2007-2008 Board of Directors
Cristi Hegranes, President, Founder Cristi Hegranes is the President and Founder of the Press Institute for Women in the Developing World. Prior to her work with The Press Institute Cristi worked as an investigative reporter for some of the world's premier magazines and weekly newspapers, covering stories from New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Nepal. In 2007 she received a Clarion Award and a Lifestyle Journalism Award for her reporting on global AIDS policy, immigration and social justice issues. In January of 2008 she was awarded the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism and was named one of the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century. Cristi holds a B.A. from Loyola Marymount University, where she is now an adjunct professor teaching journalism. She also earned a Master's degree from New York University. Cristi was a writing fellow in residence at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2003. She now resides in Oakland, CA.
Aleishall Girard Maxon, Vice President Aleishall Girard Maxon is Vice President of The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World's board of directors. She has been a part of the organization since its inception. Her participation is fueled by a passion for peace, truth and light -- all of which are cornerstones of The Press Institute's mission. In addition to serving on this board, Aleishall and her husband run a small design firm, Studio Deseo, based in Berkeley, Ca. Aleishall earned a BA with a concentration in creative writing from The New School in New York City in 2003. She has also studied haute cuisine, architecture and has a certification in Yoga instruction.
Kelly McBride, Secretary Kelly McBride is the ethics group leader for The Poynter Institute, where she trains reporters, photographers and editors in the skills of ethical decision-making, critical thinking and reporting and writing. She is also the director of the Poynter Summer Fellowship for Young Journalists and co-director of the Poynter Ethics Fellows. Since coming to Poynter in 2002, she has researched and taught seminars on how newsrooms cover faith, rape, gay and lesbian issues, sex, sports, pop culture and children. She most recently ran a seminar on reporting on sex and pop culture. Kelly writes an ethics column for Poynter Online and speaks at National Writers Workshops and other journalism conferences around the country. She provides in-house training for newsrooms, including The Charlotte Observer, The Fargo Forum and The Memphis Commercial-Appeal. She has traveled to South Africa to conduct Advanced News Reporting seminars. Prior to coming to Poynter, Kelly was a reporter for 15 years, spending most of that time at The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., where she covered the police beat for six years and the religion and ethics beat for eight years. She won awards for a series she wrote on gay Christians, a series on the ethics of fertility treatments and a series on faith and medicine. Kelly has a bachelors degree from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism and masters degree in religion from Gonzaga University. She has three children, ages 12, 10 and 6.
Jonathan Hegranes, Treasurer Jonathan Hegranes is a Financial Analyst at the San Francisco Office of Cogent Valuation. Mr. Hegranes joined the firm in 2006, after prior work experience at a Dallas-based hedge fund, as well as his time spent as general partner of Katabatic LLC. Mr. Hegranes holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Texas Christian University. He is an Affiliate Member of the CFA Institute, having passed all exam levels, and is a member of the Security Analysts of San Francisco.
Brett Allen
Brett Allen is the owner of the law firm of Brett Allen & Associates in Alameda, California. The firm represents various local and international companies and individuals. Mr. Allen is the proud parent of two daughters who also share his passion for equality and truth. He has a B.A. in anthropology from UC Berkeley and a JD from the University of San Francisco. He also enjoys sailing and being a soccer dad.
Becky Bowers Becky Bowers, 27, is a copy editor on the nation/world desk of the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. She has been shaped by a search for family that led her to cousins of her father's in Mexico in 2005, which helped fuel her passion for PIWDW's mission to shed light in places where a struggling press may leave stories untold. She got her first pro reporting job at 18 for her hometown daily, the Chico (Calif.) Enterprise-Record, while studying journalism at California State University, Chico. She joined the Times in June 2002, moving to the nation/world desk in January 2003. She founded and chairs the Tampa Bay chapter of the Association of Young Journalists, and has led sessions for conferences of the American Copy Editors Society, Florida Scholastic Press Association and Poynter's Florida High School Writers Workshop. She also teaches at Poynter's Summer Fellowship for Young Journalists. She lives with her husband Jeremy in a 1920s bungalow just a mile from the newspaper.
Theresa Braine Theresa Braine has lived and worked in Mexico for five years, covering women's issues, public health, breaking news and celebrities for Women's eNews, the World Health Organization, the Associated Press and People magazine, among other publications. Before that she was based in New York City and Connecticut as an editor and newspaper reporter. She holds a master's of science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Jamie Holmes
Jamie Holmes is a Research Coordinator at Harvard University. An NYU graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer, he has lived abroad in Romania, Hungary, Germany, Italy and France. He is also a fiction writer.
Dr. Marcia Mikulak Ms. Mikulak is accomplished in several fields. First, she is a concert pianist with an MFA in music performance, with a number of solo piano recordings to her credit. In addition to her music accomplishments, Ms. Mikulak created and directed Santa Fe Research, an organization dedicated to the investigation of learning and potential in children, examining ways in which children diagnosed with "learning disabilities" could reach their unique potentials. This work has been cross-culturally informed and supported by private grants and fellowships, with research in Zimbabwe and Mali, Africa on the culture of childhood. In the fall of 2002 Ms. Mikulak received her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of New Mexico. Her doctoral research began in Rio de Janeiro in 1994. Ms. Mikulak has extensive research experience in sexual assault and domestic violence as well.
Dr. Manju Mishra Dr. Mishra is the Principal and Director of The College of Journalism and Mass Communication in Kathmandu. The college is the only media college in Nepal. In addition she is also the chairperson of CJMC Community Radio 106 in Kathmandu.
Robin Sloan Robin Sloan is the online product strategist at Current, the cable and satellite TV network co-founded by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt that airs citizen journalism and viewer-created content. Before Current, Robin worked as a web reporter and producer at The Poynter Institute, a school for working journalists. He is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied economics and Nintendo.
Judith Vialva Judith Vialva is the Director of the South African Media and Gender Institute. SAMGI promotes human rights by increasing the range of voices heard in Southern Africa through participatory education, advocacy, lobbying and media production to improve the status of women.