Open and free to all, this summit is an opportunity to listen, learn, and engage with others on issues that affect us all.

Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou is the Managing Director and co-founder of iMEdD (incubator for Media Education and Development), a nonprofit journalism organization established in 2018 with exclusive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). iMEdD, which is the only internationally oriented journalism institution based in Greece, has as its primary mission supporting and promoting transparency and credibility in journalism.

Since 2016, Anna-Kynthia has collaborated with SNF and other partners on international programs and grants related to journalism while simultaneously serving as Executive Director of the SNF Dialogues initiative, launched in November 2017. The Dialogues, which she curates and coordinates, offer a multimedia platform that encourages the exchange of ideas and highlights the need for us as citizens to communicate and express ourselves on a basis of equality and diversity.

In 2020, she received the Giorgos Karayiannis Journalism and Technology Award for her contributions to the creation and administration of iMEdD, as well as her work for SNF related to the Foundation’s efforts to support high-quality journalism and other projects that benefit society. This distinction was awarded as part of the Athanasios V. Botsis Foundation awards for the Promotion of Journalism.

In the past, she has presented the news and headed a morning television news program. She has also worked as a radio reporter and then as a news editor and producer while writing for various publications.

She holds a degree in Sociology from Panteion University, specializing in the sociology of mass media.

Valerie Biden Owens is the first woman in U.S. history to have run a presidential campaign — that of her brother, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. She also led his seven straight U.S. Senate victories and has been his principal surrogate on the campaign trail.

Today, Valerie serves as Chair of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. She is a partner at Owens Patrick Leadership Seminars. Valerie sits on the Advisory Board of the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children.

Valerie is the New York Times Bestselling author of “Growing Up Biden.” She is a graduate of the University of Delaware. Valerie is married to Jack Owens, an attorney and businessman. They have three children.

Allison Taylor Levine is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), a non-profit dedicated to strengthening local journalism in Delaware. After starting her career as a reporter at several newspapers, including The News Journal, Allison has spent the past 20 years in various communications and community leadership roles. Before becoming the full-time CEO of LJI, Allison spent 12 years as vice president for marketing and communications at the Delaware Community Foundation.

Ana Paula Valacco is the Community Manager of JournalismAI, an initiative of Polis, the journalism think tank at the London School of Economics (LSE). She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism, Media, and Communication from Cardiff University. With a background in political science and journalism, she has worked in Marketing at Google Argentina and as the Institutional Development Coordinator at Chequeado, a pioneering and globally recognized fact-checker. Additionally, she serves as the ambassador in Argentina and director of Project Oasis Global at SembraMedia, an organization that helps independent digital media leaders build stronger institutions and develop sustainable business models.

Athan Stephanopoulos currently serves as an advisor to various AI technology companies working at the intersection of media and entertainment. Most recently he was EVP and Chief Digital Officer of CNN Worldwide, where he oversaw all the areas of the global digital business, including: editorial, product development and technology, business operations and innovation strategies. He joined CNN after more than eight years as president of NowThis, where he led the brand to become one of the largest and fastest growing digital news outlets for a Gen-Z and Millennial audience. Previously he was the Founder and CEO of Cliptamatic, a social video distribution platform that was acquired by NowThis in 2014. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business in NYC, where has taught courses on Media Entrepreneurship and Social Media.

Carole Cadwalladr is an investigative journalist, feature writer and founder of the non-profit The Citizens. In 2019, she was a Pulitzer finalist for her role in breaking the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal in the Observer and New York Times.

Danai Maragoudaki is based in Athens and works for the investigative outlet Solomon. She started working as a journalist in 2015 and has worked for several Greek media outlets, such as Inside Story and Capital.gr. Her reporting focuses on transparency, media, and cybersecurity. She has studied political science and translation.

Danilo Yanich is Professor of Urban Affairs & Public Policy and Faculty Affiliate with the SNF Ithaca Initiative in the Biden School, University of Delaware. His research and teaching focus on the nexus among media, citizenship and public policy. His book entitled, Buying Reality: Political Ads, Money and Local Television News, (Fordham University Press, 2020) compared Presidential and Down Ballot races in battleground states during the 2016 campaign. With Knight Foundation funding he and UD faculty member Benjamin Bagozzi are now examining the effect of media consolidation on news content. They have created the largest broadcast news database in existence.

Dimitris Bounias is an Athens-based journalist. He served as Head of Video/Executive Producer at VICE Greece and formerly as a contributing reporter with the New York Times. He has worked as a producer for various media such as the BBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera English and NPR. He studied Mechanical and Aeronautics Engineering but was quickly drawn to journalism, currently pursuing a degree in Media & Communications from Panteion University.

Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University, a CNN Presidential Historian, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. He has received seven honorary doctorates in American Studies.  He works in many capacities in the world of public history, including for boards, museums, colleges and historical societies.  Six of his books were named New York Times “Notable Books of the Year” and seven became New York Times bestsellers.

Eliza Triantafyllou is an investigative journalist based in Athens. She reports mainly on financial and business issues. She works for Inside Story, an independent online media outlet, and is a member of the investigative journalism outfit “the Manifold.” Formerly, she worked for Eleftherotypia newspaper and Capital.gr and has contributed to Vice Greece.

Jonathan Soma is Knight Chair of Data Journalism at Columbia University, where he directs both the Data Journalism MS and the summer intensive Lede Program. He also regularly publishes free and open tutorials on everything from basic Python and analysis to ai2html and machine learning.

In the past, Soma has made maps, processed data, and crowdsourced stories with organizations such as ProPublica, the Associated Press, and The New York Times. He currently focuses on helping under-resourced newsrooms make responsible, ethical use of artificial intelligence.

Jennifer Lambe is an associate professor in the Communication Department at the University of Delaware, and an affiliated faculty member with the SNF Ithaca Initiative in the Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. Lambe received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2000. Her research and teaching focus broadly on free expression, media and democracy.

Jessica Yellin is the founder of News Not Noise, a pioneering Webby award-winning independent news brand. Over 1M+ subscribers and followers across Instagram and other digital media rely on Jessica and News Not Noise to understand what matters, which experts to trust, and to manage their “information overload.” She is the former chief White House correspondent for CNN and an Emmy, Peabody and Gracie Award-winning political correspondent for ABC, MSNBC and CNN. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @JessicaYellin. You can also find the News Not Noise Newsletter on Substack.

John Avlon is a senior political analyst and anchor at CNN. He is also currently a primary candidate for Congress. He is an award-winning columnist and the author of Independent Nation, Wingnuts, and Washington’s Farewell. Previously, he was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast and served as chief speechwriter for the Mayor of New York during the attacks of 9/11. He lives with his wife Margaret Hoover and their two children in New York.

Kelly Kiki has been working in the Press and media industry since 2007. She worked in print journalism, she was responsible for the Social Media strategy and content of news online publications and she has contributed to digital projects in the field of education and culture. Before joining iMEdD, she worked as a Senior Data Analyst for almost two years; she was trained in data journalism by attending the post-bac Lede 12 program at the Columbia Journalism School in New York in 2018 under a full scholarship offered by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. She is a graduate of the Department of Communication, Media & Culture of Panteion University of Athens and she holds a Master’s degree in “Digital Media and Interactive Environments” by the Faculty of Communication & Media Studies of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Ko Bragg is an Investigative Editor at The Markup, a nonprofit outlet challenging technology to serve the public good. She brings years of experience as a reporter and editor in the U.S. South, with a particular focus on finding creative ways for communities underrepresented in media to tell their own stories. You can find her work in The Atlantic, Frontline, Scalawag, Harper’s Bazaar, Columbia Journalism Review, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, and more. She is based in New Orleans.

Louise Riondel is the Co-Secretary to the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence. She is a lawyer and political advisor in the Digital Development and Governance Department, and previously served in the organisation’s Criminal Law and Counter-Terrorism Division and in the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), as well as in the Drugs and Criminal Organisations Sub-Directorate at Interpol. Louise also worked as the Assistant Director of Corporate Investigations and Security for Wynn Resorts. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Sciences Po.

Margaret Hoover is an American political commentator. In addition, she is also an author, feminist, and gay rights activist. Currently, she works as a political commentator for CNN.

Martín Carcasson, Ph.D., is a professor in the Communication Studies department of Colorado State University, and the founder and director of the CSU Center for Public Deliberation (CPD). He focuses on helping local communities address “wicked problems” more productively through improved public engagement, community problem solving, and collaborative decision-making. In the fall of 2022, he helped launch the Northern Colorado Deliberative Journalism project, working with CSU’s Journalism and Media Communication department, local media outlets, and community organizations to reimagine local journalism through a deliberative lens focused on elevating community capacity to address their shared problems.

Michael G. Kane has worked in the media industry for 42 years, the last 32 with Gannett and the USA TODAY Network. Now based in Greenville, DE, Kane has held many local, regional, and corporate leadership roles in eight different markets over the span of his career. He has been a strong champion for community partnerships, business development, media literacy education, local journalism advocacy and leadership mentorship. He is the proud recipient of many career award honors, including a lifetime achievement award, but he’s thrilled most by being the father of four terrific adult children.

Morgan Malone is City Bureau’s Executive Director. With a strong background in administrative operations, city government, inclusive placemaking, and economic development, Morgan has experience in community-driven partnerships, complex systems change, organizing and advocacy, and social impact program design.

Nic is Executive Director at THE CITY, a news outlet serving the people of New York through independent journalism that holds the powerful to account, deepens democratic participation, and helps make sense of the greatest city in the world. He has led news and human rights organizations on three continents, and was previously Deputy Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Chief Content Officer of Hindustan Times in Delhi, and Editor-in-Chief of South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper.

Nikolas Aronis is a journalist-communication manager with more than 20 years of professional experience in Greece and abroad. He has worked as a journalist in ERT SA, as a cultural editor and editor-in-chief for websites, as a communications consultant, as a marketing manager for the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, and as a New Media and Social Media Manager at the National Theatre of Greece. Moreover, for many years, he maintained cultural columns in daily and weekly Newspapers. He holds a degree in Communications from Coventry University and an MA in International Communications from Leeds University.