Solutions Journalism Training

Mpindi Abaas is the CEO and Co-founder of the Media Challenge Initiative, a youth-driven non-profit building the next generation of journalists in Uganda. He believes that good journalism can make the world a better place through the stories journalists tell and that is why he is a passionate advocate of solutions jouranalism. His story has been published in the Huffington post and CNN African Voices and highlighted by President Barack Obama in his #Mandela 100 lecture in South Africa. Mpindi is a 2018 Obama Leader, a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur and a Young Emerging Leaders Program Fellow. He was also selected by the Government of Uganda to be on the National Taskforce for the adoption of 4th Industrial Revolution.

Originally from Chad, Aché Adoum Attimer is the founder of StopBlabla, an online platform sharing stories of the ways Africans face and find responses to the problems of the continent. She learned about solutions journalism during an international workshop, and has been studying, practicing, encouraging, training others to apply the approach ever since.

Adaobi Ezeokoli is a journalist, editor, photographer and public health advocate. She provided editorial oversight for the Nigeria Health Watch platform in her last role as the Editor in Chief at Nigeria Health Watch, a health communications and advocacy organisation based in Nigeria's capital. She also provided communications expertise and support for various public health research consultancies, reports and publications as Director of Communications at EpiAFRIC, a public health consulting firm in Abuja.

Chibuike Alagboso is a health journalist at Nigeria Health Watch, a health communication and advocacy organization based in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. His writing focuses on highlighting efforts that are tackling public health challenges in Nigeria. He also writes thought leadership articles that provide insights to health sector actors in Nigeria and supports the Nigeria side of the Solutions Journalism African Initiative as Program Manager.

Dina Aboughazala is an experienced Egyptian journalist and the founder of Egab; a media startup that helps local journalists from across the Middle East and Africa publish solutions journalism stories in regional and international media outlets. Prior to launching Egab in 2020, Dina worked for the BBC as a Mideast-focused senior journalist.

Esther Nakkazi is a health and science reporter, a media trainer and the founder of the Health Journalists Network in Uganda. Nakkazi trains and mentors journalists in science reporting. She also contributes to various media outlets around the globe.

Seun Durojaiye is the co-founder of Social Voices, a new digital publication in Nigeria, rooted in public service journalism, using a solutions-based reporting approach. She is also a fellow of the African Women Journalism Project(AWJP) and previously worked as an investigative reporter at the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), where she focused on reporting about issues of Sexual and Gender-based Violence and the plights of women and children in the Nigerian society.

Corinne Podger is a consultant and trainer with a proven track record of supporting newsrooms, NGOs and social impact organizations in more than 60 countries on strategic audience engagement, newsroom product design, multimedia production, mobile journalism, podcasting and online verification and fact-checking; and on global development topics including climate change, COVID-19, media literacy and communicating science. Corinne’s expertise draws on more than 30 years in the media industry as a reporter, editor, lecturer and author. She has taught digital journalism at the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne, and holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge in England.

Kavita Chandran is a trainer and news content adviser based in Singapore. As a journalist for more than 25 years, she has worked in newsrooms across the United States and Asia. She started her career in New Delhi as a business reporter and moved on to anchor shows for CNBC Asia. She worked as a breaking news editor with Bloomberg in New York, and then spent 10 years in Reuters’ newsrooms as a trainer and front page editor. Kavita is currently a journalism trainer with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, where she teaches journalists across Asia about climate change, human trafficking, racial injustice, social inclusion and other global issues. She is also a mentor and speaker on solutions journalism as a catalyst for change in the media. Kavita is a published author of a book, a freelance journalist, and an adjunct faculty member in journalism and communications at Murdoch University, Kaplan Institute, and S.P. Jain Global School of Management. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in New Delhi and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York.

Portia Ladrido is a journalist and editor from the Philippines. She is Co-Founder of INKLINE, a media platform based in Oxford, UK, that specializes in solutions journalism. Portia is also the lead convener of the solutions journalism community in the Philippines, and she has led solutions journalism sessions and workshops for WAN-IFRA and the Indonesia Association for Media Development for reporters from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste, among others. Previously, she was an editor at CNN Philippines Life, the digital features arm of CNN Philippines. During her time at CNN, she was awarded the Human Rights Journalism Fellowship by the Philippine Human Rights Information Center for her coverage of social issues.

With an academic background in the humanities and social sciences, Praveeni is passionate about creating positive social change through an initiative she co-founded, Cambiumh, to facilitate a sustainable world through communications and community building. An SJN 2022 LEDE Fellow, Praveeni is creating The H: Humanness Podcast and a training program supporting Sri Lankan youth to report local solutions stories — all in all inspiring, envisioning and enacting solutions to build a positive future.

Sanne Breimer works as a media consultant, journalism trainer, coach and writer. She is currently based in Bali, Indonesia, and works remotely. Before she came to Southeast Asia she worked for 13 years in Dutch Public Broadcasting, mostly in managerial positions (editor-in-chief, program manager and head of digital). Sanne founded Inclusive Journalism with a focus on the topics of equity, decoloniality and mental well-being. She creates courses for journalists on how to use Instagram (for members of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union) and on mental well-being (soon to be released). She coordinates journalism training for Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Swati Sanyal Tarafdar is an independent journalist from India with bylines in international publications including The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Ozy and the BMJ. She covers social and climate justice and teaches journalism to college students. She has worked as an instructional designer for global tech companies and as an adult educationist, apart from being a journalist for a little over a decade now. She’s currently working on a series of multimedia stories to be published on YouTube to engage a younger audience while also orienting local journalists in the principles of solutions journalism.

Joydeep Dasgupta is a multimedia journalist who has won multiple awards in a wide-ranging journalism career that has spanned nearly 20 years. He is currently the managing editor of News Sense, a digital-first initiative focused on solutions journalism and fact check. Joydeep is also a trainer with Google News Initiative India Training Network and FactShala, with a specialty in identifying and responding to misinformation and disinformation.

Catherine Edwards is an award-winning journalist currently based in Vienna and working as a freelance editor and consultant. She has six years’ experience covering European news and culture from Italy, Germany and Sweden, most recently as Europe Editor for The Local, where she also led a solutions journalism training programme with Jessica Phelan as part of an EU-funded project. Originally from the UK, Catherine has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford and a Postgraduate Certificate in Journalism Innovation and Leadership from the University of Central Lancashire. Her special interests are community journalism and solutions journalism on migration-related issues and she is a 2022 LEDE Fellow.

Charlotte Horn is a reporter for the Northern German Public Broadcasting, based in Hamburg. She covers breaking news at NDR Info radio. Her work reflects how people are affected by political decisions. Charlotte has gained expertise in solutions stories in the NDR Info podcast “Perspektiven” and at the BBC. A passionate traveler, Charlotte has reported from various countries and regions, including Ghana, Israel, and the South Pacific.

Barcelona-based Elena Ledda is a Sardinian freelance journalist with a degree in foreign languages. Elena practices solutions journalism from a feminist perspective and collaborates with several newspapers and magazines, writing in Spanish (Castellano and Català), Italian and English. She also teaches engaged (civic) journalism and journalistic ethics from gender, class and ethnicity perspectives at the BCN_NY Master Degree in Journalism (collaboration between Universitat de Barcelona and Columbia University).

Esma Kucukalic is a Doctor in the Human Rights, Peace and Sustainability program at University of Valencia (UV); Master in International and European Union Studies and Postgraduate in Journalism with International specialization (UV). She is a Mediterranean Citizens’ Assembly Foundation Director and professor of the Official Master’s Degree in International Journalism at the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) where she teaches solutions journalism. Her academic research focuses on ethnicity and citizenship in post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as a journalist on social issues and civil rights.

Hanna Liubakova is a journalist from Belarus and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. She works as a journalism trainer and mentor. She started her career at the only independent Belarusian TV channel Belsat where she worked as a correspondent and TV presenter. Hanna has reported from various countries and regions, including Belgium, UK, Poland, France, and Chechnya. She was a recipient of the Václav Havel Journalism Fellowship at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Czechia, as well as a World Press Institute Fellowship in the United States. Hanna received a degree in Art History from The Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland in 2010 and a Master of Art with distinction in International Journalism from Brunel University in London in 2017. She was awarded the Peter Caws Prize for best postgraduate dissertation.

Jeremy Druker is the Executive Director and Editor in Chief, of Transitions, a media development organization that he co-founded in 1999, as well as a professor at New York University’s campus in Prague. He is also CEO and the founder of Press Start, a crowdfunding platform designed specifically to support journalists where the press cannot report freely.

Jessica Phelan is a digital and broadcast journalist currently based in Rome. Originally from the UK, she has reported from France, Germany, Japan and Italy for a range of digital media and radio, including Radio France International, PRI, Monocle and The Local. She first got involved in solutions journalism via an EU-funded project to broaden media coverage of migration, through which she and colleagues led SoJo-focused webinars and workshops for more than 150 journalists across Europe. Her special interests include community engagement and solutions reporting for radio.

After graduating from Vilnius University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in politics, Justina Ilkeviciute began her journalism career as a scriptwriter and editor of various TV shows. In 2019 she joined Lithuanian National Radio and Television as a business news editor, from 2021 she is based in Brussels as a correspondent for European Union affairs. In 2021 she participated in LEDE Fellowship and launched LRT is Looking for Solutions — the first and only solutions journalism project in Lithuania working across TV, radio and online.

Lisa Urlbauer is the Journalistic Training Coordinator at the Bonn Institute in Germany. Previously, she was a trainee at a daily newspaper in Bremen, northern Germany. She studied in the Mundus Journalism Master’s Program in Denmark and the Netherlands, where she specialized in politics and communication, and worked as SJN’s European Communities Associate.

Lucie Černá works for Transitions where she leads a program promoting Solutions Journalism in Central and Eastern Europe. She is involved in the topic since 2017, currently she is also mentoring journalists in the central European region helping them to bring solutions lens to their reporting practice.

Mara Bierbach is a journalist based in Bonn. She works for Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster, wearing multiple hats including author, editor, and social media manager. She reports on migration to and within Europe and holds a BS in Economics and a MA in North American Studies.

Meenal Thakur is a Project Manager at the European Journalism Centre (EJC), where she works on EJC’s grant programs, which help Europe-based newsrooms and freelancers become more resilient and financially sustainable. Her work also involves capacity-building among these journalists through trainings, connecting them to new skills and ideas to foster innovation in their reporting projects. Prior to joining the EJC, Meenal worked on mapping the Press Freedom landscape in Nepal with Free Press Unlimited, an Amsterdam-based non-profit.

Nicole Ely is a social media manager at Transitions Media. She began her career as a journalist and editor in the San Francisco Bay Area and later in Las Vegas. Five years ago, she relocated to Prague to study at Charles University, where she received a master’s degree in International Security Studies with a focus on disinformation and terrorism.

Olha Virsta is a communication manager at the Ukrainian Regional Press Development Institute, a partner organization of Transitions. She coordinates a project promoting solutions journalism in Ukraine and trains regional journalists in gender-sensitive reporting. Olha holds a master’s degree in journalism with a study on alternative media at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Rhiannon Davies is a teaching associate at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, where she runs courses for undergraduates and postgraduates studying digital journalism. She also runs a solutions-focused community magazine and is interested in the power of hyperlocal news and engaged journalism practices to create social impact.

Sophie Roland is an independent filmmaker based in Paris. She has worked for more than 20 years for French Télévision, including popular investigative programs such as “Envoyé Spécial” and “Cash Investigation.” She is preparing a solutions-oriented investigative magazine for French TV. Sophie is an SJN’s 2021 LEDE Fellow and she trains French TV journalists in solutions journalism.

Amée is a Dutch journalist, photographer and film maker with a background in sociology and international politics. She has worked with the Google News Initiative, the European Commission, VICE, M100, The Brussels Times, Factcheck Flanders and many more. In her free time, Amée likes to write and perform slam poetry.

Assunta Corbo is a freelance journalist based in Milan. She collaborates with several newspapers and magazines. She founded Constructive Network to spread solutions journalism in Italy. Assunta is a SJN’s 2021 Fellow and she trains journalists in solutions journalism. She founded and is the director of News48, a magazine that collect solutions stories both in italian and english.

Boryana Dzhambazova is a freelance journalist based in Sofia, Bulgaria. She reports on a wide range of topics – from economic and political developments, to social affairs and human rights issues. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Economist, and Politico Europe, among others.

Anida Sokol is a media researcher and trainer from Mediacentar Sarajevo and the deputy editor of the online magazine focused on journalism Media.ba. Anida Sokol is a media literacy and solutions journalism trainer and has worked as a lecturer on Politics and the Media and Political Communication at the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology and Burch University in Sarajevo. She holds training courses on verification of information, hate speech and ethical standards in journalism.

She is the author of various research studies on the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkan region, including on regulation of harmful content online, media consumption habits of young people and media trust, propaganda, disinformation and hate models in the media. She holds a PhD from the Faculty of Political Science, Sapienza University Rome.

Vera Penêda is the Director of Programmes & Impact at the European Journalism Centre (EJC) in Maastricht, the Netherlands, where she has worked since 2019. She designs and develops projects at the intersection of journalism, innovation and tech. These aim to help Europe-based newsrooms and journalists adapt to new challenges and become more resilient. 

For the past 10+ years, Vera has worked within international NGOs and major news organizations in Europe, Latin America and Asia. She is experienced in helping newsrooms and teams manage change and face operational challenges, such as digital transformation, the creation of new products, integration of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and hiring and training new staff. 

Currently based in the Netherlands, Vera has lived and worked in China, Mexico, Spain and Portugal as a correspondent, reporter and managing editor. She speaks and writes fluently in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Bárbara Fraser es una periodista independiente radicada en Perú, especializada en temas ambientales, de salud pública e indígenas. Debido a su labor periodística, ha tenido la oportunidad de realizar múltiples viajes para cubrir una diversidad de temas: desde los glaciares de la Cordillera Blanca en los Andes, hasta los derrames de petróleo en comunidades indígenas en la Amazonía; desde un campamento para migrantes en la frontera de México con Guatemala, hasta un parque etnobotánico en una isla al sur de Tierra del Fuego. Como miembro de la Asociación de Periodistas y Comunicadores de Ciencia del Perú y del comité de ambiente de la Federación Mundial de Periodistas de Ciencia, espera tener varias oportunidades de realizar talleres de periodismo de soluciones, acompañamiento y colaboración con otros periodistas en América Latina y más allá.

Camille Padilla Dalmau vive en las montañas de Boriké — el nombre originario de Puerto Rico — . Es periodista, productora audiovisual y cofundadora de 9 Millones, una red que crea contenido educativo e historias para una sociedad más saludable, próspera, y alegre. Luego de haber creado esta plataforma en abril de 2020 para enfocarse en historias de soluciones durante la pandemia, Camille recibió una beca de SJN para cubrir las elecciones. A partir de lo aprendido en este curso de capacitación para entrenadores en periodismo de soluciones, Camille realizará capacitaciones para estudiantes universitarios, así como para sus colaboradores de 9 Millones.

Mariela Castañón es periodista independiente, comunicadora social y docente universitaria. Tiene 13 años de experiencia periodística y está especializada en temas de niñez y adolescencia, género y seguridad. Ha sido becaria del International Center for Journalists, de Periodismo Situado y Cosecha Roja, y del Programa Edward R. Murrow de la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Guatemala, entre otros. Ha obtenido 4 reconocimientos en Guatemala por su labor periodística y una nominación internacional en el Fetisov Journalism Award con sede en Suiza. En 2021, fundó el medio digital nativo Nuestras Historias.

Carolina Gil Posse es una profesional del periodismo y la comunicación de Argentina, con más de 25 años de experiencia en medios y en organizaciones de la sociedad civil. Fue conductora, productora periodística, guionista y cronista de diversos programas de radio y televisión, además de corresponsal en Argentina del Servicio Latinoamericano de Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, la emisora internacional de Holanda. Actualmente, es directora asociada de programas y comunicaciones para América Latina de la organización no gubernamental Salud sin Daño (Health Care Without Harm), en donde trabaja desde 2012. Además de coordinar al equipo regional, lidera el desarrollo de actividades y recursos de capacitación para periodistas y comunicadores para fortalecer la cobertura periodística del cambio climático con enfoque de salud.

Es magíster en Periodismo (UdeSA), licenciada en Enseñanza de las Artes Audiovisuales (UNSAM), periodista (TEA) y locutora (ISER). Fue becaria de la Fundación Carolina en España y Colombia. Actualmente, es estudiante del doctorado en Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de Buenos Aires e investiga el enfoque de salud en las noticias sobre cambio climático, un tema que le apasiona.

Cristhian Barragán es un periodista de datos y emprendedor colombiano. Por más de una década, ha capacitado a periodistas locales y comunitarios de gran parte de Latinoamérica en periodismo digital y emprendimiento. Sus temas de interés son los datos abiertos, el acceso a la información pública y la corrupción, enfocados al periodismo local.

Cristhian es Alumni Fellow del ICFJ 2018, asociado de Consejo de Redacción y miembro del Border Hub. Actualmente, es director general de WebNoticias.co, una franquicia de medios digitales locales e hiperlocales, y director de la iniciativa dateame.co, un directorio de medios digitales informativos de Iberoamérica.

Jonathan Gutiérrez es editor en jefe y cofundador de Historias que Laten, medio digital independiente de periodismo narrativo y de investigación con sede en Caracas (Venezuela), que promueve un periodismo con una mirada más constructiva y humana. Escribe crónicas y reportajes para distintos medios de América Latina y Europa. Ha sido ‘fixer’ de ARD TV (Alemania) y TV3 Catalunya de Barcelona (España). Fue editor cofundador de la Revista Clímax (actual ElEstimulo.com) y jefe de redacción de la Revista Producto, también en Caracas.

Es periodista egresado de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. Posee una especialización en Comunicación Política y Estudios de Opinión Pública y una maestría en Ciencia Política (Universidad Simón Bolívar). Es coordinador académico y profesor del Diplomado en Nuevas Narrativas Multimedia — Historias que laten, del CIAP-UCAB. Dirigió la Fundación Latinoamericana de Cine y TV (Fundavisual Latina), institución creada por la cineasta Margot Benacerraf y el escritor Gabriel García Márquez. Formó parte de la primera cohorte de periodistas capacitados en América Latina en periodismo de soluciones por la Fundación Gabo y SJN en 2018.

Journalist with extensive experience in Central America, notably in La Prensa (Nicaragua) and La Nación (Costa Rica). Passionate about good journalism and the responsibility of discovering and telling the truth to audiences. Also interested in telling real stories in different ways, hopefully innovating ways to bring information to the public.

Laura Quiñones cuenta con más de 12 años de experiencia en radio, televisión y medios digitales en Colombia, Estados Unidos y Australia. Graduada como periodista con masterado en comunicación digital, se ha destacado como profesional en diversas posiciones como locutora de radio, investigadora, productora de televisión, experta en redes sociales y productora multimedia. En 2014, obtuvo un premio Emmy como productora del mejor noticiero del año en Nueva York.

A lo largo de su carrera, e incluso desde su misma tesis de pregrado, Laura siempre ha intentado concentrarse en soluciones, inspirada por problemáticas como el conflicto armado de su país — Colombia — , la desigualdad de género y el cambio climático. Actualmente, Laura trabaja en la división de noticias de las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York como productora de contenido y especialista en acción climática.

Leonardo Gómez Ponce es un periodista independiente, especializado en investigación económica, periodismo de datos y fact-checking. Durante los últimos años, su trabajo se ha desarrollado en el campo del periodismo de investigación y en la promoción de mecanismos de transparencia en el uso de los recursos fiscales. Sus reportajes se publican desde hace 16 años en los medios de comunicación nacionales de Ecuador.

Desde 2018, es el coordinador del Observatorio de Gasto Público de la Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo. En 2019, fundó el portal de periodismo TierraDeNadie.ec, que concentra sus esfuerzos en la indagación de casos de corrupción en las periferias y zonas fronterizas. En 2022, decidió incursionar en el periodismo de soluciones, buscando una alternativa para combatir la polarización social en su país.

Hildegard Willer es una periodista alemana freelance, radicada en Lima, Perú. Escribe para varios medios de habla alemana (Welt-Sichten, taz, FAZ, Radio SRF y Dradio, entre otros), especialmente sobre temas ambientales y sociales, minería y agricultura. También es docente de periodismo en la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.

Durante diez años de recorrido entre notas, investigaciones y amor a la verdad, Adriana González ha informado para cadenas dentro y fuera de El Salvador, en la prensa escrita, radio, televisión y formatos multimedia. “El periodismo es un privilegio”, dice una de las ganadoras de la segunda edición de becas en periodismo de soluciones de la Fundación Gabriel García Márquez con el trabajo La revolución contra el hambre.

Conduce el informativo Teleprensa, en donde también investiga y reporta. Además, es conductora de la revista informativa Al Cierre de radio Punto 105 y corresponsal para SIR — Radios y Medios Virtuales de América y Europa. Actualmente, desarrolla una plataforma de periodismo de soluciones basado en derechos humanos y Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible para televisión y medios electrónicos, y un laboratorio de periodismo de soluciones para la radio comunitaria Victoria, dirigido a reporteros voluntarios.

Sarah Ladik is a settler and former print journalist from north of Montreal on Omàmìwininìwag, Anishinabewaki, and St. Lawrence Iroquoian territory, with experience in community news across what is now called Canada. She is currently an uninvited visitor in Kwakwaka'wakw territory. Sarah has worked for Journalists for Human Rights in a number of capacities since 2019, and is currently a senior trainer and associate manager with the Solutions Journalism Program. She believes stories can and do change the world, and is always looking for ways to be part of making that happen.. 

Tulsi Kamath leads digital news coverage for NewsNation in her role as Managing Editor. Along with overseeing daily digital news coverage, she also works with digital reporters to take a unique, unbiased approach to covering the news of the day and leads the network’s solutions journalism initiative, aimed at elevating solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing issues. Kamath is an award-winning journalist who has spent her career in TV, print, and digital-only news outlets around the country.

Damaso Reyes is the investigative editor of the New York Amsterdam News and the founding editor of the Blacklight investigative unit.

He has been published by: The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, New York magazine, Der Spiegel, and the Irish Times. Previous assignments and projects have taken him to countries including Rwanda, Iraq, Indonesia, Tanzania and throughout the United States and Europe. 

He is a Fulbright specialist and is the recipient of several awards and grants including Arthur F. Burns and Holbrooke Fellowships from the International Center for Journalists; a Knight-Luce Fellowship from the USC Annenberg School of Journalism; an Immigration Reporting Fellowship from the French American Foundation and a grant from the Fund for Investigative journalism.

Hugo Balta is an award-winning journalist based in Chicago with 30 years of experience in leadership positions for storied networks, including NBC, Telemundo, CBS, ESPN, and ABC. Hugo is the Owner/Publisher of the Latino News Network (LNN), a group of independent local news and information multiple platform digital outlets in New England and the Midwest. He is twice the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) president and a Hall of Fame member. As a recognized change agent, Hugo is credited with redefining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives from a problem to be solved to an opportunity to be realized. He is an editor with The Chicago Reporter and WBBM News Radio. Hugo will teach a broadcast television journalism class focused on storytelling at Columbia College Chicago.

Kimberley Hartwig lives and works in Saskatoon/Treaty 6. She holds undergraduate degrees in English and French from the University of Saskatchewan and a masters degree in Migration and Intercultural Relations from the University of Oldenburg, Germany. She worked for Journalists for Human Rights in the Solutions Journalism Program and in JHR’s Indigenous Reporters Program. She strongly believes in the power of storytelling and in bringing diverse voices into the fold.

Nora Hertel is the founder of The Optimist, a solution-focused, digital news startup serving small cities and rural communities in Minnesota. Through The Optimist, Nora provides training to student and community journalists. She coordinates The Optimist's environment, business and social issues coverage and a community dialogue series. Before becoming a news entrepreneur, Nora worked as an investigative reporter for the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota, the Wausau Daily Herald in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the AP and several others. Since 2021, she's been awarded fellowships by the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, the Initiative Foundation in central Minnesota and the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative. 

Kim Gamel is managing editor and a solutions journalism advocate at Honolulu Civil Beat. She joined the nonprofit news site in November 2020. Kim came to Hawaii after many years abroad, most recently in Seoul covering the Korean Peninsula for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. Previously, she was a foreign correspondent with The Associated Press with postings in the Middle East and Europe. A native of Boise, Idaho, Kim was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan from 2014-15. It was there that she became passionate about local news as a way to engage and inform the community. She encourages reporters to do solutions stories by showing how they maximize impact, empower people and hold those in power accountable by showing how things can be done better.

Chris is the economics and politics editor for YES! Magazine He has spent 25 years in journalism writing news and commentary on government, politics, business, technology, science, the environment, and Native American issues. Originally from Maryland, he studied film and broadcasting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and creative writing at Emerson College, served in the Peace Corps in Hungary, and also spent some time working in the bowels of a giant high-tech company near Seattle.

Carolyn Robinson is the former Director of Broadcast Partnerships for Solutions Journalism Network, leading projects with large TV ownership groups, including Nexstar, Gray, Scripps, Univision, Graham and many others. As a journalist, she’s produced hundreds of live TV newscasts, the weekend medical show and health specials at CNN; in Hong Kong, she reported and produced daily live shows at CNN’s affiliate station; in East Timor, she ran the local TV station for the United Nations; in Doha and DC, she produced global talk shows and documentary features for Al Jazeera English. She’s trained a couple thousand journalists in 25+ countries, led a few dozen international media projects, and received multiple journalism awards and fellowships for her work.