Benoit Denizet-Lewis, an associate professor at Emerson College and a longtime contributing writer with The New York Times Magazine, was awarded a 2022 New America fellowship. He will work on a new book, “We Don’t Know You Anymore,” about people who experience significant shifts to an identity or belief system.
Gregor Gilliom (MSJ ’90) is owner and editorial director of Versatile Words (www.versatilewords.com), a writing and content strategy practice that serves countless regional and national brands, including NetJets, Nationwide, JPMorganChase, and Target. Founded in 2005, Versatile Words has won dozens of awards for copywriting and creative collaboration, and Gregor recently received the Ed Grauer Leadership Award, the highest honor given by Columbus Society of Communication Arts, the region’s leading creative industry organization.
Prior to his work with Versatile Words, he worked for eight years in magazine editorial, including titles based in Chicago, San Francisco, Madison, and Columbus, Ohio, where he served as founding editor of Columbus CEO magazine. He and his family live in Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus.
Joanne C. Gerstner was elected to the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, for its 2021 class. She joins the two other female sports media already elected to the Hall, and she is the first female sports writer. She is being honored for her award-winning career and leadership to advocate and promote women in sports media.
Ed Sealover, a senior reporter at the Denver Business Journal, was honored recently as Colorado Journalist of the Year by the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won the award for his coverage of the devastating effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the state’s business community, which included more than 500 stories written in 2020 on the suffering of businesses, the public policies that impacted them and the way that many were changing in order to survive. SPJ Colorado described his “commanding deep sourcing, fast turnaround and a near-encyclopedic knowledge of Colorado business” in the news release announcing the honor. He also received three first-place awards in the four-state competition in the categories of business news, business enterprise reporting and political news. Sealover lives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado with his wife, Denise Jobin Sealover (BSJ ’95) and their children, Lincoln and Jane.
Britta Waller Melton presented the content marketing keynote address at the 2021 ASJA Writers Conference, held virtually in April. The talk, entitled “No-Stress Success: Browse, Read and Binge in 2021 to Fuel Your Creativity,” focused on how to cultivate an omnivorous media diet and how to use that to generate ideas and grow your freelance business. Melton is a group creative director at Pace (paceco.com), which is based in Greensboro, NC.
In April, Susan Howe was named to the PR Week “Hall of Femme,” along with 27 other women leaders in the public relations industry. The award recognizes female leaders who demonstrate commitment to mentorship and the advancement of women in the field. Howe is currently Chief Growth Officer at Weber Shandwick, a leading global communications agency. She serves as Chair of Northwestern’s Council of 100, a group dedicated to supporting Northwestern women in their careers.
Gina Gibbs Foster has been named Vice President of Corporate Communications for Staples, headquartered in Framingham, Mass. In this role, Gina is responsible for leading the public relations strategy for the company’s external and internal stakeholders. In addition to serving as a key adviser to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team of Staples, Gina provides oversight for all aspects of media relations, issues and crisis management, employee communications, financial communications, corporate reputation and branding. Prior to joining Staples, Gina progressed through a series of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications management roles of increasing responsibility at The Dow Chemical Company, Linde plc, and Messer Americas. She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University in 2014.
Melissa Grady who has served as the CMO of Cadillac since 2019, was named to the third-annual Forbes CMO Next list. This honor spotlights innovative marketing leaders who are transforming or redefining their role. Grady was recognized for her collaborations with stars such as Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet as well as her modernization of Cadillac’s digital marketing and ability to adapt during the pandemic.
Catherine Toth Fox penned her first children’s book, “Kai Goes to the Farmers Market in Hawaiʻi” (Beachhouse Publishing) last year and is working on her second. She continues to serve as editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine, a Honolulu-based national travel brand, and editor of Hawaiʻi Farm & Food, the official magazine of the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau. She currently lives in Honolulu with her husband, son and two dogs.
Kathleen James was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in November 2018, representing the Bennington-4 district. A Democrat, she serves on the Education Committee and has been appointed to the New England Board of Higher Education and also to the NEBHE Legislative Advisory Council. She’s the co-vice-chair of the Climate Solutions Caucus and a member of the Social Equity Caucus and the Women’s Caucus. She’s a proud graduate of Emerge, a hands-on program that trains women Democrats to run for public office. She’s also the executive director of the nonprofit International Skiing History Association and editor of its bimonthly journal, Skiing History. James lives in Manchester Center with her wife, Alexandra Heintz. Her oldest daughter lives in Chicago and her younger daughter is a junior at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.