President
Brandon Pope is an award winning , Emmy-winning 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 producer at ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV). He has also worked in Miami, Omaha, Norfolk, Greensboro, Tallahassee and Las Vegas. But Chicago is home for this weatherman. Tony is looking forward to hanging out and working with other NABJCC board members and other partners 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 is a reporter/anchor/producer at WGN AM 720 in Chicago, IL, where she provides listeners with up-to-the minute information about the most-pressing local and national stories of the day. Prior to that, she worked at the city’s public access television network, CAN TV, for more than 15 years. While there, she served as host and producer of the network’s news affairs program, Political Forum. Some of the topics she covered as host of Political Forum include the unique ways Chicago’s West Side youth experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the battle between Democrats and Republicans over state-wide mask mandates, the 2020 Chicago riots, the legacy of Black women in Chicago politics and Chicago’s 2023 Mayoral race.
As a native Chicagoan who proudly hails from the city’s South Side, Sylvia still enjoys volunteering with many of the community organizations that helped shape her as a young girl, like Target HOPE, a program committed to sending talented inner-city students to college with scholarships. Sylvia currently sits on the executive board of the National Association of Black Journalists–Chicago Chapter and serves as chair of the Advocacy Committee. She is also a member of the Chicago Journalists Association and the Journalism and Women Symposium (J.A.W.S.).
Sylvia is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She is the inaugural winner of the People’s Choice Award at the 28th Annual Community Media Awards Presented by Public Narrative. She is the 2nd place winner of the Chicago Journalists Association’s top prize, the 2023 Dorothy Storck Award. She is also the 2023 recipient of the legendary J.A.W.S. quilt.
Dorothy Tucker is the former president for the National Association of Black Journalists. Dorothy 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.
Cheryl Corley is an NPR correspondent who works for the National Desk and is based in Chicago. She travels throughout the Midwest covering issues and events throughout the region’s 12 states with a particular focus on criminal justice and urban affairs. In recent years, Corley has reported on supporters of President Trump in the Chicago area, the campaign and re-election of President Barack Obama, and on youth and gun violence in Chicago. She’s reported on fatal police shootings including the infamous Trayvon Martin case in Florida, the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, the LaQuan McDonald case in Chicago and others. Prior to joining NPR, Corley was the news director at Chicago’s public radio station, WBEZ. She also has been a frequent panelist on television news-affairs programs in Chicago. A Chicago native, Corley graduated cum laude from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and is now a Bradley University trustee. While in Peoria, Corley worked as a reporter and news director for public radio station WCBU and as a television director for the NBC affiliate, WEEK-TV. She is a past President of the Association for Women Journalists in Chicago.
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
Poinesha Barnes is an Emmy-Award winning journalist. She currently serves as the Senior Special Projects Producer for ABC-7 Chicago. Poinesha’s past roles include special projects and line producing #1 newscasts in cities like Dallas, TX and Memphis, TN. She also serves as the Fundraising and Events Chair for the National Association of Black Journalists- Chicago Chapter. Poinesha is passionate about strengthening communities and telling stories that elevate humanity.
Samantha Chatman is an Emmy Award winning journalist and Weekend Morning Anchor for ABC 7 Chicago. She is also an Investigative Reporter and a member of ABC 7’s prestigious I-Team.
Samantha, who grew up in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side, joined Chicago’s #1 news station in September 2019. She feels honored to work at the station she grew up watching.
Samantha has won Emmy awards for her work in Chicago and Dallas, TX. Before moving to Dallas/Fort Worth, she was the Business Reporter at WDRB-TV in Louisville, Kentucky. She started her career at WEEK/WHOI-TV in Peoria, Illinois, where she worked as a Multimedia Journalist, Fill-in Anchor and Weather Anchor.
In 2022, Samantha published her first children’s book, “Mia Gets Sick, But Doesn’t Quit,” a story that was developed during the pandemic to help inspire and remind kids to never give up.
She attended Kenwood Academy’s Academic Center for middle school, Lincoln Park High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a minor in African-American studies.
Samantha is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Chicago Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
She also serves as an Associate Board member for After School Matters.
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.