BAYLIE MCCALLISTER
Baylie McCallister currently resides in Boise, Idaho. She is the president of her school’s marketing department and is the social media manager and marketing intern at two domestic abuse shelters in Boise! Baylie prides herself on being a coffee connoisseur, and she is also a published writer. Baylie looks forward to being on the YAB this year!
JACQUELIN KENT
Jacquelin Kent is a national youth correspondent for WJMC ’18 and is representing Columbus, Georgia. She is currently a senior at Shaw High School and will continue her passion for journalism and media in college. Jacquelin absolutely loved her time at George Mason University and being a part of WJMC ’18. She loves everything surrounding journalism and media, and soon aspires to inspire those that love it as much as she does! Kent is looking forward to help contribute in making WJMC 2019 even more amazing than the previous years!
JOHN HOLLIS
Media Relations Manager, George Mason University
John D. Hollis lists 17 years of daily newspaper experience, including nearly 10 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a lengthy stint as a correspondent for Time Magazine. He has authored three books, including “Sgt. Rodney M. Davis: The Making of a Hero,” the 2018 hit that chronicles the inspirational life and death of the U.S. Marine who became Macon, Georgia’s lone Medal of Honor recipient following his death in Vietnam in 1967. In 2013, Hollis teamed with former professional wrestler Lex Luger to pen “Wrestling with the Devil: The True Story of a World Champion Professional Wrestler – His Reign, Ruin, and Redemption.” Over his career, Hollis has covered the Super Bowl, the Olympics, five college basketball Final Fours, the College World Series, the NBA and the NFL and major college football and basketball within both the ACC and SEC. The University of Virginia and Woodberry Forest School alum is currently working as the Media Relations Manager at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.
MIKAYLA BOUCHARD
Senior Staff Editor, The New York Times
Mikayla Bouchard is a senior staff editor at The New York Times, based in Washington, D.C., where she helps direct and execute multimedia coverage of major news events, including the presidential inauguration and the annual State of the Union address.
She works closely with The Times’s audio team on both “The Daily” podcast and “The New Washington” podcast, which featured interviews with some of the biggest names in American politics.
She also oversees The New York Times Politics Facebook and Twitter accounts and produced a daily show on Facebook Live during the 2016 Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Originally from Michigan, she earned degrees in international relations and theatre from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in journalism from Georgetown University. She’s a captain of the press team that competes in the annual Women’s Congressional Softball Game.
SAVANNAH BEHRMANN
Senate Correspondent, National Journal
Savannah Rose Behrmann is the Senate Correspondent for National Journal, where she roams the halls of Capitol Hill focusing on the legislative and bipartisan gridlock of Congress’ upper chamber. Prior, she served as a Congressional Reporter at USA TODAY, where she led the newspaper’s coverage of both chambers of Congress. Previously, she worked as a Politics NOW Reporter at USA TODAY, covering breaking political news that ranged from the 2020 election, Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. Beforehand, she was a News Associate at CNN. Savannah hails from Utah, and attended George Mason University, where she graduated in 2018. She is a proud alumna of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, which she attended as a National Youth Correspondent in 2013, and then worked as a staff member for several years.
MICHELLE JACONI
Executive Producer, Washington Post Video Team
Michelle Jaconi is the Executive Producer of The Washington Post video team, where she oversees on-camera journalists and topical, satirical videos on politics and culture.
Michelle previously worked at Independent Journal Review (IJR), where she was a driving force behind some of their viral video journalism during the 2016 election campaign. Before joining IJR, Michelle spent six years at CNN as the executive producer on “State of the Union” and “Inside Politics,” before becoming the founding executive producer of CNN Politics’ Cross Platform Programming Unit. Before CNN, Michelle was a programming executive and political analyst at NBC’s “Meet the Press with Tim Russert.”
Michelle has won multiple Emmy Awards for her election coverage at NBC and CNN. She won a Peabody for CNN’s coverage of the Arab spring and a Cronkite Award for “Meet the Press.” She has a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a master’s degree from Georgetown’s Communications, Culture and Technology program.
NADGEENA JEROME
Multimedia Journalist
A first-generation Haitian-American, Nadgeena Jerome is a dynamic multimedia journalist, on-camera host, and content creator with a focus on lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and entertainment. Over the past year, she has covered major cultural events including New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week, Arizona Fashion Week, and Swim Week Las Vegas, while continuing to produce engaging digital content for national media brands and her personal platform, The JooJoo Journey.
Previously, she served as a senior lifestyle reporter and assistant editor at The U.S. Sun, and has held on-air and digital roles at News 12, Talent Recap, and 2M Media Group in Washington, D.C.
Nadgeena is a proud alumna of George Mason University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication in 2017. She is also a proud 2012 alumna of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference and is honored to return as a featured speaker, continuing to give back to the organization that helped spark and shape her path in journalism.
Outside of journalism, Nadgeena is a signed professional model, a nationally recognized pageant competitor, and the founder of The Unbroken Collective, a mental health initiative tied to her lifestyle brand. She placed 1st runner-up at the 2024 and 2025 Miss Virginia USA pageants and is currently completing her first children’s book. She also serves as an advocacy ambassador for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and is a Girls Write Now mentor.
SYDNEY KIRWAN
Coordinator, K-12 Partnerships
Sydney is the K12 Coordinator in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University. In her role, she offers group tours of the university and college information sessions to elementary and middle school students to promote college-going opportunities. She also works closely with other K-12 Partnerships and the Washington Scholars Program. Being a part of the WSP staff is always a highlight of her year and she has been involved with the programs since joining the Advance Team in 2018. Sydney earned a B.S.Ed. in Youth and Social Innovation with a double major in Spanish from the University of Virginia and is currently pursuing a Masters in Counseling at George Mason University.
RONDENE GRINAM
Global Email Marketing Manager, Microsoft
Rondene Grinam is a global email marketing manager at Microsoft. Previously, she was a marketing specialist at Gartner, a leading business research and advisory company. In this role, she managed marketing campaign strategy through channels like email, web content, and social media. She also served as the communications lead for Gartner’s multicultural employee group.
She developed an early interest in communications as a writer for her high school news publications and columnist for her city’s newspaper. While attending George Mason University, she was involved in a variety of opportunities to develop a career around her passions for global communication, social media, and public relations.
An alum of the Washington Scholars Program for young aspiring communications professionals, she held a number of enriching internships throughout her undergraduate career, most notably in marketing at Northern Virginia Magazine and the British Embassy Washington. She has also refined her intercultural communication skills through studying abroad in France and Italy, and through interning for Italian travel agency Florence for Fun and George Mason’s Center for Global Education.
Rondene received a bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in public relations and minors in journalism and global affairs from George Mason University in May 2016. In December 2018, she earned a master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy.
She loves being a part of the WJMC family and is thrilled to be a part of the conference again this year.
