Leadership
-
Joe Coughlin
Joe Coughlin is a co-founder and the editor in chief who guides editorial policy, leads investigative reporting, and manages operational and fundraising efforts. Joe was the publisher for 22nd Century Media and is an award-winning investigative reporter, feature writer and photojournalist. Joe is also a former editor of The Wilmette Beacon and Chicagoly magazine.
Board of Directors
-
Jennifer Gordon, president
Jennifer practices in the areas of intellectual property, data security law, and corporate law. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 2005 with a bachelor of science in computer engineering before going to DePaul University College of Law, where she graduated with her Juris Doctor degree in 2008. Following this, she obtained her post-graduate diploma in European Union Law from King’s College in London, England. In addition to her position as member of Marshall Grant, PLLC, she provides pro bono legal services on environmental issues via the Chesapeake Legal Alliance.
-
John Jenks, vice president
John has been teaching journalism and advising student media at Dominican University for 20 years. He is a firm believer in the power of community journalism and regularly takes his students to report in the towns surrounding Dominican. Before moving into education, Jenks was a daily beat reporter at newspapers in Kansas and Florida. Now, he researches and publishes on the history of international media, journalism and propaganda and authored the book “British Propaganda and News Media in the Cold War.”
-
J.A. Adande, secretary
J.A. Adande is director of sports journalism and associate professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. J.A. was a columnist for ESPN.com for nine years covering the NBA as well as serving as sideline reporter for NBA games. In addition, he was a panelist for ESPN’s “Around the Horn” for 13 years. Prior to ESPN.com, J.A. spent 10 years as a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and was also previously a writer at The Washington Post and Chicago Sun-Times, where he covered Illinois football and basketball and the Chicago Bulls. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism from 2004 to 2015.
-
Fouad Egbaria
Fouad is a former copy editor and editorial manager with 22nd Century Media and The Glencoe Anchor, and is currently an editor for the trade publication MetalMiner. A resident of Evanston, Fouad is an award-winning community reporter with degrees in English and journalism, as well as a passion for the sciences. In his free time, Fouad likes to read (anything and everything), write, watch sports (particularly his Michigan Wolverines), and travel near and far.
-
George Rafeedie
George loves bringing people together to achieve things they couldn’t accomplish on their own. He does that through his story marketing agency, Tell Your Story, and his office sharing and event space, CoWorkers, to name a few examples. George started his career at a marketing agency in Cincinnati. In between, he received his masters in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University’s Medill School. His undergrad degree in journalism and PR is from THE Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Besides telling stories, Rafeedie loves mentoring, networking, speaking, advising and teaching and is also involved with many local initiatives where he resides in Wilmette. His better half, Karen, is in the ad business on the creative side and keeps George honest and motivated. The Rafeedies have two sons who keep them hopping and active and proud. His pug dog, Nellie, brings him joy. For more information on George Rafeedie, visit LinkedIn, Tell Your Story or CoWorkers.
