President | Brandon Pope

Brandon Pope is an Emmy-winning journalist, TV host, podcaster, film critic, and columnist whose work has appeared on NewsNation, Entertainment Tonight, NPR, BBC, Ebony magazine and in the Chicago Sun-Times.

He hosts the MAKING podcast from WBEZ and NPR, serves as editor-in-chief of Creative Cypher, and leads the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. Pope also authors the Screening Room Substack, and teaches journalism at Columbia College Chicago.

Vice President, Broadcast | Carrie Walker

With nearly 30 years in broadcast journalism, Carrie Walker leads NBC 5/Telemundo Chicago’s newsroom as a trusted leader known for guiding the duopoly team through high-stakes coverage. A multi-Emmy Award winner, she has been recognized as a Chicago Defender Woman of Excellence and is featured in Who’s Who in Black Chicago. 

Carrie has coordinated award-nominated reporting on everything from breaking news to natural disasters. She serves as Vice President of Broadcast for the NABJ Chicago Chapter, where she helps support and elevate the next generation of Black journalists.

Vice President, Print | Philip Thompson

Philip Thompson is a native of Norfolk Va., and a proud product of historically black university Norfolk State University. After working several years in the Tampa Bay area, Phil moved to Chicago in 1997 to join Tribune Company, where he has worked for outlets including Black Voices, RedEye, and sports, now covering the Chicago Blackhawks.

Phil has been a longtime member of NABJ Chicago and has previously served as secretary and vice president of print, his current role.

Vice President, Digital | Marquita V. Anderson

Marquita Anderson is a writer, producer, and digital strategist dedicated to storytelling that uplifts culture, wellness, and community impact. Her work is featured on NBC 5 Chicago, the digital series Eats From the Streets, and through READefine, where she fosters literary and cultural engagement. 

As a classically trained dancer, she leads the dance program at Chicago Lights and serves on the MSU Chicago Spartans alumni board. As NABJ Chicago’s Vice President of Digital, Marquita leads the chapter’s digital strategy to champion Black journalism, elevate innovation across platforms, and equip the next generation of journalists with the tools to thrive.

Vice President, Archives | Aisha Jefferson

Aisha I. Jefferson is an award-winning storyteller and multimedia journalist who currently works as an editor at The Associated Press. Previously, she was a digital copy editor for the Chicago Sun-Times and has also worked as a digital content producer, crime and business reporter and entertainment editor. Her work has been featured in various outlets including the AP, Business Insider, USA Today and Essence.

Aisha earned her master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. As a Chicago native, Aisha is enamored of her hometown’s rich cultural history and, as VP of Archives, is honored to lead the effort chronicling this chapter’s place in it. 

Treasurer | Tony Smith

Tony Smith is a producer at ABC 7 Chicago, where he helps shape the stories that matter to the city he proudly calls home. With stops in Miami, Las Vegas, and beyond, he’s worked coast to coast but always knew Chicago was the real prize. helping balance the books, investing in the next generation of storytellers.

A former TV weatherman turned newsroom navigator, Tony brings curiosity, collaboration, creativity, and a little on-air magic to every segment. As treasurer for NABJ Chicago, he’s helping balance the books, investing in the next generation of storytellers, and uncovering the hidden gems in every community.

Secretary | Leona Towner

Leona Towner is a multimedia journalist currently freelancing around the Chicagoland area. Towner comes from a broadcast background. She’s worked on-air at WZZM-13, the national booking desk at Fox News, and the national assignment desk at Newsnation before becoming an award winning author (23 and on TV) and founding her own production company, Leona Land Productions. 

You can find her on the operating board at WVON or in the classroom as she teaches English Language Arts at CPS. She is proud to serve as our NABJ Chicago secretary. 

Parliamentarian | Cheryl Corley

Cheryl Corley is NPR’s Midwest Bureau Chief and is based in Chicago. She curates, assigns and edits stories primarily from reporters throughout the Midwestern states. She’s also edited several award-winning stories focusing on religion. Prior to her role as Midwest Bureau Chief, Corley was a long-time correspondent for the National Desk covering a wide range of issues and breaking news in the Midwest and across the country.

She’s reported on the infamous Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida, the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis, the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and oil spills along the Gulf Coast, and about criminal justice issues affecting women and juveniles.

Board Member | Poinesha Barnes

Poinesha Barnes is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and the Senior Special Projects Producer at ABC 7 Chicago. She’s produced top-rated newscasts in cities like Dallas and Memphis and thrives on telling impactful stories.

When she’s not shaping must-watch TV, she’s busy as the Fundraising & Events Chair for NABJ-Chicago, supporting the next generation of journalists. Passionate about storytelling and community, Poinesha loves using journalism to inform, inspire, and uplift. She was also recently named one of WVON’s 40 under 40 recipients. 

Board Member | Dorothy Tucker (Former NABJ President)

Dorothy Tucker is the former president of the National Association of Black Journalists. She has served as a reporter for CBS 2 Chicago since 1984. Currently she reports for the station’s 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM weekday newscasts. Tucker also serves as the station’s consumer reporter, covering issues and trends to help viewers save money and avoid scams.

She joined CBS 2 Chicago from KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pa., where she worked as a general assignment reporter and talk show host. Prior to that, Tucker worked at KWGN-TV in Denver, Colo. as a general assignment reporter. Previously, she was a reporter and weekend anchor at WREG-TV in Memphis, Tenn. (1979-80). Tucker began her broadcasting career in Peoria, Ill. at WMBD-TV, after serving as an intern at CBS 2 Chicago in 1977.

Board Member | Grace Asiegbu

Grace Asiegbu is a writer and investigative reporter with more than five years of experience telling human-centered stories focusing on service journalism, community engagement, and impact. Her NABJ journey began in college at the University of Illinois, where she served as chapter president during her senior year.

Now a long-standing national member and current at-large board member of NABJ Chicago, Grace is passionate about sustaining and modernizing the chapter, and remains committed to guiding it forward with intention, creativity, and care.

Board Member | Norman Parish

Norman Parish, a longtime journalist, is currently a deputy managing editor at the Chicago Sun-Times. He has worked at a variety of newspapers across the country and has been involved with NABJ in the past, including serving as a NABJ regional director and national board member. 

He has served on the boards of NABJ chapters in Phoenix and St. Louis. Parish, born in Chicago and reared in the south suburbs, also is a former director of recruitment for Report for America.

Board Member | Lauryn Azu

Lauryn Azu is a member of the NABJ-Chicago Board, serving on the scholarship and NABJ 50th anniversary committees. She is a deputy senior content editor at the Chicago Tribune.

Board Member | Brett Brooks

Brett Brooks is an award-winning multimedia journalist, filmmaker, and content creator with a strong voice in Chicago’s media and storytelling scene. A proud member of NABJ Chicago, Brett spent over five years as a television reporter in Illinois, with on-air roles at WTVO/WQRF in Rockford, WEEK-TV in Peoria and WAND in Decatur.

During her time in local news, she covered everything from breaking news and politics to human interest features, earning statewide recognition for her work, including a 2023 Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Award for her historical reporting series on Nance Legins-Costley, the first enslaved person legally freed by Abraham Lincoln. Brett is also the founder of Bee Squared Productions, a Chicago-based creative studio specializing in short films, branded content, and drone videography.