2008 CONFERENCE SPEAKERS BIOGRAPHIES

the staff at Cox Matthews and Associations Publishing in 2000, she was the editor of a bi-weekly newspaper, World Food Chemical News , which covered food safety regulations with regard to international trade. She also served on the staff of the African-American news magazine, Emerge , and has served as a Washington-based freelance reporter for the weekly entertainment magazine, People . Graduating from Wellesley College in 1993 with a bachelor 9s degree in history, Hilary started her career in the public relations office at Children 9s Hospital in Boston.<br><br> In 1998, she received a master 9s in journalism from the University of Missouri- Columbia where she conducted research on the media 9s coverage of race-related issues and minorities. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Uchendu Anysao and her four- year-old son, Daniel.<br><br> When she 9s not working on Diverse , Hilary enjoys traveling, reading, going to museums and cultural events and spending time with her family. Contact: Hilary Hurd Anyaso, Editor, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education , 10520 Warwick Avenue, #B-8, Fairfax, VA 22030; P: 703-385-2981 ext. 3044; E: hilary@diverseeducation.com .<br><br> Sharon Begley , widely known for her ability to break down complex scientific theories and write about them in simple prose, returned to Newsweek in March 2007 from the Wall Street Journal , where she wrote the cScience Journal d column for five years. Newsweek is the second- leading weekly news magazine in circulation with 3.1 million subscribers and rates 16 th among all magazines nationally. In her new capacity at Newsweek , she writes a bi-weekly column, essays and covers stories as well as contributing stories and the cLab Notes d science blog to Newsweek.com.<br><br> During her career Begley has received numerous awards for her work. In 2006, she won the American Aging Association Media Award for a series of columns on Alzheimer 9s disease; in 2005, she won the Public Understanding of Science Award from the Exploratorium, the science museum in San Francisco, and a Clarion Award from the Association for Women in Communications for her cScience Journal d column. In 2004, Begley received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for Contributions to the public understanding of science from the University of North Carolina, and she won the 2000 and 2002 Front Page Awards from the Newswomen 9s Club of New York for (respectively) best feature reporting in a magazine and best newspaper column.<br><br> She also won the 2002 Outstanding Media Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Begley earned a B.A. from Yale University.<br><br> She is the co-author of the 2002 book, The Mind and the Brain , and the author of the 2007 book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain . She and her husband live in Pelham, New York, with their two children. Contact: Sharon Begley, columnist, Newsweek , 251 W.<br><br> 57 th Street, New York, NY 10019; P: 212-445-4102; E. Sharon.begley@newsweek.com . Sarah Hardesty Bray is commentary editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education , where she edits the cChronicle Review d section, commissioning and editing opinion articles on a wide range of issues concerning higher education policy.<br><br> Before joining The Chronicle in 1999, she was vice president of communications at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in charge of media relations, government relations, periodicals and publications, awards, and other programs. She has also been a vice president at Hill and Knowlton, an international public relations firm, a reporter at Forbes and an account executive at J. Walter Thompson.<br><br> She is co-author of the 1986 book, Success and Betrayal: The Crisis of Women in Corporate America (Simon & Schuster). A graduate of Duke University, Bray also received a master 9s in journalism from Northwestern University. Contact: Sarah Hardesty Bray, The Chronicle of Higher Education , 1255 Twenty-Third Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037; P: 202-466-1000; E: sarah.bray@chronicle.com .<br><br> Dennis Brown was appointed assistant vice president for news and information at Notre Dame in January 2006. He is the university 9s chief spokesman and directs the daily operation of the news office, which includes six writers and editors who produce more than 500 news releases annually. The department assists with promoting university events, faculty research and accomplishments, student news, and other activities; coordinates the news components of the university 9s website; and responds to inquiries from the local, regional and national news media and general public.<br><br> After 15 years as a newspaper reporter and editor, Brown joined the public relations staff at Notre Dame in June 1991 as an assistant director. He was promoted to associate director five years later. He has reported on a wide array of academic achievements and activities at Notre Dame, primarily in the Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame Law School, College of Arts and Letters, and athletics.<br><br> He serves as the primary editor in the department, coordinates coverage of commencement and other campus events, and contributes to numerous university publications. Brown graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor 9s degree in political science.<br><br> He began his career as a radio newscaster in his hometown of Colorado Springs, Colorado, then moved into print journalism as a write and editor at the Colorado Springs Sun, Phoenix Gazette and San Diego Union-Tribune . As a journalist, he received both state and regional awards for writing and editing. He has taught a senior marketing course in public relations at Notre Dame and previously was an adjunct professor of journalism at Arizona State University.<br><br> Contact: Dennis K. Brown, Assistant Vice President for News and Information, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46530; P: 574-631-8696; E: brown.18@nd.edu . Glenn W.<br><br> Busby is producer/co-host of cThe Best of Our Knowledge, d (TBOOK) a weekly half-hour magazine format education show that has been on the air for 18 years. TBOOK is produced at Albany, New York 9s public radio station, WAMC, in an area with more than 50 radio stations that is ranked the 55 th largest radio market in the U.S. WMAC is one of the top 10 public radio stations in the country with millions of radio listeners each month, featuring stories on higher education, education reform, NCLB, math, literacy and the cOrigins of Life d series.<br><br> Busby started on the air in 1961 at WGVE, 88.7 FM in Gary, Indiana. He has worked at 14 radio stations, three broadcast television stations (including one in Chicago), and two cable companies. Graduated from Indiana University 9s School of Radio and Television in Bloomington, he also has taught radio and television in high school and college.<br><br> In addition to his work in the New York and Chicago markets, he has worked extensively in Honolulu, Taipei, China; and Guam. His hobbies include coaching his wife in cycling for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Contact: Glenn Busby, Manager, National Publications, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, 318 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206; P: 800-323-9262; E: gbusby@wamc.org .<br><br> Andres Careaga has represented Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla) for more than 17 years, serving as manager of public relations, news and features editor for the school 9s alumni magazine, and as the university 9s first webmaster. As director of communications, he now oversees a 14-member staff that handles media relations, marketing, web design, video production, publications design and new media initiatives, among other duties. He contributes to UMR 9s research blog, cVisions, d and throughout 2007 he managed the Name Change Conversations blog, which the university established to encourage communications with alumni, students, and other constituents during the university 9s proposed name change.<br><br> Careaga is a frequent conference speaker and has written numerous books and articles. Contact: Andrew Careaga, Director of Communications, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 105-A Campus Support Facility, 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, MO 65409; P: 573-341-4183; E: acareaga@mst.edu . Jane Bennett Clark is a senior associate editor at Kiplinger 9s Personal Finance .<br><br> The magazine reaches 2.4 million subscribers with a median annual household income of $95,000. The magazine and Kiplinger.com reach a highly affluent audience through interactive media that includes personal finance and business forecasting articles, daily market and mutual fund analysis for investors, slideshows, webcasts, podcasts and other tools. Clark has written for Kiplinger 9s Personal Finance magazine for over 20 years, most recently covering college financing, philanthropy and estate planning.<br><br> She writes the feature stories that accompany the Kiplinger rankings for best values in public and private colleges and universities. She is certified by the National Institute of Certified College Planners as a college planning specialist. Clark is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Northwestern University.<br><br> She has three children, the youngest of whom just completed her freshman year in college. Contact: Jane Bennett Clark, Associate Editor, Kiplinger 9s Personal Finance , 1729 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-3924; P: 202- 887-6400; E: janebclark@kiplinger.com . Maralee B.<br><br> Csellar has been acting director of the university media relations office at American University (AU) in Washington for more than two years. She started at AU as a public information officer in 1999 and, for more than seven years, was responsible for news and media relations for American University 9s School of Communication, School of Public Affairs, and College of Arts and Sciences. She serves as the communications liaison to AU 9s vice presidents and their offices, oversees press and news media activity for five of AU 9s schools and colleges, and provides crisis communication and issue management support to the university.<br><br> Prior to AU, she worked in the education relations/marketing department at C-SPAN for four years. Working in Washington, D.C., she labors in one of the two most competitive national media markets in the nation, and has successfully pitched ideas to Associated Press, Washington Post, Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes and numerous others. On a students-to-New York trip, she once was interviewed outside the cToday Show d set and talked about AU.<br><br> She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Marymount University (Va.) and a master of arts in public communications from American University. Contact: Maralee Csellar, Acting Director, Media Relations, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Constitution Room 130, Washington, DC 20016; P: 202-885-5952; E: cellar@american.edu . Dan Forbush has been executive director of communications at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York since spring 2007.<br><br> Forbush was named by PR Week as one of the 100 most influential PR people of the 20 th century. He is well known as the founder and past president of ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire that unites journalists with campus experts. An alumnus of the University of New Hampshire, he has more than 30 years of experience in academic public relations.<br><br> After beginning his career at Union College in Schenectady, New York, he spent five years doing national media placement with a New Hampshire media relations firm. He then moved on to senior PR positions at Syracuse University and SUNY Stony Brook. While at SUNY Stony Brook, Forbush began ProfNet and, after leaving there, established it as an independent service before PR Newswire purchased it.<br><br> At Skidmore, Forbush has focused on moving the college into blogs, wikis and online video, and integrating the alumni magazine with the Skidmore website and Facebook. Contact: Dan Forbush, Executive Director of Communications, Skidmore College, 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866; P: 518- 580-5746 or 5000; E: dforbush@skidmore.edu . Lisa Green is the senior planning producer for cToday, Weekend Edition. d She has served as senior producer, broadcast standards, for NBC News, and has contributed to its cToday, d cDateline d and cDaily Nightly d blogs.<br><br> A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she was a reporter for Dow Jones, contributing to The Wall Street Journal and Barron 9s . She attended law school at New York University while working as a reporter and columnist for The National Law Journal . Green practices law at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York before joining NBC as media counsel in 1996.<br><br> She lives in New York City with her two children. Contact: Lisa Green, Senior Producer, Today, Weekend Edition, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Room 1011 West, New York, NY 10112; P: 212-664-7869; E: lisa.green@nbcuni.com . Larry Hincker is university spokesperson and associate vice president of University Relations since 1989.<br><br> He is responsible for all communication activities of the university. This includes media relations, college communications, development communications, television productions, publications, web communications, trademarks and licensing, and the public radio station for central and southwest Virginia, WVTF. He is responsible for marketing, public relations and institutional positioning, including the latest university-wide branding effort, Invent the Future .<br><br> Before Virginia Tech, Hincker worked for 14 years in various corporate communications positions including manager of public information for a division of Westinghouse in Washington State. He is a founding board member of the local economic and retail development group, The Blacksburg Partnership. He has led communications efforts for two successful capital funding bond initiatives (1992 and 2002) in Virginia.<br><br> Hincker studied architecture, worked as a corporate photographer, and has a B.A. degree from Brooks Institute and an M.B.A. from Virginia Tec.<br><br> Contact: Larry Hincker, Associate Vice President, University Relations, Virginia Tech, 314 Burruss Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061; P: 540-231-5396; E: hincker@vt.edu . Marilyn Joseph is a senior editorial producer for CNN dayside programming. She oversees all guests for live interviews between 9 a.m.<br><br> and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Joseph has held this position since July 2007.<br><br> Prior to this, she served as a senior production associate for cThe Oprah Winfrey Show, d before which she was at CNN since 2003. In 2005, Joseph was awarded the Peabody Award for her contribution to CNN 9s coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Before joining CNN, she studied at Columbia University and New York University 9s Graduate Schools of Journalism.<br><br> She received her NYU Master 9s degree in 2003. Marilyn is also an alumna of Spellman College in Atlanta. Contact : Marilyn Joseph, Senior Editorial Producer, CNN- Dayside Programming Newsroom AM and PM, CNN, One CNN Center, P.O.<br><br> Box 105366, Atlanta, GA 30348; P: 404-827-1500 or 404-878-2283; E: marilyn.joseph@turner.com . Dennis Kelly is a senior assignment editor in the Life section at USA Today . He 9s been with the nation 9s most widely read paper since 1989 when he began as an education reporter and editor.<br><br> He then became a health editor before undertaking his current position in which he oversees the paper 9s coverage of health, science, education, religion and behavior. Prior to joining USA Today , Kelly worked in a variety of roles with the San Bernardino County Sun in California. Kelly is a 1972 graduate of the University of Redlands in southern California.<br><br> He and his wife have put two sons through college. Contact: Dennis Kelly, Senior Assignment Editor, Life, USA Today , 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22108; P: 703-854-3400; E: dkelly@usatoday.com . Doug Lederman , editor, is one of the three founders of Inside Higher Ed .<br><br> With Scott Jaschik, he leads the editorial operations of Inside Higher Ed , overseeing news content, opinion pieces, resources, and interactive features. Lederman is among the leading journalists on higher education in the country, speaking widely on the topic. His work has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, Nieman Foundation Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Princeton Alumni Weekly .<br><br> He was managing editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education from 1999 to 2003. Before that, he worked at The Chronicle since 1986 in a variety of roles, first as an athletics reporter and editor. His work at The Chronicle won two National Awards for Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association.<br><br> After growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and graduating in 1984 from Princeton University, he began his career as a news clerk at The New York Times . He lives with his wife, Sandy, and their two children in Bethesda, Maryland. Contact: Doug Lederman, Editor, Inside Higher Ed , 1320 18 th Street, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20036; P: 202-659-9208, ext.<br><br> 100; E: doug.lederman@insidehighered.com . Josh Levin ( pronounced: lah-VEEN ) is an associate editor in Slate 9s Washington office. He edits the sports and technology sections.<br><br> Slate is a pioneer of online-only magazines, founded a decade ago by Michael Kinsley. The original Slate represented a bridge between print and digital prose, and, in future years, will connect digital prose and other media. Slate flourishes today as it has since the early days of web journalism, but its articles are often accompanied by audio podcasts and video slide shows.<br><br> Before coming to Slate , Levin wrote for Washington 9s City Paper . A native of New Orleans, he graduated in 2002 from Brown University where he received a bachelor 9s degree in history and computer science. Contact: Josh Levin, Associate Editor, Slate Magazine , 1088 M Street, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20036; P: 202-261- 1310 or 1356;E: josh.levin@slate.com .<br><br> Timothy J. McDonough is assistant vice president of public affairs at the American Council on Education (ACE), a Washington-based trade association representing more than 1,800 U.S. college and university presidents.<br><br> Before joining ACE in 1998, McDonough served as vice president for public affairs at the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Previously, he held university relations positions at the University of Maryland, College Park, including director of development communications and associate editor of public affairs in the office of institutional advancement, as well as alumni director for the College of Business and Management. He also worked as public relations director of Washington (now American ) Journalism Review , the monthly media magazine published by the University of Maryland 9s College of Journalism.<br><br> From 2002-2006, McDonough served on the board of directors of the Education Writers Association and remains active in the group 9s leadership. McDonough holds a bachelor 9s degree in government from Georgetown University and a master 9s in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. Contact: Tim McDonough, Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs, ACE, Division of Government & Public Affairs, One DuPont Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20036; P: 202-939-9355; E: tim_mcdonough@ace.nche.edu .<br><br> Anne McGrath has focused her two-decade career at U.S. News on News You Can Use as both a writer and an editor covering health, fitness, personal finance, and education. McGrath joined U.S.<br><br> News in 1985 as an associate editor covering personal finance. She became deputy editor of the News You Can Use section when it debuted in 1987, then served as managing editor of cAmerica 9s Best Colleges d and cAmerican 9s Best Graduate Schools d from 1998 to 2002. In 2003, McGrath moved to the position of senior writer for Education, and she covered the early days of No Child Left Behind and edited the cUltimate Guides d to college, medical school, and law school, as well as the cUltimate Guide to Becoming a Teacher. d In 2005 she moved to the Health section, first as deputy assistant managing editor, and currently as assistant managing editor since spring 2007.<br><br> Prior to joining U.S. News , McGrath reported on personal finance for Forbes magazine. She has also taught journalism courses as an adjunct professor at George Washington University.<br><br> McGrath received a bachelor 9s degree in English and French from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York in 1975, and a master 9s in communication from Syracuse University in 1979. Contact: Anne McGrath, Senior Writer 3 Health, U.S.<br><br> News & World Report , 1050 Thomas Jefferson St., NW, Washington, DC 20007; P: 202-955-2467 or 2000; E: amcgrath@usnews.com . Charlie Melichar ( pronounced: MEL-un-karr ) has served as vice president for public relations and communications at Colgate University since 2004. At Colgate, Melichar directs a program focused on building awareness and engagement with the university through a mix of media.<br><br> During his tenure, he and his team have led an institutional identity effort, launched a communication program for a $400 million fundraising campaign, re-designed (twice) the university 9s public website, and are continually shaping publications and outreach efforts to prospective students and alumni. Strategic messaging is at the core of Colgate 9s program and his team is always looking to push the envelope through the use of new media. Prior to his move to Colgate, Melichar held media relations positions at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC), PR Newswire and ProfNet.<br><br> A native of Long Island, he earned his B.A. from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He also writes about new media trends and the use of technology in higher ed communications at this blog, cIntermedia. d Contact: Charlie Melichar, Vice President for Public Relations and Communications, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346; P: 315-228-7417; E: cmelichar@mail.colgate.edu .<br><br> Justin Pope is the national higher education reporter for the Associated Press (AP). The AP is the largest news-gathering organization in the world with 3,700 employees working in 242 worldwide bureaus. It serves 1,700 U.S.<br><br> newspapers, 5,000 radio and TV outlets and has 8,500 international subscribers in five languages and 121 countries. Pope is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was previously a general assignment reporter for the AP in Richmond and Boston, and the AP 9s Boston-based business writer from 2001 to 2004.<br><br> He then transferred to the AP 9s national reporting team, a group that provides in-depth coverage of issues such as race, religion and education. Pope 9s 2006 four-part series exploring the causes and consequences of the growing pressure on students in college admissions was awarded a special citation in the recent annual awards from the Education Writers Association. He graduated from Princeton in 1997 and received a graduate degree in economic and social history from Oxford.<br><br> Contact: Justin Pope, National Higher Education Reporter, Associated Press, 4800 Six Forks Road, Suite 210, Raleigh, NC 02903-2084: P: 919-783-9179; E: jopoe@ap.org . Joi Preciphs is a general assignment reporter in Washington for Bloomberg News Service, a service with more than 2,000 professionals in 125 bureaus worldwide. It includes a 24-hour business and financial television network on 10 separate channels in seven languages, radio services which provide up-to-the-minute news on XM, Sirius and WorldSpace satellite radio around the world and on WBBR 1130 AM in New York, and Bloomberg.com, a top-ranked financial news site.<br><br> Preciphs has filed stories on health and education for Bloomberg.com 9s daily education feed since coming to the beat in April, 2007 from covering the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and various health-care issues for a year. Preciphs earned a bachelor 9s degree at Yale University in 1997 and pursued her master 9s degree in public policy reporting at Missouri School of Journalism.<br><br> She came to Bloomberg from a spot as reporting assistant at the Wall Street Journal . She is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. Contact: Joi Preciphs, Reporter, Bloomberg News, 1399 New York Avenue, NW, 11 th Floor, Washington, JDC 20005; P: 202- 624-1989 or 1820; E: jpreciphs1@bloomberg.net .<br><br> Martine Rodriguez is the national editor on the assignment desk at C-SPAN. In that capacity, she is responsible for researching, coordinating and hiring events around the country for the network. She was previously the Washington editor, responsible for event coverage in the DC metro area.<br><br> She has been at C-SPAN for five years. Prior to working at C-SPAN, she was a reporter/segment producer at the cNews Hour with Jim Ledrer. d Her beat included politics, education, and urban/regional issues. She was also a producer for an award-winning live show on WMAL Talk Radio in Washington, D.C.<br><br> A graduate of Brooklyn College, Rodriguez moved in broadcast journalism. Last fall, she was named a recipient of the 2007-2008 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship. Contact: Martine Rodriguez, National Editor, C-SPAN, Assignment Desk, 400 N.<br><br> Capitol, NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001; P: 202-626-4845; E: mrodriguez@c-span.org or events@c-span.org . Jennifer Simpson is senior editorial producer of cThe Early Show, d CBS 9 two-hour morning news and features program. She has been at CBS off and on since 1995, earning four Emmy nominations and winning one in 1997 for cFarewell to a Princess. d At cThe Early Show d she began heading the editorial booking team in 2007.<br><br> Previously, she spent two years as senior producer with cCNN Headline News d and cNancy Grace, d four years at CBS as a planning producer and fill-in story editor with c48 Hours, d four more years as an associate producer with CBS Central Planning Unit and c48 Hours, d and a year as associate producer of cDay & Date. d She got her start in broadcasting at Fox TV, working for a year as assistant to the executive producer of cGood Day New York d and serving as production coordinator for cGood Day LA. d Her last stint at Fox TV prior to moving to CBS was in 1993-95 when she was senior story coordinator for cA Current Affair. d Simpson earned a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston. She also holds a New York state license as a private investigator.<br><br> Contact: Jennifer Simpson, Senior Editorial Producer, CBS The Early Show, 524 W. 57 th Street, New York, NY 10019; P: 212-975-6739; E: simpsonj@cbsnews.com . Millree Williams , a veteran communications and marketing expert, is the senior director of public affairs strategy at the University of Maryland, College Park.<br><br> He leads a team of seven professionals who coordinate media relations and develop strategic communications initiatives. He also serves as university spokesperson. His career in strategic communications spans more than 30 years, all in the Baltimore-Washington area.<br><br> This includes 10 years managing public relations and marketing operations at two other Maryland public colleges 3 Bowie State University and Montgomery College- as well as work at a private university in the area. Beyond higher education, Williams has also directed communications activities for several national healthcare and public health education programs and directed media relations at D.C. General Hospital.<br><br> He also served as a communications consultant to the National Democratic Committee during the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign. He is a graduate of Bowie State University and the Harvard University Management Development Program. Contact: Millree Williams, Senior Director of Public Affairs Strategy, Office of University Communications, 2101 Turner Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; P: 301-405-4621; E: millree@umd.edu .<br><br> Brenda Wilson is an award-winning correspondent and editor for National Public Radio (NPR) covering national and international public health. She has developed a consistent body of work, examining the link between human behavior, social conditions, health and disease. For more than a decade, Wilson has reported on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, other infectious diseases and public health issues.<br><br> She has traveled throughout Africa and India interviewing people from all walks of life, including heads of state, international health experts, development specialists and others. Wilson was awarded a Kaiser Foundation Media Fellowship in 1999 to study the impact of AIDS on migrant workers in South Africa. She also shared a DuPont/Columbia Award for cBreaking the Silence, d an NPR series on AIDS in the black community, which won an award from the National Association of Black Journalists.<br><br> Wilson has worked at NPR as a producer and a reporter in Washington, covering social policy and the White House. She began her NPR career in 1979 as associate producer for cMorning Edition. d She has a B.A. degree in English literature from Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia.<br><br> Contact: Brenda Wilson, Correspondent and Editor, National Public Radio, 635 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20001, P: 202-513-2785 or 2000; E: bwilson@npr.org . Kate Zernike is a national correspondent for the New York Times . She came to the Times as an education reporter in 2000 and has since worked for the paper 9s investigations team, as a criminal justice reporter, and in the Washington bureau as a Congressional correspondent.<br><br> She is a member of the team that shared the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting for a series of stories about the Sept. 11 attack. Before coming to the Times , she was a reporter for the Boston Globe for four years where she covered K-12 education and higher education, and also worked as a projects reporter with an emphasis on political stories.<br><br> She began her career at the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University where she has taught as an adjunct professor. Born and raised in Connecticut, she lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.<br><br> Contact: Kate Zernike, New York Times , 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-1405; P: 212-556-1234; E: zernike@nytimes.com

less