The Washington Journalism and Media Conference

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Speakers

Anna Layden

ANNA LAYDEN

Freelance Photojournalist

Anna Rose Layden is a freelance photojournalist in Washington, D.C. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Reuters, Getty Images and  Bloomberg News. Primarily covering U.S. politics, Anna has spent the first year of her professional career documenting the House, Senate, Supreme Court, and White House. After graduating from RIT in December 2021, she began her career in Washington as the photography intern at The Hill in February 2022. She has a strong interest in documenting elected officials, and the everyday Americans affected by their policy. Outside of the big white buildings, she finds herself working on stories surrounding immigration, the empowerment of women, religion and family.

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Speakers

Jenna Cohen

JENNA COHEN

Roy W. Howard Fellow, PBS NewsHour

Jenna Cohen graduated in May from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and is the first undergraduate to be named a Roy W. Howard investigative fellow.  She attended WJMC as a National Youth Correspondent in 2017 (go ThinkPink!) and returned as a marketing intern in 2018. Specializing in web design, data, and graphics, she has since contributed to the award-winning investigations completed by The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism.

In the summer of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, she worked on website production and motion graphics for Nowhere To Go, an investigation highlighting the criminalization of homelessness, the lack of enforcement of states’ eviction moratoriums and how public housing evictions leave people on the street. Most recently, she designed and developed the website for Printing Hate – a six-month investigation into how white-owned newspapers historically incited racial terror during the Jim Crow era. She also produced a mini-documentary on the racial massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, outlining how white-owned newspapers fueled one of the largest massacres of Black people in U.S. history.

She has also worked as a designer for Capital News Service at the University of Maryland, Investigative Editing Corps and the LEAD1 Association. She will join the PBS NewsHour in July.

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Speakers

Collin Cope

COLLIN COPE

Writer, Fairfax County Times

After attending WJMC in the summer of 2017, Collin Cope gained a newfound appreciation for the art of journalism and media production. Meeting many new friends, and even a few future colleagues, Collin’s time with WJMC encouraged him to attend George Mason for his Bachelor of Arts in Communication. With experience writing and editing for George Mason’s student-run newspaper, as well as freelancing for local outlet The Fairfax County Times, Collin emphasizes the importance of varied experience and a general sense of curiosity when reporting.

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Counselor Speakers

Sam Wolfe

SAM WOLFE

Account Manager for Digital Marketing, Google

am Wolfe is an account manager on the digital marketing team at Google in San Francisco. With clients ranging from family-owned businesses and startups to national brands like HBO and Warner Brothers, Sam builds custom solutions for advertisers around the world across all Google and YouTube platforms. He is also a coach on the Grow With Google team, which is dedicated to increasing access, awareness, and education for individuals and small businesses in marginalized communities. His love for journalism led him to attend WJMC in 2014, and he has worked at the conference wearing many hats since 2015. Sam graduated from George Mason University in 2019 with a degree in Communication and Public Relations, and he is ecstatic to be back home at WJMC this summer.

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Speakers

Madeleine May

MADELEINE MAY

Producer, VICE News Tonight

Madeleine May is a producer for VICE News Tonight, VICE’s nightly news program. Last year, VICE News Tonight became the most Emmy-winning newscast for the third consecutive year, including “Outstanding Newscast.”  At VICE, she produces news segments about politics, voter suppression, and the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S. and in Europe.

Previously, she produced documentaries for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a nonprofit investigative journalism network that specializes in reporting on the illicit financial system and corruption; and the New Media Advocacy Project (NMAP), a non-profit that focuses on natural resource exploitation and human rights.

She holds degrees in Journalism and African Studies from Northwestern University’s Medill School, and is a National Geographic Young Explorer.

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Junior Faculty Advisor

Maija Robinson

MAIJA ROBINSON

Junior Faculty Advisor

Maija Robinson is a rising Junior at George Mason University and is majoring in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations.  Aside from classes, she is an intern for Mason’s Washington ScholarS Program. Maija also enjoys attending school events and spending time with others. She aims to enter the field of Public Relations upon graduating. Maija attended WJMC in the summer of 2019 and she is more than happy to be able to experience it again this summer!

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Junior Faculty Advisor

Jalen Thompson

JALEN THOMPSON

Junior Faculty Advisor

Jalen Thompson is a Music Composition Major at Colorado State University. He attended WJMC in 2019 and is ecstatic to come back.  He has worked as a communications intern at CSU, researching and writing articles for SOURCE, the universities online newspaper. Furthermore, he is active in social justice issues and hearing other’s perspectives on them. He also enjoys watching basketball and finding new music!

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Junior Faculty Advisor

Madalyn Godfrey

MADALYN GODFREY

Junior Faculty Advisor

Mady Godfrey is a rising sophomore at George Mason University within the Mason Honors College.  Coming from a small town in North Carolina, Godfrey is attending Mason to pursue a B.A. in Communications with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in legal studies. Attending WJMC in the summer of 2019 as a rising Junior in high school, Godfrey remembers the positive impact the conference had left on her and looks forward to helping leave that same impact on the correspondents in their fun-filled week. Godfrey wishes for each correspondent to be able to leave the conference at the end of their week feeling inspired in their path of becoming future leaders of the world.

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Stephanie Strange

STEPHANIE STRANGE

Faculty Advisor

Stephanie is the publications adviser at Steele High School in the northeast San Antonio, Texas area.  She advises the online newspaper, the weekly broadcast and the 328-page yearbook. She also teaches Journalism and Photojournalism. This is her fourth year teaching and she has fallen in love with her second career. Prior to beginning her teaching career, she was a missionary in China. She believes it’s a beautiful world out there and tries to bring that worldview into her teaching. She is passionate about showing others the importance of true journalism and believes that everyone has a story to tell that must be told with integrity, honesty and kindness. Outside of the classroom, Stephanie has been married for 22 years to her high school sweetheart who is a local pastor, and they have three daughters, one son-in-law and a rescue dog named Archie. She believes in transparency and isn’t afraid to admit when she doesn’t know something, to accept when she is wrong and to rejoice in the small victories of life.