National Association of Black Journalists-Chicago Chapter

President

Brandon Pope  is an award winning , Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist, anchoring and reporting at WCIU-TV and CW26 Chicago, and WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR station. Pope teaches TV journalism at Columbia College. He’s also a writer for Ebony magazine and a contributor at Sun-Times, Revolt and YR Media.  His journalism work has included coverage of the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Presidential Elections, the London Olympics, the Indy 500, college football, the PGA tour and the NFL and NBA. He is a proud Ball State University alumni, member of the University’s journalism alumni board, and a 2023 inductee into the Ball State “Hall Of Beneficence,” honoring distinguished alumni who have made an impact in their profession and the world. Reach out to him on social media at @bpopetv.

Vice President, Print

Phil Thompson

Vice President, Broadcast

Carrie Walker is a veteran journalist with over 20 years of experience on the assignment desk.  She is currently weekday assignment editor at NBC 5 Chicago where she handles daily assignments for crews, reporters and producers, as well as, a segment producer.  Before joining NBC, she was the weekend assignment editor at ABC 7 Chicago for 17 years. The position came with a lot of responsibility with upper management just on-call and not physically present in the newsroom. Split-Second decisions were made by the show producer and assignment editor until a manager could be reached. She also worked as a field producer gathering elements for reporters and anchors to put together packages for air.  She is skilled at researching, booking and producing news & feature segments.

Her return to NBC 5 Chicago is kind of a homecoming, prior to working at ABC 7, she got her start in the business at NBC, working her way up  the ranks, starting as an intern and eventually becoming an Assignment Editor. She held positions as a News Planning Editor Assistant, Production Assistant, Newsroom Librarian and Linear/Non-linear Editor, as well.

Follow her on social media:  Twitter: @LadyCarrie  Instagram: @TravelingNewslady  TikTok:  @LadyCarrie

Vice President, Digital

Angel Idowu currently serves as the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation Arts Correspondent for WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, Black Voices and Latino Voices. As a Chicago native, this is a position Angel does not take lightly. It is really important to her to bring attention to communities that fostered her creative interest as an adolescent, because it is what ultimately led her to this point in her career. Her love for the arts extends beyond her work as a journalist. She is  also a developing screenwriter, runs her own production company, FoomiLOLA Media, and heads a nonprofit geared toward art education resources.  Before joining WTTW, Angel served as an evening producer and weekend reporter for WJTV12, a CBS affiliate in Jackson, MS. She received her Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, and her undergraduate degree from Beloit College. Outside of work, Angel credits herself to being a total foodie and loves to try (not cook) new dishes whenever she can!

Treasurer

Tony Smith is a meteorologist and senior producer at the Black News Channel. He has also worked in Miami, Omaha, Norfolk, Greensboro and Las Vegas. But Chicago is home for this weatherman. Tony is looking forward to working with other NABJCC board members  in order to bring together Chicagoland journalists dedicated to truth and excellence in newsgathering, reporting, and equality in the media industry. Tony encourages everyone to follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Secretary

Josh McGhee covers courts, corrections and racial equity at Injustice Watch, a not-for-profit dedicated to exposing institutional failures obstructing justice and equality. He’s spent nearly a decade covering Chicago at various outlets including DNAinfo Chicago, The Chicago Reporter, and WVON.

Board Members At-Large

Kathy Chaney — a more than 20-year veteran across all platforms: print, digital and broadcast, and an advocate for the Black Press and diversity in newsrooms — is the Executive Producer, Daily News and Midwest Hub for YR Media.

Prior to joining YR, Kathy was the deputy managing editor, Breaking News and Staff Development for the Chicago Sun-Times. She was also the managing editor for EBONY magazine. She’s worked in several newsrooms, including reporter/producer for NPR’s Chicago affiliate WBEZ, managing editor at the Chicago Defender and on the commodities desk at Thomson Reuters.

Kathy, a two-term president of the National Association of Black Journalists-Chicago, is the national vice-president of Print for NABJ.

She is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists; Asian American Journalists Association; Investigative Reporters & Editors; Journalism & Women Symposium; and News Leaders Association.

Sylvia Snowden hails from Chicago’s South Side, where sheattended McDade Classical Elementary School and Morgan Park High School. Following high school, Ms. Snowden received a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. Since graduating from college, she’s had the opportunity to train under some of the most respected persons in the field of journalism. She’s worked as a production coordinator for the Oprah Winfrey Show and interned at WVON-AM 1690, on the Roland S. Martin Morning Show. Sylvia presently works in Chicago, IL, as a journalist. She’s the host of CAN TV’s Political Forum, a talk show devoted to covering Chicago’s most important political affairs. She’s also the creator and host of “Unbossed,” a CAN TV series that explores the contributions of women to Chicago politics. She has served as editorial director of CAN TV channel 42 and received a special commendation from the Illinois State Legislature for her work connecting Chicagoans to vital support services through media. Sylvia has also worked as a freelance writer for Ebony.com, Jet.com, and Huffington Post. Her blog has had articles featured by BlogHer, MTV, Chicago Now, and a variety of other publications.

Ms. Snowden is a member of the Journalism and Women Symposium, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Communication Workers of America. She’s also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.In 2018, she was recognized as the 1st runner-up –Alumni Journalist of the Year in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Central Region, when she was named 1st runner-up for the Peggy Lewis LeCompte Outstanding Graduate Soror in Communications/Journalism Award. In 2019, Sylvia was

recognized as one of the “Most Distinguished Women of Illinois” by the Orrington Institute.  In her spare time, Ms. Snowden enjoys online shopping, tweeting, and volunteering with her church.

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 Lee Edwards is a multimedia/digital journalist who is currently the managing program coordinator for The Real Chi, an experimental “learning newsroom” program of Free Spirit Media based in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood.

Prior to joining the Free Spirit Media, Lee spent the last six years as a digital journalist covering a wide spectrum of beats across the Chicagoland region as a former reporter/contributor with Block Club Chicago, The Chicago Defender, Austin Weekly News, Times Republic. and City Bureau among other media outlets.

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