2022 Fall Forum Bios

Mentoring Sessions:
Room 1 (JC ROOM A): Media Production:

  • Rob Hargreaves, Discovery, HBO, TBS (Mentor)
  • Tyrone Eaton, Eaton Creative Group (Mentor)
  • Gavin Gibbons (IC Lead & Facilitator)


Room 2 (JC ROOM B): Journalism:

  • Tyler Byrum, NBC Sports Washington (Mentor)
  • Andrea Cambron, CNN (Mentor)
  • Ross Wilkers, Washington Technology (Mentor)
  • Clay McConnell (IC Lead & Facilitator)


Room 3 (JC ROOM C): Public Relations:

  • Meredith Reilly Maddern, Capital One (Mentor)
  • Alexa Rogers, FleishmanHillard (Mentor)
  • Carolyn Cuppernull (IC Lead & Facilitator)


Room 4 (JC ROOM D): Health Comm/Interpersonal:

  • Kathie Boettrich, former INOVA, PR consultant (Mentor)
  • Jessica Jones, Chicken of the Sea (Mentor)
  • Kelly Newton Jeffers, SureScripts (Mentor)
  • Chad Tragakis (IC Lead & Facilitator)


Room 5 (JC ROOM E): Political Communications:

  • Savannah Behrmann, National Journal (Mentor)
  • Eric Schultz, Senior Advisor to President Obama (Mentor)
  • Chris Brewster (IC Lead & Facilitator)


Room 6 (JC ROOM F): Workshop: Building your Network Online/In Person

  • JD Kathuria, WashingtonExec (Mentor)
  • Sharon Rushen, Sage Communications (Mentor)
  • Tonya Klause (IC Lead & Facilitator) 


Room 7 (JC ROOM G): Workshop: Practical Advice for Getting First Job:

  • Kate Perrin, Professional Solutions, LLC (Mentor)
  • Jane Barwis, BRG Communications (Mentor)
  • Diana Gardner, TorchLight Hire (Mentor)
  • Danny Selnick (IC Lead & Facilitator)

 

Mentors:

Media Production

  • Tyrone Eaton (LinkedIn: @tyroneeaton)
    • Tyrone Eaton owns his own independent production company called Eaton Creative Group, LLC, he is the Principal Creative Director, Cinematographer, and Digital Content Strategist. Eaton also freelances as a producer/videographer at other larger companies.
  • Rob Hargreaves (LinkedIn: @rob-hargreaves)
    • Robert Hargreaves is the Director, Global Content Reporting and Analytics with Discovery Communications. Prior to joining Discovery he worked in corporate and digital strategy in London at the BBC and before that at PBS in Washington DC. He’s also worked as a Producer at ABC's Good Morning America and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. He earned his B.A. in Communications from Cornell University and M.B.A. from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He serves as the Board Chair for Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia.

Journalism

  • Tyler Byrum (LinkedIn: @thetylerbyrum )
    • Tyler Byrum (#MasonCOMM Alum 16' and also earned in MA in Sports COMM) is an Associate Editor at NBC Sports Washington. Byrum is also currently a sports play-by-play commentator for George Washington University and freelance commentator in the DMV area. 
  • Andrea Cambron (LinkedIn: Andrea Cambron)
    • Andrea Cambron began her radio career in Decatur, Il. in when a friend suggested she host a college radio show for fun. After transferring and graduating from Howard University with a BA in Radio/TV/Film, Andrea began a 20 year career at various radio stations in the Washington, DC area including NPR, Sirius XM, WHUR, WERA and Radio One as an on-air host, reporter and producer. As a producer, Andrea covered everything from the George Floyd protests to the White House. But it was her work hosting a segment about women’s issues on Sirius XM that fueled her passion to dissect federal policy as it relates to equality, civil rights and our national health system. Stepping out into a new realm in television, Andrea is now a Supervising Producer at CNN, in charge of a team of reporters, editors and producers who deliver political breaking news for the network. 
  • Ross Wilkers (LinkedIn: Ross Wilkers)
    • Ross Wilkers is a Senior Staff Reporter, at Washington Technology. A Northern Virginia native, Ross Wilkers has always been surrounded by politics and business. That sparked an early interest in journalism and serves as the launch pad for his career. Today, as a Senior Staff Writer at Washington Technology, Ross combines his knowledge of the life around and inside the Beltway, plus his interest in the place government contracting holds in the D.C. region's economy to fuel his reporting on the industry as a whole and the companies that make up the sector. Ross also is one of two hosts for Washington Technology's Project 38 podcast -- a collection of interviews with industry executives, analysts and other high-profile market watchers about what the public sector IT marketplace could look like in 2038, along with the trends and drivers shaping it today.

Public Relations

  • Meredith Reilly Maddern (LinkedIn: @meredithreillydc)
    • Meredith Reilly Maddern is the Senior Communications Manager at Capital One. With over 15 years of experience, Meredith has a demonstrated history of working in the financial services and legal marketing industries. Skilled in Media Relations, Influencer Relations, Experiential Marketing, Corporate Communications, and Integrated Marketing Campaigns she considers herself a storyteller with the goal of meeting consumers where they are. Among her recent accomplishments, she led PR efforts to launch new consumer products and national sports sponsorship initiatives with Capital One. Outside of work, Meredith recently became a mother and lives with her husband and son in Fairfax, VA. She enjoys cooking, traveling, staying active, watching too much reality TV and is a proud graduate from Miami University.
  • Alexa Rogers (LinkedIn: @alexalrogers)
    • Alexa Rogers is a Managing Supervisor at FleishmanHillard, where she supports integrated communications & marketing campaigns for consumer brands, corporate entities and nonprofit organizations. Alexa has over seven years of experience leading public relations strategies at the intersection of brand marketing and social advocacy, delivering internationally-recognized campaigns that achieve her clients' strategic goals. Her earned media strategies have secured media placements in top-tier news outlets including Associated Press, Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, NPR, The Washington Post, and USA Today. In her current role, she serves as a strategic partner and project manager for her clients in the food & beverage, healthcare and nonprofit spaces. Prior to joining FleishmanHillard in 2021, Alexa worked at Sunshine Sachs, where she managed publicity and executive visibility for nonprofits and high net-worth individuals. She began her public relations career at Sage Communications, where she learned the foundations of media relations and social media management. Alexa received her bachelor’s degree in communications from George Mason University and her master’s degree in strategic public relations from George Washington University. 

Health COMM & Interpersonal/Organization COMM

  • Kathie Boettrich (LinkedIn: @kathieboettrich)
    • Kathie Boettrich, RN, MBA, is a communications executive and former registered nurse.  After working as a nurse in a large hospital’s emergency department, Kathie joined the global PR firm Hill & Knowlton, where she led crisis, transformation and employee communications engagements for a wide variety of healthcare, non-profit and corporate clients. As an example, working with the biotech firm, Intrexon, during the Zika crisis, her team organized community outreach leading to the first positive ballot referendum for a genetically modified mosquito. When the Obama Administration’s first healthcare.gov website failed, Kathie and her team led media and government influencer outreach to protect the reputation of the new firm, Accenture, as they created a new website from the ground up.  After these and many other fascinating engagements, Kathie joined the Inova Health System as Chief Public Information Officer and Assistant Vice President, Communications. She recently started her own firm, Boettrich Strategies, focusing on employee engagement and DEI for her clients. 
  • Jessica Jones (LinkedIn: Jessica Jones)
    • Jessica Jones, PhD, RD, LDN; is a Registered Nutritionist, as well as the Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Nutrition of Chicken of the Sea where she serves as the company nutrition advisor and driver of their health and wellness initiatives. She also oversees the regulatory and nutrition labeling initiatives for the company and is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Jessica has 15 years of nutrition experience — ranging from research and teaching to outpatient nutrition counseling that focused on holistic lifestyle approaches to support overall wellness, sports nutrition and weight management goals. Jessica received her Bachelor of Science and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University and is also a Registered Dietitian.  She lives Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, son, and rescue dog.
  • Kelly Newton Jeffers (LinkedIn: @jefferskelly)
    • Kelly Newton Jeffers is the Vice President, Content & Brand Marketing for Surescripts. Newton Jeffers implements strategic communications initiatives across prioritized customer segments. She plays a critical role in supporting the company's brand, is responsible for internal and external communications with key stakeholders including employee's, customers, industry leaders, media, and third-party.

Political Communication

  • Savannah Behrmann (LinkedIn: Savannah Behrmann)
    • Savannah Rose Behrmann (GMU Alum '18) is the Senate Correspondent for National Journal, where she roams and reports from the halls of Capitol Hill focusing on the legislative, bipartisan and political gridlock of Congress’ upper chamber. Her work is featured online and in-print, where she does analytical deep dives, expansive profile pieces, and much more. Prior, she served as a Congressional Reporter at USA TODAY, where she led the newspaper’s coverage of both chambers of Congress. She reported largely on President Biden’s and Democrats’ legislative agenda, and the fallout from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. 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 Nephi, Utah, and attended George Mason University, where she graduated in 2018. She is so happy to be back home at GMU helping other Patriots! Follow Savannah on Twitter to keep up with her reporting.
  • Eric Schultz (LinkedIn: Eric Schultz )
    • Eric Schultz, now a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama, brings nearly two decades of experience at the highest levels of politics and government to help clients navigate the intertwined national media and political landscape. Schultz counsels high-profile individuals, organizations, and companies across the political, financial, tech, and entertainment sectors seeking to cultivate relationships, raise their profile, and shape conversations among key policymakers, journalists, and stakeholders. During the Obama Administration, Schultz served as White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, speaking on behalf of the Administration on Air Force One and in the White House briefing room, and managing the Administration’s proactive messaging and news-of-the-day responses. Schultz was originally hired by the White House to handle the Administration’s response to congressional oversight investigations, gaining recognition in Politico as the strategist “White House officials turn to in a crisis to handle communications.” Before joining the White House, Schultz spent nearly ten years on Capitol Hill working for key U.S. Senators, including as communications director to the current Democratic Leader, Charles Schumer and for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, overseeing messaging strategies of campaigns in 18 competitive states. He is also a veteran of numerous statewide and national campaigns including as New Hampshire Communications Director for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and Deputy Campaign Manager for Al Franken’s 2008 Senate race, to which the Washington Post credited Schultz for bringing “order and discipline.” In each of these roles, Schultz worked to proactively define opponents, becoming “well-known among Washington reporters for his aggressive, behind-the-scenes approach," as noted by Politico. Schultz is originally from Syracuse, New York, and got his start in politics as an opposition researcher on then-First Lady Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign. Schultz earned a B.A. in political science at Washington University in St. Louis and received the University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. Schultz volunteers as a tutor and serves on the regional board of directors for Reading Partners, a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting literacy among young students. He is also an advisory board member of Democracy Docket, which funds voting rights litigation to enfranchise and protect the rights of citizens to vote. Drawing on his experience, Schultz was credited as a political consultant on Netflix’s reboot of Designated Survivor.

Building Your Network Online/In Person Workshop Mentors:

  • JD Kathuria (LinkedIn: @jdkathuria)
    • JD Kathuria (GMU Alum '95) is the founder and president of WashingtonExec, an outcome-oriented networking organization and online news publication that provides breaking and featured coverage and hosts exclusive events for the area’s executives of consequence. Since launching the company in 2011, Mr. Kathuria has grown its membership to include more than 200 executives, entrepreneurs and thought leaders within the private, public, nonprofit and academic sectors. A firm believer in the importance of trusted, long-term professional relationships, Mr. Kathuria is well regarded in the DC business community as a connector and advisor. He and his team host upwards of 80 events each year to facilitate long-lasting relationships and encourage meaningful thought exchange among their participants.
  • Sharon Rushen (LinkedIn: Sharon Rushen)
    • Sharon Rushen is the Public Relations Account Director at Sage Communications. Rushen has fifteen years of experience in communications disciplines within government and  private industry. During that time, she has led the creation and oversaw the execution of countless compelling public relations, strategic marketing and social media programs. Sharon has seven years of federal government experience, working as a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Army’s DEVCOM C5ISR center as well as a digital engagement specialist for the U.S. Special Operations Command. Combined with her B2B and B2C corporation communications and marketing experience, Sharon understands the full scope of how to accessibly connect technology enablers to government. Sharon joined Sage last year and some of her accounts include Adobe, NVIDIA, GitLab and Globalstar. In addition to her collegiate education, Sharon graduated from Defense Information School – the leading government Public Affairs qualification program. As a former journalist and public affairs specialist, Sharon has authored articles across several disciplines and is notably cited in a Congressional Research Service report on Emergency Communications.

Practical Advice for Getting Your First Job Workshop Mentors:

  • Jane Barwis (LinkedIn: Jane Barwis)
    • As founder and president of BRG Communications (BRG), Jane Barwis is committed to producing creative and meaningful work; empowering staff to reach their full potential; building and sustaining strong client relationships; and affecting change through professional and philanthropic endeavors. Jane launched BRG in 2001 to achieve her vision of an agency built on talent, flexibility, uncommon performance and results. Under her leadership, BRG has been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a “Hot 100” company to watch, received the Stevie Award for the Fastest-Growing Company of the Year, was named the “Fastest Growing Communications Agency in the Country” by PR Week, and was recognized as the Silver Stevie Award Honoree for its 15thAnniversary, Cause for a Celebration, campaign from the American Business Awards. Jane has also been named a Female Entrepreneur of the Year finalist by the Stevie Awards and a Best Communications Executive finalist by the American Business Awards. As an industry veteran, Jane has extensive experience in building research-driven campaigns that build awareness, educate and drive audiences to action. She possesses a unique ability to identify what consumers care about, how they think and behave, and what motivates their shifting priorities. Since launching BRG, Jane has framed strategic programs for clients including Home Safety Council, Georgia-Pacific, Rubbermaid, Walmart Foundation, Aetna Foundation, Heart Rhythm Society, Fisher House Foundation, Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom and National Honor Societies.
  • Diana Gardner (LinkedIn: @digardner11)
    • Diana Gardner comes to Torchlight with more than two decades of strategic marketing and communications experience. Diana is deeply passionate about building partnerships, the recruiting process, and helping candidates and companies find the right fit. Having served on both the agency and client-side of the house, Diana has successfully led award-winning print and digital marketing, advocacy, and fundraising campaigns for start-up brands and household names across the nonprofit, commercial, government, and political sectors. Diana has advised national grassroots organizations on developing multimillion-dollar initiatives across a broad range of direct, digital, and traditional communications. Some of her past clients include Autism Speaks, Easter Seals, Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, United States Department of Defense, United States Department of Commerce, and several presidential and congressional candidates. Before joining Torchlight, Diana was VP of Client Development for a communications and fundraising agency, where she oversaw client leadership and development for the firm’s enterprise accounts. Diana holds a Bachelor of Arts in advertising/public relations from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Science from Florida State University. A Yacht Rock enthusiast and self-described gym rat/meathead, Diana lives for college football, Caymus Cabernet, obscure pop culture trivia, and all things vinyl. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, teenage daughter, and golden retriever.
  • Kate Perrin (LinkedIn: @kateperrin)
    • Kate Perrin used her 20 years of experience in public relations and marketing communications to found PRofessional Solutions, LLC, the Washington area's first public relations temporary agency, in 1994.   The firm, which was unique in the DC area, matched the talents of communications professionals to the needs of associations, businesses, government agencies and non-profits for 26 years. Prior to founding PRofessional Solutions, Kate was director of public relations for The American College of Emergency Physicians, advancing public awareness of the specialty and developing health and safety public education campaigns.  Previously, she had been director of public affairs at Youth for Understanding International promoting participation in high school international exchange. Kate is a compulsive volunteer!  She chaired the first Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) PR Woman of the Year awards program in 1990 and was elected president in 1992.  She spent four years on the Board of the International Association of Business Communicators, three years on the Board of Dress for Success DC and has been a member of the Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital Women’s Advisory Board and a member of the Smithsonian Women’s Committee executive leadership for the past five years. Kate earned a BA in Print Journalism and MS in Public Relations from American University.  She received the 2009 Women in Communications Matrix Award and in November 2021 she inducted into the Public Relations Society of America National Capital Chapter’s PR Hall of Fame.