Biographies of Panel Members
| Panel - Influence of the "New" Media |
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David Leibowitz - Leibowitz Solo (Public Relations and Communications)
He wanted to be in the garbage business, but his mother had other ideas, so he became an award-winning professional storyteller. His career has included writing columns for the East Valley (AZ) Tribune and the Arizona Republic; radio gigs for KTAR and KFYI (Arizona’s two largest news/talk stations); and TV commentaries for KPNX (Channel 12), KNXV (Channel 15) and KTVK (Channel 3). He’s been named the state’s best news columnist, best sports columnist, best feature columnist and best radio host and he’s covered many national high-profile stories. Since starting Leibowitz Solo in 2009, David’s client list has included winning statewide ballot initiatives and writing speeches for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, as well as handling media relations and messaging for Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. He also provides storytelling expertise to many national and local organizations. Leibowitz received his B.A. in English from Florida State University and a MBA in journalism from New York University. |
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Michael Ryan - Ryan Media Consultants
An award-winning journalist with 35 years of media experience, he recently was a vice president at The Arizona Republic, overseeing all 18 of its community Republics and their associated Web and mobile sites. Before moving to the Valley, he was managing editor at the Pensacola News Journal in Pensacola, FL. The newspaper won more than 70 national and state awards and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Before that, he worked in Rochester, N.Y., as sports editor, news editor and eventually assistant managing editor at The Times-Union and Democrat and Chronicle. He also wrote a nationally syndicated sports television column for Gannett News Service and occasionally for USA Today. Ryan earned his B.A. degree in journalism from St. Bonaventure University and his MBA with a focus in marketing from Rochester Institute of Technology. |
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Chris Kline - Director of New Media for ABC15 in Phoenix.
In his role, he supervises digital content and business operations for the station, including on abc15.com, ABC15 Mobile and ABC15 in social media. He has won 4 Emmy awards for his digital work. While at ABC15, Chris has previously served as Executive Producer of New Media and as the station's first web and technology reporter. Chris has also been an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Before his time at ABC15, Chris worked as an Online Journalist for the Arizona Republic. A Valley native, Chris graduated from Brophy College Prep in Phoenix and received his Bachelor's degree in journalism from The George Washington University in our nation’s capital. In the world of digital news, Chris’s goal is to always have one hand in the past and one in the future, while constantly searching out ways to bring the two together. |
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Dan Gillmor - Journalism Professor and Book Author Arizona State University
Dan Gillmor, an internationally recognized author and leader in new media and citizen-based journalism, is the founding director of the new Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship and the Kauffman Professor of Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
Gillmor, a 1981 graduate of the University of Vermont, worked at a variety of northeastern papers before joining the Detroit Free Press in 1988. He was an early practitioner there of computer-assisted reporting, and became one of the first journalists at a traditional media company to use the Internet as part of his work. In 1994, Gillmor joined the San Jose Mercury News where he wrote a widely read column and blog that chronicled the dot-com revolution in Silicon Valley, and technology’s wider impact on policy and society. His blog is believed to have been the first by a journalist for a mainstream journalism organization.
In 2004 he published “We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People,” a book on citizen journalism. The book is widely recognized as the first to explain how the collision of journalism and technology has democratized the creation of and access to media, and why it matters.
Gillmor is currently working on a new book, "Mediactive," about digital media literacy.
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| Panel - Managing Civil Discourse: Effective Compromise |
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Catherine Eden, Ph.D - Professor of Practice, School of Public Affairs ASU
Catherine Eden, Ph.D was appointed Director of the Bob Ramsey Executive Education Program at Arizona State University College of Public Programs in February 2006. The Ramsey Executive Education Program provides innovative professional development programs that build the capacity of people and organizations that serve the public. Ramsey Executive Education Program is part of the School of Public Affairs within the College of Public Programs at Arizona State University.
Before assuming this position, Cathy served as Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services from May 2000-2005. The Arizona Department of Health Services is one of the largest departments in Arizona State Government with a budget of more than 2 billion dollars and more than 1,800 employees. The Department oversees a wide array of programs and services to protect and ensure the health of the state’s diverse population.
Cathy also served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 1990 to 1994, serving on the House Appropriation, Health, Judiciary, Insurance and Banking Committees. From 1988 to 1991, Cathy was director of Department of Administration and chaired the Governor’s Cabinet.
From 1983 to 1988, she was county manager of Coconino County, the second largest geographic land mass county in the United States. She was instrumental in establishing the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System known as AHCCCS.
Cathy has a B.S. in political science from ASU, an M.S. in sociology/public administration from the University of Northern Arizona and a Ph.D. in organization and management from Capella University, Minneapolis. She holds a certificate from the John F. Kennedy Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard.
In the Community, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Dougherty Foundation, City of Phoenix Health Care Benefits Trust Board, The Supreme Court Judicial Review Board, and the National Public Policy Board for MERCK.
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Thomas Catlaw - Associate Professor Arizona State University
Thomas Catlaw is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University in Phoenix. His research centers on the application of political and social theory to problems of governance, authority, legitimacy, and change. He has particular expertise and interest in public participation in policy formulation and in the management of governmental administration, and in understanding the long-term and spillover effects of participatory processes. His work has appeared in American Behavioral Scientist, Administration & Society, Administrative Theory & Praxis, Public Administration Review, and the American Review of Public Administration, among other venues. His first book, Fabricating the People: Politics and Administration in the Biopolitical State, was published by the University of Alabama Press in 2007. Dr. Catlaw is the former editor Administrative Theory & Praxis, an international journal dedicated to the theoretical and critical analysis of governmental practice. He worked previously for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Washington, DC. |
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Will Gonzalez - City of Phoenix Prosecutor
Will Gonzalez has been with the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office since 1996. His work as a community prosecutor has produced the largest court fine in the City of Phoenix Municipal Court's history against a slumlord in the amount of $377,500.
In his assigned neighborhood of Palomino, Mr. Gonzalez assisted in developing a business alliance, inter-faith coalition, block watch, and a neighborhood revitalization committee, whose strategy brought about a $3.6 million Boys & Girls Club facility for the community.
He has assisted other prosecutors, school districts and cities in developing community strategies for their neighborhoods and has presented at state and regional conferences for the Arizona Department of Education, the State Bar of Arizona and the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council. He has also presented at national conferences for the Department of Justice, the National District Attorney Association and for the National Organization for Victim Assistance. He is a two time recipient of the City of Phoenix Excellence Award and an active member of the Latino Institute and founding member of the Maricopa County Regional Homeless Court Task Force. He is also a member on the Vision Team for the Arizona Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
He serves as Chairman for the Community Board of Directors for Grand Canyon University and also teaches for the Business College. He is also the Co-Chair for the Paradise Valley Community College President Circle, for the Maricopa County Community Colleges. He attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas, where he obtained his Juris Doctor. He is also a graduate of the Ken Blanchard College of Business obtaining a Master of Science in Leadership, and attended Thunderbird, School of Global Management, obtaining a Certificate in Global Leadership.
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Reverend Oscar S. Tillman - President of the Maricopa County Branch of the NAACP
Reverend Oscar S. Tillman is the President of the Maricopa County Branch of the NAACP and the assistant Pastor of the Berean Church, Phoenix, Arizona. Rev. Tillman has been active in the civil rights movement for more than five decades, and is thoroughly familiar with the issues, as they are represented in the State of Arizona, and across the country having served as the President of the Arizona State Conference; in addition, he has served in other capacities such as Vice Chairman of the Northwest Region of the NAACP and President of the Tacoma, Washington Branch of the NAACP. He further served as State Legal Redress Chairman for the Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana NAACP State Conference. Rev. Tillman is currently serving on the NAACP National Board of Directors. He is the first person from Arizona to ever serve on the National Board.
As a longtime member of this organization, Rev. Tillman is an excellent resource person on civil rights issues throughout Arizona and the Western Region having performed in several roles related to legal redress. His community service has been characterized by serving as a Board Member of the Bethel School District, Tacoma, Washington and a member of the Board of Directors, Arizona Civil Liberties Union, as well as, being a member of the Masonic Egyptian #44 and Yemen Temple #152 Shriners.
Rev. Tillman is a graduate of Evergreen State College and was a faculty member at Tacoma Community College. He received his theological training from Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to Mrs. Sheila C. Tillman for 46 years and is the father of three children; Sharon, Mazuba, and Gregory. He is a retired United State Air Force Law Enforcement Superintendent.
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Jane Prescott-Smith - Managing Director, National Institute of Civil Discourse
Jane Prescott-Smith is the Managing Director of the National Institute of Civil Discourse. She is a twelve-year veteran of the University of Arizona, serving previously in director positions at the Steele Children's Research Center and at the Eller College of Management. Prior to joining the University of Arizona, she was Director of Corporate Relations for Northwestern University. Before beginning her academic career, Ms. Prescott-Smith was a marketing manager at Kraft Foods and a buyer for Macy's and Federated Department Stores. Ms. Prescott-Smith holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School and a BS in Economics from Stanford University. |
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