Category: 1990s

1990s Class Notes

Jennifer Tanaka (BSJ90)

Jennifer Tanaka was named senior editor of digital news at Chicago Public Media WBEZ 91.5-FM. In her new role she’ll lead the digital content team “to amplify WBEZ’s position as an essential destination for outstanding journalism and news coverage in Chicago,” according to a station announcement. She formerly worked as an executive digital editor and deputy/senior editor at Chicago magazine. Since 2014, Tanaka has been director of digital communications in the alumni relations department at Northwestern University.

1990s Class Notes

Barry Pearce (BSJ91)

Barry Pearce won the grand prize in the Chicago Tribune’s 2019 Nelson Algren Literary Awards. The nationally recognized annual competition honors original short fiction. Pearce’s short story, “Chez Whatever,” was chosen from among the more than 3,000 pieces submitted to the 2019 contest. The short story passed multiple rounds, and was finally selected over five other finalists by judges Mona Simpson, Jane Smiley, and Jennifer Acker.

“Chez Whatever” is the story of a young woman who, while struggling through a snowstorm to meet her lover, has a strange encounter at a valet stand that alters the course of the evening and, in ways she won’t appreciate for many years, the trajectory of her life.

It is part of a book in progress, a collection of linked stories called “The Plan of Chicago.” Pearce lives in Chicago, where he works as a ghostwriter.

1990s Class Notes

Dan Weinrib (BSJ92)

Dan Weinrib is the incoming president of the Jefferson County City Clerks Association for the 2020 term. This past August, he received his state municipal clerks certification after completing prerequisite continuing education in just under three years. In June, he will have completed his two-year term as Temple Beth-El board president.

Weinrib pictured here with Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench and Dan’s son, Jack, at the 2019 Opening Day celebration in Cincinnati.

1990s Class Notes

Ann-Nora Hirami (MSJ92)

Ann-Nora Hirami teaches sociology and U.S. history at Plymouth High School and was selected to be a summer scholar by the National Endowment for the Humanities. She attended a Landmarks of American History & Culture conference, titled “From Immigrants to Citizens: Asian-Pacific Americans in the Pacific Northwest,” at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Washington.

1990s Class Notes

Rod Hicks (MSJ97)

Rod Hicks spent the first half of 2019 conducting a media trust project with 36 residents in Casper, Wyoming, that included discussions about their skepticism of news reporting, presentations about issues such as news bias, and interactions with local and national journalists.

Hicks, Journalist on Call for the Society of Professional Journalists, listened to their grievances with the hope of identifying ways news organizations might address them. He also wanted to expose participants to journalists who could talk about the processes they go through to verify details they report.

Hicks summarized the project and its findings in a video and report released in September. No one changed their view of the press or their news consumption habits after going through the sessions; however, Hicks sees the exercise as a worthwhile undertaking. The project provided a more nuanced understanding of the dissatisfaction some people have with the press, he said.

“For me, one of the big takeaways is that conservatives do not see themselves reflected in mainstream news coverage,” Hicks said.

His recommendations to news outlets include getting input from the public on stories to pursue, explaining how their news operation works, and scouring stories before publication or broadcast for words or phrases that could be considered biased.

1990s Class Notes Featured Class Notes

Kris Goodfellow (BSJ92)

Kris Goodfellow is the state Democratic Party-endorsed candidate for California State Senate, District 23.

Goodfellow was a graphics editor at The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune before running the graphics department at the Associated Press. She left journalism to pursue a career in technology and is currently the chief operating officer and co-owner of Voyager Search, a software company based in Redlands, Calif. For almost two decades, Goodfellow has been active in the community, located between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, but this is her first run for office.

“I got involved in the Hillary campaign in 2015, and when Donald Trump won, it took me a minute to pick myself up off the floor,” Goodfellow said. “But when I did, I decided that I needed to do more. That led me to realize that we need better representation at every level of government — and not only in the blue districts, but the purple and red ones, too.”

Goodfellow has been endorsed not only by the California Democratic Party, but also the California Teachers Association, Planned Parenthood, California League of Conservation Voters, a variety of unions and politicians at the local, state and national level. She has outraised her competitors on both sides of the aisle, shocking the political establishment in this traditionally red district of close to 1 million people.

The California primary is on March 3rd and there are a total of five candidates — three Republicans and two Democrats running. Goodfellow must be one of the top two vote getters to advance in California’s “jungle” primary system. If she wins the election, Goodfellow would be the first woman and the first Democrat to hold this seat in what has been a historically Republican district.

1990s Class Notes

Heidi Barker (BSJ91)

Heidi M. Barker is the new vice president of corporate communications in the ethics and compliance department for Carnival Corporation.

Based at the company’s headquarters in Miami, Barker will report to Carnival Corporation Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Peter Anderson, starting in March.

Barker joins the companywide ethics and compliance team led by Anderson, which was formed last year to help ensure a culture of compliance, learning and integrity inside Carnival Corporation and across its nine global cruise line brands, according to a press release.

The program’s goals are to meet or exceed all legal and statutory requirements, as well as to promote the highest ethical principles, the company said.

In this newly created position, Barker will lead all ethics and compliance communications for Carnival Corporation, including the key focus areas of health, environment, safety, security, culture and training, among others. As part of this role, she will coordinate compliance-related communications across the organization, working closely with Roger Frizzell, the corporation’s chief communications officer, and the compliance and communications teams within the company’s nine cruise brands.

Additionally, Barker will oversee communications for Operation Oceans Alive, Carnival Corporation’s environmental commitment and stewardship program, officially launched in 2018. Designed to promote a culture of transparency, learning and commitment within the corporation, Operation Oceans Alive ensures that all employees receive environmental education, training and oversight, while continuing the company’s commitment to protecting the oceans, seas and destinations in which it operates.

1990s Class Notes Featured Class Notes

Allison Martin (BSJ96)

Allison Gardner Martin has been promoted to Senior Director, Corporate Citizenship and Digital Communications for GE Appliances (GEA).

In this new role, Allison will work to increase awareness, recognition and support for GEA’s Citizenship agenda in its journey to be recognized as the most admired, trusted and respected organization in the industry.

Allison also will lead GEA’s corporate digital communications, which includes the corporate website design, daily digital activations and company-owned social media platforms.

Allison joined the company in 2018 as director of employee communications after more than 20 years of experience working in journalism, communications, community relations and government affairs in the public and private sector.

Prior to joining GEA, Allison worked as Chief Communications Officer for Jefferson County Public Schools, Chief of Staff & Communications Director for Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway and Deputy Communications Director for Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson. Allison also worked for a decade as a broadcast journalist and news anchor.

Allison lives in Louisville, Ky. with her husband and two children. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism where she minored in Spanish and sociology.

1990s Class Notes Featured Class Notes

Duchesne Drew (MSJ94)

Minnesota Public Radio named Duchesne Drew as its next president April 8, 2020.

Drew most recently an executive at the Bush Foundation and spent many years at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where he rose through the ranks from a summer intern to managing editor of operations.

The MPR division within American Public Media Group includes MPR News, Classical MPR, The Current and digital services.

While at the Bush Foundation, Drew served as community vice president, in charge of creating networks across the region. He also sits on the boards of a number of organizations, including the African American Leadership Forum and the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce.

“Charles Whitaker was a central part of my Medill experience,” Drew said. “Even though he focused on magazine journalists and I was heading toward a career as newspaper reporter, he made time for me and it mattered greatly, from conversations in his office to dinner at his house. I felt seen, valued and supported.”

He serves on the Leadership Council of Make It. MSP., an effort to attract “people from around the world” to live and work in the Twin Cities.

Photo courtesy of MPR.

1990s Class Notes Featured Class Notes

Justin Kerr (BSJ93)

Local news publisher Justin Kerr announced that grants from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and the Chicago Headline Club will power local journalism for the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. The McKinley Park News, Kerr’s micro-local news outlet that covers a single Chicago neighborhood, will use these funds to power a new journalism initiative to support the community.

“We are honored and humbled by this critical support for our publication,” Kerr said. “The pandemic has upended the already-battered news industry. This funding for Chicago journalism ensures our communities stay informed with reliable, high-quality news and information.”

The McKinley Park News is one of 48 recipients of the McCormick Foundation grant, which were awarded to both commercial and non-profit community news publications. The Chicago Headline Club disbursed grants of up to $500 each to help local journalists with their news reporting expenses.

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