NABJ Announces 2023 Convention Program, Awards and SEED Chairs

Tia Mitchell and Glenn Rice will return for a second year as program co-chairs for the #NABJ23 Convention & Career Fair. The Convention will be held Aug. 2-6 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mitchell is the Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, covering national politics for a Georgia audience. She is frequently tapped to provide political expertise on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, and many other national news programs. She is also a fill-in host for C-SPAN’s flagship call-in morning show, “Washington Journal.” Since 2019, Mitchell has served as chairwoman of NABJ’s Political Task Force. She is also active in her local NABJ chapter, the Washington Association of Black Journalists, and a member of the Washington Press Club Foundation Board. 

Rice has been a reporter for The Kansas City Star since 1988. He is currently a breaking news reporter and accountability reporter covering law enforcement and the legal system. Rice served as the national treasurer for NABJ from 1999-2003. Before that, Rice served as the former NABJ Region 8 director, which consisted of chapters in Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Rice has previously co-chaired the NABJ Elections Committee and during his 33 years as a member, served on the NABJ Print Task Force, Finance Committee, Print Short Course Committee, and Convention Program Committee. He is a former president of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists. 

“We are grateful to have Tia and Glenn return as program co-chairs. They did a phenomenal job helping to guide and select impactful sessions and workshops in 2022, and we look forward to what they will bring to the table this year,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker.

Sia Nyorkor will return as chair of the NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards. 

Nyorkor joined Cleveland 19 in 2015 and reports weekdays for the 4, 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts and anchors morning newscasts on Saturday and Sunday. She got her start working behind the scenes at New Jersey Public Television & Radio. She also reported for the CBS affiliate in Wichita, Kansas and the CBS affiliate in Gainesville, Florida. She has served at the local and national level of NABJ and is a mentor to young, aspiring journalists. She currently serves as NABJ’s national parliamentarian and previously served as the Region II director.

Charisse Gibson and Felecia Henderson will serve as newly named co-chairs of the NABJ Special Honors Awards.

Gibson is a journalist, producer and evening news anchor at WWL-TV in New Orleans. She began her television career at WWL-TV in 2010 as a desk assistant and went on to become an associate producer for the WWL-TV Morning Show. Her next stop was as a news producer at WLOX-TV, where she also served as a fill-in anchor and reporter. She also spent time at KSLA News 12 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and FOX 19 Now in Cincinnati, Ohio as a breaking news anchor, co-anchor/host of “Morning Xtra,” as well as producer/host of “Cincinnati Connection.” An active member of NABJ, she is a past Region II Conference co-chair and was recently voted president of the New Orleans Association of Black Journalists.

Henderson is the director of Cultural Competency at the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. She has been a trainer and coach on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging issues to more than 200-plus print and broadcast news organizations since 2020. She also co-leads the institute’s Newsroom Transformation Program and the cultural competency program for colleges and universities. Previously, Felecia was an assistant managing editor at The Detroit News, where she led entertainment and lifestyle coverage and was a member of the senior management team. She is a longtime member of NABJ and the founder of the NABJ Visual Task Force. She served as president and vice president-print for Detroit NABJ.

“We are thrilled to welcome Charisse and Felecia as Special Honors co-chairs. Both share a passion for NABJ and a love for journalism. They will each bring award-winning expertise to our selection process,” said Tucker. “Once again, Sia has agreed to chair our coveted Salute to Excellence Awards. Her commitment to NABJ and storytelling will help successfully guide this year’s judging process.”

Carol Gantt will return to co-chair the SEED Program/NABJ Student Multimedia Project (Student Projects). Joining her as co-chair for the first time is Jaya Franklin. Dr. Sheryl Kennedy Haydel will also return as chair of the NABJ High School Journalism Workshop (JSHOP).

Gantt has been in the broadcast media industry for 27 years. Currently, she’s the supervising producer for Roland Martin Unfiltered. She served as the manager of programming and production for a small independent network for two years and spent 23 years as a producer in local and network newsrooms across the South. She also served as president of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists. Gantt has been a mentor for Student Projects since 2016 and a co-chair since 2018. 

Franklin serves as the director of communications for Georgia State University College of Law. Before that, she served as the college’s assistant director and associate director of communications. She is an NABJ baby, participating as a student in Student Projects from 2006–2007. She’s also served as a mentor for Student Projects for the last three years. Her NABJ service has included NABJ Region III deputy director and vice president of digital media for the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists.

Haydel is the director of the School of Communication and Design at Loyola University New Orleans. She has worked as a journalist and public relations executive. In addition, Haydel serves as a media expert on the use of social media in political and social movements. Haydel has held both academic and administrative positions at several institutions. Her research examines the role of the Black collegiate press in the pursuit of Civil Rights and the use of social media today for both branding and activism.

“Carol and Sheryl have faithfully helped guide the next generation of NABJ journalists and communicators for many years, and we look forward to working with them again this year,” said Tucker. “As a former mentor and student participant, Jaya will bring a unique perspective to our SEED program, and I am excited to see the impact of this year’s student training.”

Registration for #NABJ23 is open. Pre-registration discounts are available until July 1. Learn more at NABJConvention.com.