill has played trumpet for more than 40 years and brings deep experience and commitment to music performance, economy, and cultural power as passed on to him by his mentors Donald Byrd and Charles Tolliver.

 

Allie Vanyur, Program Officer, Public Media Bridge Fund
Allie Vanyur is an experienced nonprofit leader with expertise in grantmaking, program strategy, and digital innovation across arts, journalism, and public media. She is currently the Program Officer for the Public Media Bridge Fund, where she oversees grantmaking strategy, designs programs to help stations achieve greater financial and operational sustainability, and leads initiatives that foster collaboration and shared services across the public media ecosystem.

Before joining the Bridge Fund, Allie was the Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, managing investments in digital infrastructure and technology for the public media system. Allie previously served as the Director of National Programs for The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, leading several communities of practice, research initiatives, and national grant programs. She has also extensive experience in nonprofit arts and culture with organizations such as The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, and BalletX.

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Tony Cuffie, Senior Manager, WHYY News Community and Engagement Team
Anthony “Tony” Cuffie is a senior manager for community and engagement at WHYY News. The Philadelphia native leads the news team’s community-focused professionals and their corresponding activities, partnerships and programs. Tony joins WHYY after spending a year at a Philadelphia K-8 school as a team leader of climate and culture. Prior to working inside a city school, he spent about 30 years as the vice president of local advertising at The Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition to his professional work, Tony has directed the Mt. Airy summer camp, coached baseball and is active in martial arts.

 

Brisa Luzzi Castro, Community Convener, WHYY News Community and Engagement Team
Brisa Luzzi Castro is a community convener on the WHYY News community and engagement team. She leads community conversations for WHYY’s Bridging Blocks program. Prior to working at WHYY, she was the community engagement and outreach coordinator at LCH Health and Community Services. She was previously a Social Justice Fellow at Georgetown Law.

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Lisa Wilk, Director of School Partnerships, WHYY Education
Lisa (She/Her/Hers) has been teaching youth in Philadelphia for over a decade and is an advocate for youth-produced media and community engagement. She has taught Journalism, Photography, Narrative and Documentary Filmmaking to students in grades K – 12 across the city for Temple University and WHYY. She has a deep interest in helping teens engage with their community through research and multimedia storytelling.

She is currently working as the Director of School Partnerships at WHYY. In this role, she serves as the station’s liaison between local school districts, teachers, funders, and evaluators. She also helped establish a partnership with PBS Newshour’s Student Reporting Labs to bring Philly teens voices to the national TV broadcast.

In addition to teaching at WHYY, Lisa has experience working as an adjunct professor for Temple University’s Department of Journalism’s award-winning capstone course, Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

 

Kaitlyn Ho, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Strathaven High’s The Panther Press
Kaitlyn Ho is a senior at Strath Haven High School and the co-editor-in-chief of the student-run, award-winning news publication The Panther Press. Kaitlyn was awarded the 2026 Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year by the Pennsylvania School Press Association, and has also won awards for her work in diversity and general news. Her focus has been on repairing how students perceive the news by telling their stories with journalistic integrity and compassion.

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Trenae Nuri, Host, City Cast Philly
Trenae Nuri is the host of City Cast Philly, a daily news-and-culture podcast featuring conversations with the people shaping policy, culture, and everyday life in Philadelphia. She sits down with City Hall and Harrisburg lawmakers, authors, chefs, and other influential voices to unpack the stories behind the headlines and the realities beyond them. With a distinctly Philly lens, Trenae navigates news and life from Broad Street to Roosevelt Boulevard—connecting civic power, creativity, and community through interviews that are sharp, accessible, and grounded in what matters most.

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Sarah Glover, WHYY Vice President of News & Civic Dialogue
Sarah Glover is the Vice President of News & Civic Dialogue at WHYY. Glover is the former managing editor at MPR News, Minnesota Public Radio.

Previously, she worked as a social media editor and strategist at NBC Owned Television Stations and NBC10 Philadelphia. She is also a former staff photojournalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News.

Glover served two historic terms as the 21st president of the National Association of Black Journalists, the largest organization in the U.S. for journalists of color founded in 1975.

She has a dual bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and College of Arts & Sciences. Glover received an MBA from Temple University Fox School of Business and a Master of Arts degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (PennWest). Glover was a 2021 Nieman Visiting Fellow at Harvard University.

 

Letrell Crittenden, Director, Lew Klein College of Media and Communication Center for Community-Engaged Media at Temple University

Letrell Deshan Crittenden, Ph.D., is the inaugural Director of the Center for Community-Engaged Media at Temple University. In his year at Temple, he has guided the direction of the new center, which seeks to serve the information needs of communities by working by, for and with members of the public. CCEM is the home of the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative, a network of 30 newsrooms that work together to produce timely, solutions-oriented stories focused on community issues.

Prior to taking this position in February, 2025, he served as the Director of Community Engagement for the American Press Institute.   In his role with API, Crittenden led the organization’s efforts to improve how newsrooms engage and connect with communities.  

A former police and government reporter, Crittenden is also a scholar and consultant who specializes issues related to community-engaged journalism. His recent scholarship on the field of journalism has appeared in Columbia Journalism Review, Neiman Reports and Journalism Practice.  

Crittenden is a veteran practitioner of community journalism.  Over the past decade, provided citizen journalism training to dozens of high school students and community members throughout Pennsylvania.

His work has earned him fellowships with both the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University and the Media and Inequality Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Crittenden has also distinguished himself as a faculty member. For his efforts inside and outside the classroom, he was awarded Thomas Jefferson University’s 2021 Provost’s Award for Service to the Profession.

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Stephanie Humphrey, Content Creator & Host of ‘Life and Tech with TechLifeSteph’
Technology and Lifestyle Expert Stephanie Humphrey’s mission in life is to show people how technology can make their lives easier.

Stephanie is a former engineer and is currently the host of Life and Tech with TechLifeSteph on WURD radio. She has been a contributor to ABC News as Tech Expert on the nationally syndicated daytime talk shows Good Morning America, GMA3: What You Need to Know and LIVE with Kelly and Mark. She is an on-air tech contributor to Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia, Cheddar TV, CNN, HLN, QVC and other broadcast and digital outlets.

Stephanie is a professional speaker and her signature seminar ‘Til Death Do You Tweet helps people understand the potential negative consequences of online behavior – especially through social media – and gives helpful advice on how they can maintain a positive reputation in cyberspace. Her book, “Don’t Let Your Digital Footprint Kick You in the Butt!” expands on these concepts and helps the reader build their personal brand on the internet. The second edition was released in September 2023 and is available on Amazon.

Stephanie is immensely proud to have completed her first TEDx talk in March 2022. She is also a content creator who uses social media to help people understand tech basics on various platforms @TechLifeSteph. And you can listen to her as one of the co-hosts of The Tech Jawn, streaming wherever you download your podcasts.

Stephanie holds engineering degrees from Florida A&M University and the University of Pennsylvania. Connect with Stephanie at www.stephaniehumphrey.com.

 

Alex Pearlman, Content Creator, Pearlmania500
“That red haired guy who yells about the news”, Alex Pearlman is a comedian and content creator who has been delighting audiences with his viral three-minute rants on social media as Pearlmania500, and on his podcast, Too Many Tabs. His sharp wit and humorous commentary have earned him features in major media outlets, including CNN, The Washington Post, and podcasts such as The Joe Rogan Experience.

 

Santiago Ortiz, Content Creator, No Shorts Media
Santiago Ortiz, aka No Shorts, is a current Temple University student who has built an audience of nearly 400,000 followers creating content specifically covering Philadelphia and Pennsylvania as a whole. His content ranges from comedy skits, sports, food, and informational videos on local political issues.

 

Conrad Benner, Founder, Streets Dept.
Conrad Benner is the Founder of Streets Dept, a multi-platform showcase of Philadelphia art and public space. A Fishtown, Philadelphia born-and-raised photographer/videographer, curator (Streets Dept Walls and Mural Arts Philadelphia), and podcaster (Streets Dept Podcast), Conrad’s award-winning work explores the art of our public space and the artists who create it. Central to Conrad’s curatorial work with Mural Arts are his efforts to increase civic engagement through the act of voting (To The Polls), as well as to create more pipelines for new artists to create their first murals (Front Street Walls). “At the heart of Conrad Benner’s work is a love for a city that he believes is particularly suited to a thriving street arts community.” -Joshua Needelman, The New York Times (2023)

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