Staff

Gena Fitzgerald is the center's executive director. Fitzgerald previously worked at NBC News where she served for 10 years as senior Washington producer for NBC Nightly News with both Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams. She managed coverage of politics, federal agencies and breaking news for the nation's premier network evening newscast. Fitzgerald, with her Nightly News colleagues, won many of the most prestigious honors in broadcast journalism, including DuPont, Peabody and Murrow awards, as well as two national Emmy awards. Before joining NBC News, she was an investigative producer for WJLA-TV in Washington D.C., where she earned five local Emmys for investigative reporting. Since 2007, Fitzgerald has provided Washington-area corporations, news organizations, and nonprofits with innovative solutions for news coverage, strategic news planning, media training and collaborative production. She earned a bachelor's degree in communications from American University. 301.405.7873; gfitzgerald@journalismcenter.org

Betty Pearce Batty is the center's director of finance and development. In addition to overseeing the center’s finances and budget, she coordinates all of JCCF’s fundraising efforts as well as development of major grantors for the center. Batty oversees and directs the annual individual giving campaign. She also identifies and builds collaborative partnerships with other organizations. Batty joined the center in 1999 and also has extensive experience in event planning, human resources and marketing. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. 301.405.8809; bbatty@journalismcenter.org

Shannon Machado is the center's program coordinator. Prior to joining the center in 2007, Machado was the program coordinator for Street Law, a nonprofit organization educating youth about law, democracy and human rights. Previously, she was a member of the operations team for several youth conferences for the Congressional Youth Leadership Council. Machado received her bachelor's degree in psychology from The George Washington University in 2003 and worked as a teacher/counselor providing individual and group counseling to adjudicated youth in a residential treatment facility. 301.405.8808; smachado@journalismcenter.org

Renee Davidson is the center's editorial assistant. She provides editorial and research support for all online content and publications. She also vets stories, reports and resources for the center’s e-news summary, oversees social networking sites and helps coordinate conferences and the Casey Medals contest. Davidson earned a bachelor's degree in Women’s Studies and American Studies and a certificate in LGBT Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. As an undergraduate, she was heavily involved in campus activism. She has won numerous awards for her undergraduate work on contemporary welfare policy. Davidson joined the center as a research assistant in 2006 and recently became full-time. 301.405.8808; rdavidson@journalismcenter.org

Michelle Parks is the center's part-time research assistant. She is a junior English and Government & Politics major at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she is involved with the Gemstone program, a multidisciplinary research division of the University Honors program. She joined the center in 2009 and provides administrative and editorial support, assists with development of resource materials and Web site content, and helps coordinate the Casey Medals program and special projects. 301.405.8808; mparks@journalismcenter.org

CONSULTANTS

Tracy Thompson is a part-time consultant who produces the daily news summary. Thompson is an alumnae of The Washington Post and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. An award-winning journalist on mental health issues, Tracy has written on a variety of topics for a number of national magazines, including O Magazine, Redbook, Good Housekeeping and The Washington Post Magazine. She currently writes a monthly column for the Committee of Concerned Journalists and is the author of two books on depression (The Beast, Putnam, 1995, and The Ghost in the House, HarperCollins, 2005). 301.405.8808; summary@journalismcenter.org