2025 Communication Career Forum

Hosted by Mason COMM and the Insight Committee: all event information and registration can be found here!

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
Johnson Center, Lettered Meeting Rooms (third floor)

RSVP NOW CLOSED

Gain career advice and network with some of the nation's leading communication professionals.

Sign up for small group mentoring sessions with public affairs specialists, media producers, journalists, health communicators, marketers, and more!

 Registration is required.

Please remember to dress to impress (business casual) and research the mentors if you are planning to attend (see mentors list below for more information)!

 

 

How The COMM Forum Works: 

There are 5-7 Communication themed mentoring sessions.
The rooms and mentors stay in the same room the entire duration of the event
Students are free to choose which mentoring session they would like to sit in.
Students must register in advance in order to attend a mentoring sessions
Students can attend one or multiple sessions.

 

Mentoring Sessions:

Click the mentors names below to learn more information about them!

Room 1 (JC ROOM A): Broadcast and Digital/Print Journalism 

• Eileen Whelan, Morning Meteorologist- ABC7 (Mentor)
• Judy Kurtz, "In the Know" Columnist- The Hill (Mentor)
• Matt Kaufax, Features Reporter- WTOP News (Mentor)
• Grace Yarrow, Food and Agriculture Reporter- POLITICO (Mentor)
• Marcella Robertson, Anchor & Reporter- WUSA9 (Insight Committee Member Facilitator) 

Room 2 (JC ROOM B): Media Production 

• Nathan Crawford, Executive Producer- 12 On Your Side (Mentor)
• Rob Hargreaves, Business Operations and Strategy-Discovery Communications (Mentor)
• Ximena Bustillo, Politics Reporter- NPR (Mentor)
• Gavin Gibbons, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)-National Fisheries Institute (Insight Committee Member Facilitator) 

Room 3 (JC ROOM C): Public Relations Agency & In-House

• Sara Lanphere, VP of Public Relations-Sage Communications (Mentor)
• Matt McAlvanah, Partner-Monument Advocacy (Mentor)
• Kristin Mesick, Strategy, Planning and Performance-Hilton (Mentor)
• Chad Tragakis, Director of Communications-Northrop Grumman (Insight Committee Member Facilitator) 

Room 4 (JC ROOM D): Advocacy Communications 

• Thomas Mills or Jenny Hopkinson*, FGS Global (Mentor)
• Jeremy Greene, VP Marketing-RV Industry Association (Mentor)
• Dvon Williams, Chief Communications Officer (CCO)- Big Brothers and Big Sisters (Mentor)
• Grace Venes-Escaffi, Specialist, CES & Industry Communications-Consumer Technology Association (Mentor)
• Patrick Delaney, Director, Federal Government Affairs-Walmart Inc. (Insight Committee Member Facilitator) 

Room 5 (JC ROOM E): Communication By Other Names 

• Bryon McGarry, Air Force, DoD Spokesperson (Mentor)
• Matthew Wright, Deputy Director, Science Press Package- American Association for the Advancement of Science (Mentor)
• Anne McBride, VP of Impact- James Beard Foundation (Mentor)
• Chantée Christian, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- My Best SHIFT (Insight Committee Member Facilitator) 

Room 6 (JC ROOM F): Strategic Use of Social Media & Influencer Marketing

• Merone Hailemeskel, Digital Communications Associate- President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (Mentor)
• Melissa Judy, Social Media Manager- @VaDOTNOVA (Virginia Department of Transportation) (Mentor)
• Joseph Ferguson, TikTok Host and Producer- The Washington Post (Mentor)
• Julie Murphy, President- Sage Communications (Insight Committee Member Facilitator) 

Room 7 (JC ROOM G): Sports Communications

• Britt Waters, Washington Wizards In-Game Host (Mentor)
• Shaun Salehi, Associate Producer- Monumental Sports (Mentor)
• Ric Wilson, Jordan Brand-Nike and Converse (Mentor)
• Mark LaFrance, Associate Athletic Director, Digital Media & Marketing- George Mason University (Mentor)
• Tyler Byrum, Mystics Digital Content Specialist, Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Mentor)
• Bill Rohland, Play by Play, Men's Basketball- George Mason University (Insight Committee Member Facilitator) 

*Mentors subject to change

 

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Networking and Mentoring Sessions Schedule:

8:30am to 9:00am: Student and Mentor Check-in and Networking Breakfast with Insight Committee members and Mentors (Johnson Center third floor West lounge area next to lettered meeting rooms A-G)

9:00am- 9:20am: Welcome & Introduction to the Mentoring Sessions (5 minute warning until first session begins)

9:25am to 9:55am: First Mentoring Session (20-25 minutes)

10:00am to 10:25am: Second Mentoring Session (25 minutes)

10:30am to 10:55am: Third Mentoring Session (25 minutes)

11:00am to 11:25am: Fourth Mentoring Session (25 minutes)

11:30am to 11:55am: Fifth Mentoring Session (25 minutes)

12:00pm: Last mentoring sessions conclude

12:00pm to 12:30pm: Stick around to chat and network with any mentors you were not able to meet!

 

 

Location:

Johnson Center, third floor lettered meeting rooms located in the West Lounge.

• (Check-in tables will be located in the west lounge area in between the meeting rooms).