In February 2026, Betsy marked 20 years working for Common Sense Media, where she’s proud to help families thrive by providing them the trustworthy information they need in the digital age.
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Category: 1990s
Medill graduate Kyra Kyles and her sister, Kozi Kyles, co-produced/directed/wrote a buzzy fictional horror comedy podcast, “Home for the Holidays.” Spanning Christmas, New Year’s and Thanksgiving, this trilogy features an array of talent from across the country and the audio engineering skills of fellow Northwestern grad, Casey Baker. Fans of anthology series from “The Twilight Zone” to “The Outer Limits” to “Tales from the Crypt” (and “Hood”) can take a listen to Season 1 and then subscribe to stay on top of new releases: https://bit.ly/4qssCls Available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts.
Alice Foeller’s TEDx Talk was chosen as a TED Editor’s Pick in 2025, and she published a book this summer. Alice’s book, The Art of Compassion: Supporting Friends Through Dark Times, is a handbook for being helpful to someone who is grieving. Grief research is artful woven into Alice’s personal narrative of losing her husband to suicide in 2023.
Renee Cordes, deputy editor at Mainebiz, won three Gold Awards from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers in the 2025 Editorial Excellence Awards. Her first-place finishes were for Best Feature Single Story, Best Explanatory Journalism and Best Beat Reporting, Economics and Finance. Mainebiz, part of New England Business Media, is based in Portland, Maine. Renee, who spent most of her professional career in Europe, joined Mainebiz in 2017 as a senior writer and was promoted to deputy editor in early 2025.
Carrie A. Liberante was named Vice President of Communications and Strategic Initiatives at Thriving Mind South Florida. She previously served as Senior Director of Communications for the organization. Before joining Thriving Mind, Liberante worked in communications at medical schools in Florida and as a health writer and city editor at newspapers in the Northeast.
On April 1, 2025, David Jakubiak was elected to a four-year term on the board of the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Public Library in Brookfield, IL. David is a Senior Vice President at the Chicago public releations firm Aileron Communications and lives in Brookfield.
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Dr. Seretha Williams (BSJ92)
Dr. Seretha Williams retired from Augusta University and now holds the title of professor emerita of English. She is now associate dean of Undergraduate Studies and professor of English at Agnes Scott College.
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Leslie Krohn (MSJ93)
Leslie Krohn was named Executive Vice President and Chief Brand and Communications Officer at The Joint Commission Enterprise, a global driver of quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare, in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. She was previously Chief Communications Officer at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, IL.
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Fr Paul Siewers (MSJ92)
Alf Siewers (now Father Paul), MSJ ’82, was ordained to the priesthood in August 2023, in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. He also continues to be Associate Professor of English Literary Studies at Bucknell University in Lewisburg PA, where he lives with his family. He formerly was Urban Affairs Writer at the Chicago Sun-Times.
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Katie Derbes (MSJ99)
WWL-TV Evening Anchor & Investigative Reporter Katie Moore was honored with a crystal pillar at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences national News & Documentary Awards in September 2023 in the Outstanding Regional Report: Investigative Reporting category. Moore’s national honor was for a series of investigative reports she did on the horrific conditions more than 800 nursing home residents endured during Hurricane Ida and the business dealings of the nursing homes’ owner. Moore has received 8 regional Emmy Awards throughout her TV News career.