Our Team

Who we are

Global Press team members are reporters, editors, educators and international development professionals. Together, we are driving extraordinary change in the field of journalism.

Reporters

Professional.
Local.
Women.

Global Press reporters are powerful storytellers, transforming local access to accurate information and elevating global awareness for people everywhere.

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Reporter Spotlight

Global Press employs a global team of powerful, professional women journalists. Here are a few of our all-stars:

ZIMBABWE

Gamuchirai Masiyiwa

Gamuchirai Masiyiwa is a Global Press Journal reporter based in Harare, Zimbabwe. She is an internationally acclaimed economy and education reporter.

puerto rico

Gabriela Meléndez Rivera

Gabriela Meléndez Rivera is a Global Press Journal associate reporter based in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Prior to joining Global Press in 2023, Gabriela received her masters degree in Journalism from the University of Barcelona and Columbia University.

NEPAL

Yam Kumari Kandel

Yam Kumari Kandal is Kathmandu-based associate reporter for Global Press where she covers migration and human rights. Yam received her bachelor of law from Tribhuvan University and worked with the National News Agency prior to joining Global Press.

Our Global Team

Click each image to learn more about our team.

Copy Chief

Allison Braden

Savannah, Georgia
Bio

Allison Braden

Title:
Copy Chief
Location:
Savannah, Georgia
Bio

Allison is the copy chief for Global Press. She ensures that Global Press publications use clear, consistent and dignified language, and she advocates for both readers and writers to achieve meaningful communication across differences. She holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and international relations, and a master's degree in Spanish translation. She served as a Fulbright fellow to Bangladesh in 2013 and has more than a decade of experience in media.

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Lead Editor, Americas

Andrea Deydén

Mexico City
Bio

Andrea Deydén

Title:
Lead Editor, Americas
Location:
Mexico City
Bio

Andrea is the lead editor for the Americas at Global Press. She collaborates with reporters in the region to produce meaningful stories, reflecting their local access to international issues. She holds a master's degree in public-policy journalism from the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, and specializes in editing investigative journalism.

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Product Developer & Designer

Andy Neale

Nottingham, England
Bio

Andy Neale

Title:
Product Developer & Designer
Location:
Nottingham, England
Bio

Andy is the product developer and designer for Global Press. Andy is responsible for creating, enhancing and maintaining both internal and user-focused products, ensuring our websites, landing pages, stories and applications meet high quality standards by collaborating with cross-functional teams, and overseeing the product development lifecycle. Andy holds a diploma in master of business administration.

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Lead Editor, Asia

Ashwaq Masoodi

Berlin, Germany
Bio

Ashwaq Masoodi

Title:
Lead Editor, Asia
Location:
Berlin, Germany
Bio

Ashwaq is the lead editor for Asia at Global Press. She works with a team of reporters to produce impactful and action-oriented stories from Asia. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School and earned the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in 2020.

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Research Editor

Bennett Hanson

Los Angeles, CA
Bio

Bennett Hanson

Title:
Research Editor
Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Bio

Bennett is the research editor of Global Press Journal. He combs through the internet for the latest studies and reports, extracting the most reliable data to inform the reporting and guarantee the accuracy of Global Press Journal stories. He completed Columbia Journalism School's Lede Program in 2023, received investigative training from Bellingcat in 2019, passed the U.S. Department of State’s foreign service officer test in 2015 and holds a bachelor of arts in journalism and in political science from Western Washington University.

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Senior Photo Editor

Charlotte Kesl

Washington, D.C.
Bio

Charlotte Kesl

Title:
Senior Photo Editor
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Bio

Charlotte is the senior photo editor at Global Press Journal. She oversees all aspects of photography — managing the photo team and collaborating with leadership to develop and implement standards, strategies and workflows — and coaches reporters in visual storytelling. She holds a master’s degree in media, communication and development from London School of Economics and a bachelor’s in visual media from American University.

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Deputy Editor, Africa

Clarissa Sosin

New York City
Bio

Clarissa Sosin

Title:
Deputy Editor, Africa
Location:
New York City
Bio

Clarissa is the deputy editor for Africa at Global Press. She works with reporters to produce locally reported stories in their countries. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and a bachelor's in international literary and visual studies from Tufts University. She has received grants from the Pulitzer Center, the Fund for Investigative Journalism, Solitary Watch and Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors for her reporting.

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Chief Executive Officer & Publisher

Cristi Hegranes

Washington, D.C.
Bio

Cristi Hegranes

Title:
Chief Executive Officer & Publisher
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Bio

Cristi is the CEO and Publisher of Global Press, the nonprofit news organization she founded in 2006 to train and employ local women journalists in some of the world’s least-covered places. Her values-driven approach to journalism prioritizes newsroom representation and journalist security. Cristi is the author of the bestselling book Byline: How Local Journalists Can Improve the Global Journalism Industry and Change the World. Cristi is a decorated social entrepreneur. She has received the SPJ Journalism Innovation Prize, the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism and a Jefferson Award for Public Service, among many others. She is an Ashoka Fellow, an Emerson Collective Dial Fellow and was a Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stanford University. Her innovative Duty of Care program to protect local journalists received the Chester M. Pierce Human Rights Prize from the American Psychiatric Association in 2020 and was a Fast Company World Changing Idea in 2022. Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Cristi now lives outside of Washington, D.C., with her son.

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Editorial Associate

Florencia Montaruli

Christchurch, New Zealand
Bio

Florencia Montaruli

Title:
Editorial Associate
Location:
Christchurch, New Zealand
Bio

Florencia is the editorial associate at Global Press Journal. Florencia supports Global Press reporters with operations, logistics and Duty of Care, collaborating across the newsroom to ensure editorial efficiency by supporting all aspects of the newsroom, including the Global Press Accuracy Network. She holds a postgraduate diploma in business enterprise and a bachelor’s in journalism.

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Audience and Impact Analyst

Fortune Moyo

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Bio

Fortune Moyo

Title:
Audience and Impact Analyst
Location:
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Bio

Fortune is the audience and impact analyst at Global Press. She creates and maintains audience partnerships locally and globally and also tracks the impact that Global Press stories have in their communities. Fortune holds a bachelor of science honors degree in journalism and media studies from the National University of Science and Technology.

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Photo Editor

Juan Pablo Ampudia

Mexico City, Mexico
Bio

Juan Pablo Ampudia

Title:
Photo Editor
Location:
Mexico City, Mexico
Bio

Juan Pablo is a photo editor at Global Press Journal. He collaborates with reporters to ensure each story has compelling and impactful visuals through creative planning and coaching. He holds a bachelor’s of business administration in marketing from CECC University in Mexico City.

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Creative Director

Katie Myrick

Washington, D.C.
Bio

Katie Myrick

Title:
Creative Director
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Bio

Katie is the creative director at Global Press. She leads all aspects of visual identity and user experience to ensure our audiences are able to see the world differently. Katie earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University. During her 15 years in the journalism industry, she's been honored with numerous awards, including multiple gold medals from the Society for News Design, two Poytner fellowships, multiple web design awards from the Online News Association and a Stevie Award for Most Innovative Woman of the Year.

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Editor-in-Chief

Krista Karch

Washington, D.C.
Bio

Krista Karch

Title:
Editor-in-Chief
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Bio

With more than 20 years of journalism experience, Krista brings expertise in all forms of editorial production, including reporting, writing, investigations, explanatory work and more. She co-led the Global Press newsroom for multiple years up until 2019, and re-joins the team now as Editor in Chief. Previously, Krista has worked for NPR’s Morning Edition, United Press International, and as a speechwriter and ghostwriter for climate science leaders. She began her career as a reporter covering minority communities including refugees and Native American tribes, as well as the U.S. evangelical movement and its impacts throughout North America and around the world. Krista's work has been recognized with numerous awards on the local, national and international levels. She holds an M.A. in journalism from Syracuse University and a B.A. in theology from Davis College.

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Chief Operating Officer

Laxmi Parthasarathy

Washington, D.C.
Bio

Laxmi Parthasarathy

Title:
Chief Operating Officer
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Bio

Laxmi is the COO of Global Press. She leads world-wide operations from global expansion to Duty of Care programming, which enable the organization to meet its strategic objectives. At Global Press she has launched news bureaus around the world, led a one-of-a-kind audience strategy, and built B2B services that help bolster other organizations and support sustainability efforts. Laxmi has 15 years of expertise in media development and newsroom operations. She is the author of several research reports on media innovation as well as an author of the book Kamala Harris and the Rise of Indian Americans (Wisdom Tree, 2021). Laxmi was appointed a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Mentor to support Canada’s top doctoral scholars in leadership development and In 2020, American Express named her one of six Next Generation Leaders. Laxmi is the founder of a Toronto-based media organization and quarterly print publication, and holds a master’s in media, communications and development from the London School of Economics.

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Program Manager

Louise Scrivens

London, UK
Bio

Louise Scrivens

Title:
Program Manager
Location:
London, UK
Bio

Louise is a program manager for Global Press Institute. She helps develop and implement learning experiences for journalists at Global Press as well as those who are part of the journalism community. Louise holds a bachelor’s degree, with honors, in English language and literature and is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with a foundation degree in journalism and a diploma in proofreading and copy editing.

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Photo Archivist

Majiyebo Yacim

Columbia, Missouri
Bio

Majiyebo Yacim

Title:
Photo Archivist
Location:
Columbia, Missouri
Bio

Majiyebo is the photo archivist at Global Press Journal. Majiyebo works with the photo team and reporters to collect and process photos, ensure metadata accuracy, prepare photos for republication and archive photos. She holds a master of arts in journalism with an emphasis in strategic communication from the University of Missouri, as well as a bachelor of arts in journalism with an emphasis in documentary journalism from the same institution.

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Training Manager

Manori Wijesekera

Colombo, Sri Lanka
Bio

Manori Wijesekera

Title:
Training Manager
Location:
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Bio

Manori is the training manager at Global Press Institute. She trains new reporters and manages skills development initiatives at Global Press. Manori is the recipient of the 2022 ONA Community Award.

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Learning and Editorial Consultant

María Arce

Orlando, Florida
Bio

María Arce

Title:
Learning and Editorial Consultant
Location:
Orlando, Florida
Bio

María is a learning and editorial consultant at Global Press. María consults on editorial strategy, processes, content formats and products; contributes to Global Press Journal as a story editor; and consults on Global Press Institute educational content and learning experience design. She holds a master of arts in journalism with a minor in communications and armed conflicts. María has won a Gabriel García Márquez Foundation Award, a WAN-IFRA Award, and several ASPPRO and OPC PR awards. As of 2024, she is the only woman in the world who’s won the King of Spain International Journalism Award twice. She has been selected as an Ochberg Fellow (2012), a Knight Wallace Fellow (2022-2023) and an RJI Fellow (2023-2024).

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Graphics Editor

Matt Haney

Omaha, Nebraska
Bio

Matt Haney

Title:
Graphics Editor
Location:
Omaha, Nebraska
Bio

Matt is the graphics editor at Global Press. Matt creates high-impact data visualizations and illustrations for stories and special projects. He holds a bachelor’s in fine art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is an international award-winning graphic artist and illustrator.

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Wellness Manager

Meagan Demitz

Palermo, Italy
Bio

Meagan Demitz

Title:
Wellness Manager
Location:
Palermo, Italy
Bio

Meagan is the wellness manager at Global Press. She ensures that Global Press reporters and staff have the wellness resources, support and information they need to thrive. Meagan holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Loyola Marymount University, and a master of social work from Boston College.

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Lead Editor, LGBTQ+ Rights Vertical

Ndinda Kioko

Nairobi, Kenya
Bio

Ndinda Kioko

Title:
Lead Editor, LGBTQ+ Rights Vertical
Location:
Nairobi, Kenya
Bio

Ndinda is the lead editor for the LGBTQ+ Rights vertical at Global Press Journal. She leads a team of women reporters focused on clear, nuanced and impactful local coverage of LGBTQ+ rights issues in their own communities. She holds a master of fine arts from the University of Oregon. She has been awarded fellowships and residencies at Colgate University, MacDowell and Yaddo, among others.

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Lead Editor, Africa

Ottavia Spaggiari

New York City
Bio

Ottavia Spaggiari

Title:
Lead Editor, Africa
Location:
New York City
Bio

Ottavia is the lead editor for Africa at Global Press Journal. She works with reporters from the region to produce deeply reported stories in the public interest. Ottavia has a master of arts in political journalism from Columbia Journalism School. She is a recipient of the 2023 Amnesty Media Award, and in 2021, she was a European Press Prize runner-up . She’s been a global migration fellow at Columbia Journalism School and a fellow at the Alicia Patterson Foundation. As a freelance reporter, her work has been supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism, the International Women’s Media Foundation and the National Press Foundation.

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Director of Journalism Education

Paula Torres

Brooklyn, NY
Bio

Paula Torres

Title:
Director of Journalism Education
Location:
Brooklyn, NY
Bio

Paula is the director of journalism education for Global Press Institute. She oversees the Global Press Institute program portfolio, driving the realization of impactful and strategically aligned learning experiences for journalism professionals within the organization and as part of the global journalism community. She earned a master's from Columbia University's Teachers College and a bachelor's degree from Princeton University. She is a Mellon Fellowship alumna and an award-winning visual artist.

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Director, Global People and Talent

Rhonda Gardner

Fort Mill, South Carolina
Bio

Rhonda Gardner

Title:
Director, Global People and Talent
Location:
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Bio

Rhonda is the director of Global People & Talent. She leads people operations  in support of the strategic objectives of the organization and in promotion of a positive employee experience. Rhonda holds a master’s in human resource management and development, has over 20 years of experience in the field and is SHRM-SCP and GPHR certified.

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Director of Global Expansion

Sam Nesfield

Washington, D.C.
Bio

Sam Nesfield

Title:
Director of Global Expansion
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Bio

Sam is the director of global expansion at Global Press. She is responsible for developing the strategy for where, how and why Global Press expands its network of reporters. Whether this means exploring new regions, countries, or topics, Sam works to ensure global expansion serves the larger editorial strategy and audience needs. Sam received her master's degree in global communication from the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.

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People Operations Associate

Shani Akobundu-Watson

LIttle Elm, TX
Bio

Shani Akobundu-Watson

Title:
People Operations Associate
Location:
LIttle Elm, TX
Bio

Shani is the people operations associate at Global Press. Shani supports HR functions by managing employee data, assisting with recruitment and onboarding, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations related to employee experience and engagement. Shani holds a bachelor’s degree in human resource management.

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Managing Editor

Terry Aguayo

Miami, Florida
Bio

Terry Aguayo

Title:
Managing Editor
Location:
Miami, Florida
Bio

Terry is the managing editor of Global Press Journal. She oversees newsroom operations to drive efficiency throughout the editorial process and uphold the highest standards of journalistic quality. Terry holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has more than 25 years of experience in the field. Prior to Global Press, Terry worked at the New York Times and the Associated Press. She is a 2022 graduate of the Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media.

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Board of Directors

Click each image to learn more about our team.

Member & CEO

Cristi Hegranes

Bio

Cristi Hegranes

Title:
Member & CEO
Bio

Cristi Hegranes is the CEO and founder of Global Press and the publisher of Global Press Journal, a multilingual, award-winning news publication. Cristi is a notable writer and speaker in the industry and has appeared in numerous media outlets including Reuters, Forbes, NPR, Poynter, Nieman Lab, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and TEDx. She has won many awards, including a 2021 Emerson Collective Dial Fellowship, the GLG Social Impact Fellowship, the Grinnell Prize for Social Justice, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, and the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism. In 2022 she was named a finalist for the MIT Elevate Prize and Woman of the Year at the Stevie awards. She is the author of the best selling book “Byline” (2023, Forbes Books). Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Cristi now lives in Washington D.C. with her son Henry.

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Member

Dr. Geetha Murali

Bio

Dr. Geetha Murali

Title:
Member
Bio

Dr. Geetha Murali is the CEO of Room to Read, an education organization that transforms the lives of millions of children through education, creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. As CEO, Geetha has been a driving force behind the exponential scale of Room to Read’s quality programs—achieving presence in 20 countries and benefiting more than 23 million children to date. Her commitment to ensuring measurable and scalable impact through robust technical design and operational excellence has been recognized by former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama. She is a Social Impact Officer and a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and the Young Presidents’ Organization. Geetha received her master’s degree in biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s and doctorate degrees in South Asian Politics from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Board Secretary

Houda Elyazgi

Bio

Houda Elyazgi

Title:
Board Secretary
Bio

Houda is the Chief Client Officer at Saxum, an integrated marketing and communications agency. She is an experienced marketing and communications professional, with a focus on external communications strategy and brand awareness. Houda is on the board of trustees of Oklahoma City’s National Memorial Museum and is also a board member of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, an organization dedicated to helping Oklahomans overcome bias, bigotry, and oppression.

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Treasurer

Irina Simmons

Bio

Irina Simmons

Title:
Treasurer
Bio

Irina has over 30 years experience as a financial executive in the Technology sector. She was Chief Risk Officer and Treasurer at EMC Corporation, a $25 Billion multinational company, before retiring in 2016.  Prior to joining EMC, she was Assistant Treasurer at Lotus Development Corporation. As Chief Risk Officer, she drove significant transformation around Cybersecurity, and financial and operational risk management. As Treasurer at EMC, she managed a $15B investment portfolio, and worked on several complex acquisitions and system implementations. Irina has served on the boards of Point 32 Health, a $10B health insurance company, Umass Memorial Health, the largest health care system in central Massachusetts, and Dean College, a private college in Franklin, Massachusetts. In 2016, she established her private charitable foundation, focusing on women and children. Irina holds an MBA from Boston University and a B.A. in Economics and French from Tufts University.

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Member

Leslie Hill

Bio

Leslie Hill

Title:
Member
Bio

Leslie has a background in aviation and journalism. She was a Captain with American Airlines and was involved with their in-house union, the Allied Pilots Association. She served on the board of directors for Dow Jones and Company, Inc. and on the corporate governance committee. She has been a member of several nonprofit boards including the Freedom Forum, the Newseum Board and the Newseum Education Board, and served as chair, vice-chair and chair of the corporate governance committees for the News Literacy Project board. Leslie has been a member of several nonprofit advisory boards and was an election judge in Montgomery County, Maryland. She has also served on the long range planning committee in her town.

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Chair

Michelle Swenson

Bio

Michelle Swenson

Title:
Chair
Bio

Michelle is the chair of Global Press’ Board of Directors. She works with social enterprises as a board member, advisor and investor. She spent most of her corporate career as a senior executive at Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. where she built businesses, developed products and led strategic planning, marketing and technology organizations. She also led marketing for a fintech startup and was a nonprofit executive director. Michelle’s interests include voting rights, reproductive justice and local journalism. In addition to Global Press, she is currently affiliated with Rise Up, Way to Win, Center for Reproductive Rights, Women Donors Network, and others. She has degrees from Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley.

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Member

Nomzamo Majuqwana

Bio

Nomzamo Majuqwana

Title:
Member
Bio

Nomzamo Majuqwana is the Director, Inclusion Insights & Action, The New York Times. She is a systems thinker and designer with a track record for building innovative products, and is helping chart Global Press’ strategic trajectory in the wake of recent audience and budget growth. Nomzamo is British-South African and is a passionate advocate for diversity in the workplace. She is based in New York.

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Member

Ray Baker

Bio

Ray Baker

Title:
Member
Bio

Ray is a senior executive in the technology sector and has more than 20 years of experience in consulting, operations and digital transformation. He spent the last 12 years at IBM, running their Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) business for Europe. He is a trusted advisor to many C-Level and senior leaders of large multinational companies. Having successfully championed the design and implementation of many large global shared service operations throughout his career, Ray brings significant experience in operational excellence and technology. He also has tremendous global experience, having lived and worked in over 15 countries across Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. He lives with his wife Patricie and 2 dogs in Brighton, UK.

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Member

Umbreen Bhatti

Bio

Umbreen Bhatti

Title:
Member
Bio

Umbreen is the Constance Hess Williams ’66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership at Barnard College. Previously, she served as Director of the KQED Lab, the Bay Area’s NPR and PBS station’s in-house innovation lab. As a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, she developed and then hosted the podcast “Kaleidoscope: Reflections on Islam.” She has worked with universities, libraries, local government, and nonprofits to support their efforts to meet the needs of their constituents in new and exciting ways. Earlier in her career, she practiced law at the Disability Rights Legal Center in Los Angeles, the ACLU in Wilmington, Del., and Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., and taught law students as an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law. Umbreen is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and Barnard College.

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global press accuracy network

Fact checkers.
Translators.
Copy editors.
Illustrators.

This dedicated team of accuracy professionals ensures that every Global Press story is dignified and precise. A team is assigned to every story to ensure accuracy in English and the local language.

Our Values
Recognition