Charlotte Alter
Senior Correspondent @ Time Magazine
Session: Keynote Presentation
Time: Thursday, 12:30 p.m.
Charlotte Alter is a Senior Correspondent at TIME and author of The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For. She’s hosted TIME’s Person of the Week podcast, won Front Page Awards in 2023 (Best Magazine Feature) and 2024 (Specialized Political Reporting), and her work has also appeared in the NYT, Washington Post, WSJ, and Vox.
Mike Blinder— Editor and Publisher
Session: Vodcast - "The Rhthym of Truth: Balancing News Frequency and Context in the AI Era"
Time: Thursday, 10:00 a.m.
Mike Blinder is Publisher of Editor & Publisher magazine and CEO of its parent company, The Curated Experiences Group. Editor & Publisher has served as a leading trade publication for the news media industry since the early 1900s. Blinder is also an experienced media consultant and author of the industry guide Survival Selling, and has spent decades helping news organizations adapt to digital change and new revenue strategies.
Cheryl Thompson-Morton — Lenfest Institute of Journalism
Session: How to Build an Audience That Search Can't Take Away
Time: Thursday, 10:00 a.m.
Cheryl Thompson-Morton is Head of Advisory Programs at the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, where she helps news organizations strengthen sustainability, operations, and audience strategy. She previously led the Black Media Initiative at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, expanding training and support for Black-owned outlets. A summa-cum-laude graduate of Drexel University, Cheryl is widely recognized for her work advancing newsroom capacity, leadership development, and long-term growth in local media.
Matt Paxton - The News-Gazette
Session: Postal
Time: Thursday, 10:00 a.m.
Matthew Paxton is publisher of The News-Gazette in Lexington, Virginia, along with its companion websites and niche print and digital publications. A fourth-generation newspaper publisher, he represents a longstanding family commitment to community journalism. Paxton is a past president of both the Virginia Press Association and the National Newspaper Association, and currently serves as chair of NNA’s Postal Committee and as a representative to the USPS Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee.
Ryan Dohrn
Session: AI Powered Media Sales
Time: Thursday, 10:00 a.m.
Session: Selling Value When Price is the Advertisers Only Focus
Time: Thursday, 11:15 a.m.
Ryan Dohrn is an internationally recognized media sales trainer and industry speaker. Through his independent consulting work, he helps media companies strengthen revenue strategy, sales leadership, and client retention. A former media executive, Dohrn has trained thousands of advertising professionals across North America on practical, relationship-driven sales techniques. His sessions focus on actionable strategies that help publishers grow revenue, improve sales culture, and increase long-term advertiser value.
Aaron Parnas — The Parnas Perspective
Session: Rise Of Social Media
Time: Thursday, 11:15 a.m.
Aaron Parnas is an attorney and journalist known for delivering rapid, accessible political and legal analysis to Gen Z audiences. A graduate of George Washington University Law School, he began college at 14 and earned his J.D. by 21. After working in securities litigation, he shifted into media, where his reporting, interviews, and Substack newsletter, The Parnas Perspective, reach millions across platforms.
Jeremy Gulban — Cherry Road
Session: Cherry Road Media’s Journey to Financial Sustainability
Time: Thursday, 11:15 a.m.
Jeremy Gulban is CEO of CherryRoad Media and CherryRoad Technologies, a firm originally focused on IT solutions and now one of the fastest-growing local-news publishers in the U.S. Since founding CherryRoad Media in 2020, he’s guided the company through the acquisition or relaunch of dozens of community newspapers across multiple states, aiming to revive coverage for underserved rural markets. A graduate of Drew University, Gulban combines his tech background with media-industry leadership to support small-town journalism.
Andrew Lehren— CUNY Newmark Graduate School of Journalism
Session: Investigative Journalism
Time: Thursday, 11:15 a.m.
Andrew Lehren is Director of Investigative Reporting at the CUNY Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. An award-winning investigative journalist, he has led reporting projects examining national security, government accountability, and public corruption. His work has appeared across major national and international news outlets and has contributed to collaborative investigations with broad public impact. At CUNY, he mentors emerging journalists and leads enterprise reporting initiatives focused on accountability and transparency.
Sam Rahimi - AdCellerant
Session: Beyond the Click: Reclaiming Authority in the Age of Generative AI
Time: Thursday, 11:15 a.m.
Sam Rahimi serves as VP of Earned and Owned Media at AdCellerant, where he works with media organizations to expand digital advertising capabilities and drive revenue growth. He partners with publishers to implement scalable digital solutions, including programmatic advertising, paid search, social, and targeted marketing strategies. Rahimi focuses on helping local media companies compete effectively in a rapidly evolving digital landscape by aligning technology, sales execution, and client strategy.
Korena Keys — KeyMedia Solutions
Session: Native & Sponsored Content
Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
Korena Keys is Founder and CEO of KeyMedia Solutions, a full-service digital marketing agency based in Sioux Falls, SD, serving clients across the U.S. Under her leadership since 2011, the firm has grown rapidly and earned recognition including a placement on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. She is also a sought-after public speaker and marketing strategist, guiding businesses in digital advertising, brand growth, SEO and social media.
Tom Sly— Media Inno, LLC
Session: Fast & Easy Solutions for Content Monetization
Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
Tom Sly is President and CEO of Media Inno, Inc., an audience-engagement and technology consultancy serving news organizations nationwide. He previously held senior leadership roles at E.W. Scripps Company and Google, where he helped build partnerships and digital revenue strategies for local media. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in digital transformation, product development, and media innovation, Sly works with publishers to strengthen sustainability, grow audiences, and modernize operations.
Jake Kara - Big Local News
Session: Tools to Support Newsrooms
Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
Jake Kara is a data journalist and software engineer at Big Local News at Stanford University. His work focuses on building tools and collaborative reporting systems that help local newsrooms analyze complex datasets and produce accountability journalism. Kara works at the intersection of investigative reporting and technology, developing software that supports scalable, public interest reporting initiatives across the country.
Shoshanah Bewlay - New York State Committee on Open Government
Session: Open Meeting
Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
Shoshanah Bewlay serves as Executive Director at the New York State Committee on Open Government, where she works on issues related to public access to government records and meetings. Her work focuses on interpretation and guidance related to New York’s Freedom of Information Law and Open Meetings Law. Bewlay regularly engages with government agencies, media organizations, and members of the public to promote transparency and compliance with open government requirements.
Tom Sullivan - Ballard Spahr
Session: Open Meeting
Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
Tom Sullivan is a Partner at Ballard Spahr, where he advises media organizations on legal and regulatory matters affecting news publishers. His practice includes First Amendment law, public notice requirements, government transparency, and media-related litigation. Sullivan works with publishers to navigate evolving legal frameworks and protect the rights and responsibilities of news organizations.
Carla Zanoni - CUNY School of Journalism
Session: Engagement Journalism
Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
Carla Zanoni is Director of Engagement Journalism at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. She works at the intersection of journalism, media innovation, and digital strategy. Her experience spans newsroom leadership, audience development, and emerging media initiatives. Zanoni focuses on strengthening sustainable journalism models and preparing news organizations to adapt to evolving audience and technology trends.
David Grant—Blue Engine
Session: First-Party Data That Pays Off
Time: Friday, 9:45 a.m.
David Grant is General Manager of Partnerships, Products, and Strategy for Blue Engine, where he works to support educational access and student success initiatives. His experience includes leadership roles focused on program development, partnership building, and organizational strategy. Grant’s work centers on strengthening systems that expand opportunity and improve outcomes through collaborative, mission-driven approaches.
Josh Meltzer - Rochester Institute of Technology
Session: Using Video to Increase Audience Engagement
Time: Friday, 9:45 a.m.
Josh Meltzer is an Associate Professor of Photo Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology where he works at the intersection of technology, media, and innovation. His work focuses on preparing students and professionals to navigate evolving digital landscapes through applied research, industry collaboration, and hands-on learning. Meltzer brings experience connecting academic expertise with real-world media and communications challenges.
Austin Lewter — Texas Center for Community Journalism
Session 1: Leadership & Connecting with the Next Generation of Journalists
Time: Friday, 9:45 a.m.
Session 2: Creating an AI policy for the community newspaper
Time: Friday, 11:00 a.m.
Austin Lewter is Director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism and an Instructor of Journalism and Broadcast at Tarleton State University, where he also advises the Texan News Service. With decades of experience leading community newspapers across North and East Texas and now as publisher of the Whitesboro News‑Record, he works to strengthen local journalism and support rural newsrooms. He holds a BA from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and an MA from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Todd Chamberlin— The Sopris Sun
Session: Strategies to Drive Print Revenue
Time: Friday, 9:45 a.m.
Todd Chamberlin is Executive Director of The Sopris Sun, a nonprofit community newspaper serving Colorado’s Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys. Since taking the helm in 2020, he has led the paper’s business development, fundraising, and expansion — including launching a Spanish-language news insert and youth journalism program. A Colorado native with a background in ecommerce and media strategy, Chamberlin blends entrepreneurial experience and community journalism to strengthen local news in rural and mountain communities.
Arvid Tchivzhel - Mather Economics
Session: Audience and Subscription Benchmarks
Time: Friday, 9:45 a.m.
Session 2: Small Market Outsourcing
Time: Friday, 2:15 p.m.
Arvid Tchivzhel brings his experience as Innovator in Digital Strategy & Revenue Management at Mather Economics. He works with media organizations to strengthen audience strategy, pricing models, and digital revenue growth. He partners with publishers to apply data analytics and economic modeling to subscription strategy, advertising optimization, and long-term financial planning. His work focuses on helping news organizations make informed, data-driven decisions that support sustainable business operations in a rapidly evolving media environment.
Mary Beth Walsh — New York State Assembly
Assembly Woman for District 112
Session: Details Coming Soon
Time: Friday, 11:00 a.m.
Mary Beth Walsh has represented the 112th Assembly District since 2016 and was appointed Assembly Minority Leader Pro Tempore in 2025. A practicing attorney for 30+ years, she’s recognized for pragmatic, bipartisan work on the Judiciary and Ways & Means committees and for community-focused initiatives across Saratoga, Schenectady, and Fulton counties. She also champions women’s leadership in public service
Stephanie Downs — Center for Sales Strategy
Session: Whale Hunting
Time: Friday, 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: 5 Ways to Elevate Your Approach
Time: Friday, 2:25 p.m.
Stephanie Downs is Senior Vice President and Partner at the Center for Sales Strategy, where she helps organizations improve sales performance through coaching, strategy, and process development. She joined the company in 2007 with extensive hands-on sales leadership experience from broadcast and media markets, and has since worked with sales teams across industries to strengthen talent and revenue outcomes. Downs holds multiple degrees from Georgia Southern University and contributes regularly to industry training and insights.
Todd Franko - State University of New York
Session: Local News Initiative
Time: Friday, 3:30 p.m.
Todd Franko, Local News Operations Consultant for SUNY, is a longtime newsroom leader focused on strengthening local journalism through university and community partnerships. A Buffalo native and graduate of SUNY Brockport, he spent 30 years in newspaper leadership roles across New York, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Nebraska. After the closure of The Vindicator in Youngstown, Ohio, he joined the national effort to reimagine local news through collaborative, community-based models designed to sustain vital local reporting.