2025 Program Schedule

2019 Photos

2025 Speakers

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  Alan Achkar

  St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  Alan Achkar is the Executive Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he oversees all news operations for its print and digital products. This is Alan's second stint in St. Louis. He previously served as Metro Editor, supervising all local news coverage, before departing to become executive editor at the South Bend Tribune in Indiana. There, Alan directed changes to emphasize investigative journalism and also focus on digital audience growth. He later became a regional editor for Gannett, overseeing four newsrooms in Indiana. When the chance to return to St. Louis surfaced, Alan was thrilled about the opportunity — he missed toasted ravioli, Cardinals games and Forest Park. Alan's journalism career started in his native Cleveland, where he held several reporting and editing positions at The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com. He holds a master's degree from the London School of Economics, and a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University.

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  Hiba Ahmad

  STLPR

  Hiba Ahmad covers education for St. Louis Public Radio. She’s spent most of her career working as a producer for NPR programs Weekend Edition, All Things Considered and the daily flagship podcast Up First. Hiba is a Virginia native but is making St. Louis her home. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in broadcast journalism and is wrapping up her masters in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at George Mason University. When she’s not in a classroom or a school board meeting, she’s out exploring the city — in search of the next best place to eat. Send her some recommendations: @hiba_ahmad96 or hahmad@stlpr.org.

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  Maria Altman

  Harvest Public Media

  Maria Altman is the managing editor of Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public radio stations across 11 states in the central U.S., covering agriculture, food systems, climate and environment. Based at KCUR in Kansas City, Harvest’s mission is to bring rural and urban audiences the stories behind their food. Before joining Harvest in 2022, Altman was a longtime employee of St. Louis Public Radio. During her 17 years at the station, she worked as an editor, business reporter and as the All Things Considered newscaster. Prior to moving to St. Louis, Altman worked at KERA in Dallas, WUIS in Springfield, Illinois and WSIU in Carbondale, Illinois. She began her journalism career at her hometown newspaper, The Sioux City Journal. Altman grew up on a farm outside of Sioux City, Iowa and is a graduate of the University of Iowa, as well as the Public Affairs Reporting graduate program at the University of Illinois-Springfield.

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  Cara Anthony

  KFF Health News

  Cara Anthony is a Midwest correspondent with KFF Health News. A native of East St. Louis, Illinois, and a graduate of Tennessee State University, she has rooted her work near home in recent years while centering stories about racial disparity and health care access for national audiences. Cara has crafted a career dedicated to extending her journalism beyond the page into community engagement. Before joining KFF’s newsroom, Cara worked as a multimedia reporter at the Belleville News-Democrat, where her six-part series about racism in America, “Then I Knew,” was nominated for a Mid-America Emmy. Past reporting posts include The Indianapolis Star, The Frederick (Maryland) News-Post, and the Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia).

• 

  David Carson

  St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  David Carson is a staff photojournalist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since 2000. He’s covered everything from pet of the week at a St. Charles animal shelter to embedding with Missouri National Guard troops in Afghanistan. Carson’s images are featured extensively in the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, awarded to the Post-Dispatch’s photo staff for their coverage of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. He was also part of the newspaper’s team that was a 2009 Pulitzer finalist for Breaking News Reporting for their coverage of the Kirkwood City Hall shooting. In 2024–25, Carson was a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, where he explored the impact of artificial intelligence on photojournalism and possible solutions to build public trust in news photography.

• 

  Dr. Natasha Casey

  Originally from Ireland, Dr. Natasha Casey has researched and taught about media and communication in the UK, US, and Canada for over 25 years. She holds a Ph.D. in communication studies from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec) and has published widely on a variety of topics including American Irish popular culture, and media and information literacy. She sits on the advisory board for the McLuhan Foundation. Dr. Casey is currently a professor of communication at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, affiliated faculty at the Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island, and has been recognized for excellence in teaching and campus leadership.

• 

  Olivia Dangler

  FOX2 News

  Olivia Dangler has served as News Director for KTVI (Fox)/KPLR (CW) since October 2024. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Mass Communications and worked as a producer and executive producer in top news markets like Phoenix, Dallas, and Indianapolis. Before moving to St. Louis, she served as News Director in Harrisburg, PA and Dayton, OH, innovating content strategy on digital and broadcast platforms. In recent years, Dangler helped lead editorial coverage for the 2022 nationally televised U.S. Senate Debates in Georgia and Pennsylvania and pre-/post-debate live stream coverage of the NewsNation GOP Presidential Primary Debate in 2023. She also coordinated content coverage and distribution for company-wide projects like the 2024 Summer Olympics, and 2025 New Year's Eve show.

• Holly Edgell

  The Midwest Newsroom

  Holly Edgell is the managing editor of The Midwest Newsroom, an investigative and enterprise journalism collaboration among STLPR, KCUR, IPR, Nebraska Public Media and NPR. Edgell has more than 25 experience in journalism across several platforms and was on the journalism faculties at both the University of Missouri and Florida A&M University. She lives in St. Louis.

• 

  Rob Edwards

  STLPR

  Rob Edwards is a journalist with more than two decades of experience in multiple newsrooms managing reporters and day-to-day content. Most recently, Rob worked at KSDK-TV in St. Louis, where he served as Managing Editor and Executive Producer. He helped lead news coverage during some of our community’s toughest challenges. Before settling in St. Louis, Rob worked at KOMU in Columbia, Missouri; WTVG in Toledo, Ohio; and WMC in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Rob is a 2005 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and continues to root for the Tigers. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Maggie, and their two daughters, Ellis and Emily.

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  Fred Ehrlich

  STLPR

  Fred Ehrlich was named politics editor at St. Louis Public Radio in January 2018. His editing experience includes long stints at the Belleville News-Democrat and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is a proud Badger having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in journalism and political science. Fred grew up in New Jersey as a huge Yankees fan but after 35 years in the St. Louis area he has adopted the Cardinals as his National League team. He fondly hopes for a rematch of the 1964 World Series in the Best Baseball Town in America.

• 

  Kate Grumke

  STLPR

  Kate reports on the environment, climate and agriculture for St. Louis Public Radio and Harvest Public Media. She started at STLPR in 2021 as the education reporter, covering late night school board meetings and tagging along on field trips. Before that, Kate spent more than 5 years producing television in Washington, D.C., most recently at the PBS NewsHour. In that work she climbed to the top of a wind turbine in Iowa, helped plan the environmental section of a presidential debate and produced multiple news-documentaries on energy and the environment. She also won a Peabody, a National Murrow Award and was nominated for a National Emmy. Kate grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She also holds a certificate in data journalism from Columbia University’s Lede Program. Have a story tip or idea? Email Kate at kgrumke@stlpr.org.

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  Lara Hamdan

  STLPR

  Lara Hamdan joined St. Louis Public Radio as the news intern in 2017 and went on to become a producer for St. Louis on the Air before her latest role as the newsroom's Engagement Editor. She studied journalism and international relations at Webster University, and loves discovering new people and gems in the region throughout her work at St. Louis Public Radio.

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  Brian Heffernan

  STLPR

  Brian Heffernan is the managing editor of audience and product at St. Louis Public Radio. He joined STLPR in 2018 as digital and special projects editor and later served as the newsroom’s interim leader for nearly three years. During that time, the station earned record numbers of awards for its journalism — including back-to-back regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Overall Excellence and national recognition for a collaborative investigation into homicide clearance rates in St. Louis. He also oversaw the launches of the award-winning projects STL Welcome Kit and We Live Here: 10 Years After the Ferguson Uprising. Before joining STLPR, Heffernan reported for outlets including Al Jazeera America, St. Louis Magazine, the Riverfront Times, San Francisco magazine, and the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers in South Carolina. A St. Louis native, he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

• 

  Rod Hicks

  St. Louis American

  Rod Hicks is executive editor of the St. Louis American. He joined the news organization last month and brings 40 years of diverse journalism experience to the position. Hicks also has held editing and newsroom leadership positions at The Asssociated Press, The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Courier-Post in New Jersey and Birmingham Post-Herald. His first byline appeared in The Birmingham World — a Black-owned newspaper in his hometown — when he was 13. At the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he played a key role in coverage of a deadly mass shooting at Kirkwood City Hall that was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in breaking news. He served as a Pulitzer juror in 2020 and 2021 and influenced the Pulitzer Board’s decision to recognize Darnella Frazier for her video documenting the death of George Floyd. Hicks, a former college journalism instructor, led the planning of three conventions for the National Association of Black Journalists and is a former board member of the organization.

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  Eli Hoff

  St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  Eli Hoff is a Columbia-based journalist who covers University of Missouri sports for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He holds both a bachelor's and master's degree from MU's journalism school and also contributes to KTRS 550-AM in the St. Louis market. Prior to taking on the Mizzou beat, Eli covered soccer, higher education and politics, including a stint on Capitol Hill as a Washington correspondent.

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  Sarah Kellogg

  STLPR

  Sarah Kellogg is St. Louis Public Radio’s Statehouse and Politics Reporter, taking on the position in August 2021. Sarah is from the St. Louis area and even served as a newsroom intern for St. Louis Public Radio back in 2015. Before covering the Missouri Statehouse, she spent several years in Little Rock, Arkansas, serving as both the morning host and state politics reporter for KUAR. As politics reporter, Sarah covered not only the Arkansas legislative sessions, but also statewide and city politics. Sarah graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, which included covering the 2018 Missouri Legislative Session for KBIA. Now living as a townie in her former college town, Sarah enjoys cheering on the Missouri Tigers, watching movies at her local indie cinema, finding new recipes for her and her husband to try, and spending time with her cats Mae and Bea.

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  Jess Luther

  STLPR

  Jess Luther is STLPR's interim general manager, having been appointed to the role in April 2025. She has served in various operational and strategic capacities for the station since 2012, most recently as its first chief of staff starting in 2023. In her current role, Jess manages the station's strategic direction and its senior leadership team, and has the distinct pleasure of representing STLPR's staff and its mission around town. A lifelong St. Louisan, Jess is also a proud TGE resident, spouse, dog owner and provel apologist.

• 

  Kelly McBride

  Kelly McBride is a journalist, consultant and one of the country’s leading voices on media ethics and democracy. She is senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at The Poynter Institute, where she guides professional news organizations in the best practices for serving citizens, building trust and elevating democracy. She also serves as NPR’s Public Editor. In that role, she and her team listen to audience feedback and hold NPR accountable to their mission to serve the American public. In a previous life, Kelly was a newspaper reporter covering crime and religion. She’s worked as a public editor at ESPN and co-edited the book, The New Ethics of Journalism: Guiding Principles for the 21st Century. She lives with her family in St. Petersburg, FL.

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  Sacha Pfeiffer

  NPR

  Sacha Pfeiffer is a correspondent for NPR's Investigations team and a guest host for NPR's national shows. She came to NPR from The Boston Globe's investigative Spotlight team, whose stories on the Catholic Church's cover-up of clergy sex abuse won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, among other honors. That reporting is the subject of the movie Spotlight, which won the 2016 Oscar for Best Picture. Pfeiffer was also a senior reporter and host of All Things Considered and Radio Boston at WBUR in Boston, where she won a national 2012 Edward R. Murrow Award for broadcast reporting and guest-hosted the nationally syndicated shows On Point and Here & Now. Pfeiffer was a John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University, where she studied at Stanford Law School. She is a co-author of the book Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church and has taught at Boston University's College of Communication

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  Micky Rodriguez

  La Cascarita Podcast

  Micky Rodriguez is one of three hosts of the Spanish-language podcast La Cascarita, a term for a pick-up game of what they call “the best and most passionate sport in the world” – aka soccer. The podcast brings the fan perspective of St. Louis City SC to its listeners and viewers. It’s conversations about the team, the game-day experience, and “the simple things in life."

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  Jason Rosenbaum

  STLPR

  Since entering the world of professional journalism in the mid-2000s, Jason Rosenbaum dove head first into the world of politics, policy and even rock and roll music. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Rosenbaum spent more than 4 years in the Missouri State Capitol writing for the Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri Lawyers Media and the St. Louis Beacon. Since moving to St. Louis in 2010, his work has appeared in Missouri Lawyers Media, the St. Louis Business Journal and in the Riverfront Times’ music section. Rosenbaum lives in Richmond Heights with with his wife Lauren Todd, an engineering librarian at Washington University.

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  Mark Sableman

  Thomas Coburn LLP

  Mark Sableman is senior counsel with Thompson Coburn LLP in St. Louis, Missouri. He is an honors graduate of Georgetown University Law Center where he was Articles Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. His litigation practice focuses in the area of media, Internet, technology and intellectual property law. He is author of the Internet Law Twists & Turns blog at internetlawtwists.com, the book More Speech, Not Less: Communications Law in the Information Age (SIU 1997), and more than a dozen law review articles and book chapters. As an adjunct professor, he has taught media law related courses at Webster University and Washington University School of Law.

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  Ivy Scott

  The Marshall Project

  Ivy Scott is a community engagement reporter for The Marshall Project - St. Louis. She produces community-driven, investigative and public service journalism about the criminal justice systems in St. Louis and Missouri. Before that, she worked as an award-winning reporter for the Boston Globe on the climate and criminal justice beats.

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  Amy Shaw

  Nine PBS

  Amy Shaw became the President and CEO of the Nine PBS in February 2020 after serving the organization in various leadership roles beginning in 2003. She is the first woman to lead Nine in its 71-year history. Under Shaw’s leadership, Nine PBS is the most watched PBS station in the country as a percentage of households watching. Shaw is serving her second term on the national board of PBS, is the chair of public media’s Affinity Group Coalition and the Public Television Major Market Group, past chair of the FOCUS St. Louis board, and serves on the Grand Center, Inc. board. Shaw is an alumna of Bradley University and holds a master’s degree in media from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

• 

  Steve Templeton

  KMOV

  Chief Meteorologist Steve Templeton forecasts the weather for News 4 every weekday evening from 4 to 10. Steve is one of the first Meteorologists in the country to receive the Certified Broadcast Meteorology seal from the American Meteorological Society. He also holds the Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association. Steve earned a degree in Atmospheric Science from Purdue University. He started his meteorology career as Chief Meteorologist at KFXB in Dubuque, Iowa. He then moved to Des Moines as a meteorologist for WHO, covering a big part of the region known as “tornado alley.” Seeing a chance to be close to family while continuing to forecast wild weather, Steve moved to St. Louis and joined KMOV. Steve's wife, Rebecca, grew up in the St. Louis area, in nearby Nashville, IL. Steve and Rebecca started a family here. Their two young sons make life fun, and so much busier! But Steve's in-laws make great babysitters when he and Rebecca want to go out for a ball game, or dinner, and all that St. Louis has to offer.

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  Katie Woo

  The Athletic

  Katie Woo has covered the St. Louis Cardinals for The Athletic since 2021 and is just the third woman to cover the Cardinals full time. She is a graduate of Arizona State University (2018) and has covered professional baseball for eight years for various publications. In 2022, she became the first woman to win the National Sports Media Sportswriter of the Year award in the state of Missouri.