IWMF Leadership Institute for Women Journalists

SEMINAR SPEAKERS

Jerusha Arothe-Vaughan is the director of the management consultancy department of Independent Communications Associates Ltd.(InCA) in Nairobi, Kenya. InCA is a communications company with an international reputation for management consulting, corporate publishing and production of television documentaries. Arothe-Vaughan began her career as a broadcaster in Kenya and spent 16 years working for the BBC World Service. She is the founder of Akina Mama wa Afrika, a pan-African women’s organization that caters to the needs of women in Africa and the diaspora.

Marci Burdick is senior vice president of broadcasting for Schurz Communications, a media holding company. She previously served as vice president for the television group. While serving as the television group vice president, Burdick was also president and general manager of WAGT-TV in Augusta Georgia. From 1988-2000, she was news director at Schurz-owned KYTV-TV, in Springfield, Missouri. Burdick is chairwoman of the NBC Affiliates Board and is a trustee of the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation. She is a former national chairwoman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association and was the first woman to hold the elected position.

Jill Geisler is the head of the Poynter Institute’s Leadership and Management group. She is responsible for the Institute’s seminars for print, broadcast and online managers. Geisler also teaches and consults in newsrooms and universities worldwide. Prior to joining the Poynter Institute in 1998, Geisler had a 25-year career in broadcast journalism. She is the author of numerous articles on journalism leadership issues as well as the book Leadership: At The Head Of The Class, a guide to teaching leadership and management to journalists. Geisler also developed Poynter’s weekly online Leading Lines column, which serves more than 6,700 subscribers.

Liza Gross , managing editor/presentation and operations for The Miami Herald, is co-chair of the IWMF’s board of directors. At the Herald, she is responsible for the newspaper's visual appearance, daily production and weekend news sections. Gross, who has more than 25 years of experience in journalism and communications, is a former executive managing editor of El Nuevo Día, the largest circulation daily newspaper in Puerto Rico, and a former publisher of Éxito, the Spanish-language daily of The Chicago Tribune.

Marcy McGinnis was formerly senior vice president for news coverage at CBS News. Prior to holding this position, McGinnis was vice president for Europe and London bureau chief for CBS. McGinnis was responsible for CBS News' worldwide newsgathering and hard news coverage, including breaking news and crisis coverage. She also oversaw the operation of all bureaus. McGinnis began working at CBS in 1970 and held various positions until she was named an executive producer in 1989.