Monday, October 26

FIRST TIME VOTERS/PANELISTS

Heaven Taylor-Wynn

Multimedia Reporter

MediaWise

Heaven Taylor-Wynn is a digital journalist who joined MediaWise in 2019 shortly after graduating from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. The MediaWise project teaches teenagers media literacy skills that help them tell the difference between reliable and unreliable information on social media as well as throughout the internet. Since joining the team, Heaven has traveled the country to teach hundreds of middle school, high school, and college students how to tell fact from fiction online at MediaWise training events. Heaven is passionate about finding creative ways to tell stories about misinformation across platforms and discovering new ways to connect with younger audiences online. As the team’s social media lead, she oversees the execution of social content and recommends methods to improve our reach across platforms. Heaven also leads the MediaWise Ambassadors program. She identifies, recruits, and onboards content creators, prominent journalists, and celebrities to support and share MediaWise’s message with their audiences. She has contributed to podcasts, video series and educational materials about misinformation and media literacy.

Raven Johnson

Student

Hendrix College

Raven Johnson is 19 years-old and from Tulsa, Oklahoma, but she is currently attending Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Raven plans to double major in Political Science and Economics with the intention to go to graduate school to study development economics or urban planning. She is impassioned by local governance and its crucial role that it plays in society. Raven is a former 22×20 fellow; during her time as a fellow, she organized a round table discussion with a few state legislators and high school students. The event was a pivotal moment in developing her future interests of study and passions for a career. In 2019, during the summer, she had the opportunity to take part in the ACLU’s Advanced Advocacy program in DC. Raven is devoted to public service and is quite excited to see where life takes her!

Jackson Carter

CEO

Politicized News

Jackson Carter is a high school senior with an unrivaled love for his country. This love has pushed him to pursue a career in law and politics. Since 2016, Jackson has been heavily involved in politics at all levels, even working on two United States’ Senate campaigns and a gubernatorial campaign in his home state of Tennessee. As a first time voter in this upcoming election, Jackson is more excited than ever to finally be able to make his voice heard at the ballot box. When he’s not working on school or political work, Jackson is busy running the Politicized News media platform. Jackson serves as the Owner and CEO of Politicized News and has an extensive staff of youth writers and editors which are dedicated to providing unbiased, fact-based news. When Jackson graduates high school he will attend the University of Alabama where he plans to double major in Economics and Communication Studies before pursuing a Juris Doctorate degree and practicing law.

Makenzie Tyson

National Community Building

Bridge USA

BridgeUSA is developing the next generation of engaged, informed, and constructive citizens. Our movement catalyzes the passion of the next generation to invest in the future of democracy. The BridgeMindset defines our work. We champion ideological diversity, promote a solution-oriented political culture, and teach constructive engagement in order to develop a generation of political leaders that value empathy and common purpose.

WORKSHOP LEADERS

Kyah Probst

Campus Correspondent

MediaWise Voter Project

Kyah Probst is a Junior at UW-Milwaukee majoring in Community Engagement & Education. She is a Campus Correspondent for the MediaWise Voter Project, where she delivers collegiate trainings on fact-checking and media literacy for first time voters.

Nora Benavidez

Director, U.S. Free Expression Programs

PEN America

Nora Benavidez is the director of PEN America’s U.S. Free Expression Programs, where she guides the organization’s national advocacy agenda on First Amendment and free expression issues. She also manages PEN America’s media literacy and disinformation defense program, which works with communities and newsrooms to equip online users with tools to better combat the spread of disinformation. Benavidez is a lawyer by training, and prior to joining PEN America, she worked in private practice and at the ACLU of Georgia as a civil and human rights litigator.

Kristy Roschke

Managing Director, ASU News Co/Lab

Arizona State University

Kristy Roschke, Ph.D., is the managing director of the News Co/Lab, an Arizona State University Cronkite School initiative aimed at helping people find new ways of understanding and interacting with news and information. She researches and teaches media literacy courses for adults of all ages in formal and informal educational settings. She previously served as executive director of KJZZ – SPOT 127 Youth Media Center, a community initiative of the Phoenix NPR member station that mentors the next-generation of digital storytellers. Roschke has taught journalism at the high school and university level for 17 years.

MODERATORS/HOST