The Washington Journalism and Media Conference

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Photographer

Rafael Suanes

RAFAEL SUANES

Photographer

A professional photographer with over 25 years of experience, Rafael has covered a huge gamut of events in the DC area.  Ranging from private events of all sizes to Supreme Court nomination hearings, Rafael has covered it all. Specializing in college and professional sports, Rafael is currently the staff athletics photographer for both George Mason and Georgetown universities and has worked directly with every professional sports team in Washington, DC.

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Photographer

Kasi Bumgarner

KASI BUMGARNER

Videographer

Kasi Bumgarner is a video producer and content creator based in the Washington DC area.  Prior to starting her business, she worked as a Digital Producer at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). At NED, she created a variety of digital content to highlight events and capture stories of the organization’s grantees and fellows who advocate for democracy and human rights around the world.

Kasi’s love for storytelling and digital media began at a young age, but it wasn’t until she attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC) that she realized she could turn her passion into a career. She has loved being a part of the WJMC family ever since, returning as a junior faculty advisor, speaker, and videographer.

Kasi received her bachelor’s degree in Film and Video Studies from George Mason University. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, exploring new spots in the DC area, and producing content for her lifestyle YouTube channel, Curlyhairlove, and her podcast, Side Hustle Generation.

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Photographer

Anna Layden

Assistant Photographer

Anna Rose Layden is a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography, concentrating in Photojournalism, with a minor in Political Science from Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, New York. She is an active member of the National Press Photographers Association, as well as the Asian-American Journalists Association of New York. Her work reflects a fascination with the extraordinary moments in everyday life, as well as coverage of current news events. She is constantly seeking out ways to further her understanding of the cultures around her, meet new people, and find the nearest Chick-Fil-A.

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Photographer Youth Advisory Board

Chloe Bohannon

Intern, Photography

Chloe Bohannon is a rising freshman at the University of Texas at Arlington, majoring in Public Relations. In high school, Chloe was the Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook. Winning various state awards for her contributions to the photography and design of the book, including 1st Place Journalistic Photo Story and Best in Arkansas for Yearbook Special Coverage Layout. She worked for her school district for two years photographing events for the schools’ website and social media. She attended WJMC 2017 as a correspondent and is excited to return as a photographer this summer.

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Photographer

Kera White

Photography Junior Faculty Advisor

Kera is a rising junior at George Mason University from Newport News, VA, and is studying Communication with a concentration in Media Production Criticism and a minor in African American Studies and Film and Media Criticism. She attended the Washington Journalism & Media Conference in 2014, returned as a Junior Faculty Advisor in 2016, and will return for her third year as the photo junior faculty advisor. Kera currently works in the Office of Student Media as the General Manager for Mason Cable Network. Her freshman year, she held the titles of Assistant News Director, News Director, and the creator of “Freshmen’s Corner” before being promoted to General Manager her sophomore year. Her other on-campus involvements currently include Black Student Alliance, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Chase Dreams Not Boys, and the Black Literary Project Marketing Advisor. In her free time, Kera enjoys writing poetry, taking photos for her business “Amethyst Films” and hanging out with friends and family. She looks forward to meeting all of the Correspondents and capturing all of the beautiful moments that this conference has to offer!

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Advisory Board Photographer Speakers

Meghan A.T.B. Reese

MEGHAN A.T.B. REESE

Producer, Writer, & Photographer

Meghan Reese is a producer, writer, and photographer. Reese’s credits include producing and writing for National Geographic, National Geographic WILD, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, History Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Science Channel, Oxygen, A&E, Animal Planet, Amazon Prime, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Family, PBS, Sony, Capital TV Pakistan, Facebook and Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, the White House, the U.S. Department of State, and NASA.

Reese also runs Ography — her own photography and multimedia shop — capturing events for the National Park Service, the White House, and many other businesses, families, and events. Her photography has been featured by The National Park Service, The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Wall Street Journal, PBS, and more.

Reese’s first step into production was as an assistant director and producer for WGBH PBS’s news coverage team, where Reese covered local Boston stories and major national events including the nomination and election of President Barack Obama.

Prior to making the switch to television and film, Reese was an award-winning writer and editor for several newspapers, medical, health and lifestyle magazines, and executive editor of Today’s Dietitian Cookbook. Her writing career began at USA Today, covering fashion, trends, and popular culture.

Reese holds a journalism degree from American University, where she held several prestigious internships around the Washington D.C. area, including The Washington Post, CNN, NPR, and at the White House.

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Photographer

Lexie Tubell

Junior Faculty Advisor

Lexie Tubell is a rising junior in George Mason University’s honors college with a major in Communication and a concentration in Journalism. Lexie has been very involved with film and journalism for a number of years, from starting an award-winning news program at her high school and working at her local newspaper, to having a film in a New York film festival and being named Videographer in her sorority, Chi Omega. Lexie attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference in 2015 and returned as a Speaker Intern in 2016 and a Junior Faculty Advisor in 2017. She is super excited to come back again for another year as a Junior Faculty Advisor and get to work hands on with the new correspondents and make it an amazing experience.