Executive Director

Stacy Baum

Denver, Colorado
Click to contact Stacy

Stacy Baum has managed all aspects of corporate, non-profit, and political fundraising and communications activities. But at heart, Stacy is a producer. “A month after I graduated from college, Carole hired me to be her 5:00 producer at KVUE in Austin and the remarkable lessons I learned there have not been forgotten," explains Stacy. “It is not an exaggeration to say that Carole changed my life, shaped the direction of my career, and taught me powerful lessons that I am privileged to pass along to my family and colleagues."

Stacy has served as marketing and promotion director at KUSA-TV in Denver, marketing research director for Gannett Broadcasting, press secretary for a member of Congress, and vice-president of marketing & development for Educare Colorado. In addition to her work on The Kneeland Project, Stacy owns a marketing and communications company in Colorado, where she provides fundraising, marketing research, public relations, and strategic planning for her clients.

A graduate of the University of Colorado, Stacy and her husband Michael lived in both Austin and Washington, DC before returning to Colorado to raise their two wonderful children.

Faculty

Joan Barrett

Joan Barrett is the president of Sunflower Broadcasting Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Schurz Communications Inc. Sunflower operates five television stations: KWCH, KSCW, KBSL, KBSH and KBSD; and four websites, KWCH.com, kansascw.com, CatchItkansas.com, FetchToto.com, and manages KDCU, under a joint sales agreement with Entravision. Joan was named general manager in October of 2003.

Before her promotion, Joan was the news director at KWCH. The Great Bend, Kansas native worked in the television broadcast industry as an anchor, reporter, producer and news manager at stations in: Lubbock, Texas; Topeka, Kansas and Austin, Texas. She was also the vice president of news at KPNX in Phoenix, Arizona. Before coming to KWCH, Joan worked as a consultant and trainer for "The Broadcast Image Group."

Joan served as the Board President of The Kneeland Project for more than five years and was member of the group of Carole's friends and co-workers who established the Project. She was instrumental in helping to develop the organization's one-of-a-kind training, which is based on many of the principles Carole advocated. For the training of new directors, Joan provides training in delegation, decision-making, time management and managing multiple priorities, all based on the lessons she learned from Carole.

She is a board member for the the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, Goodwill Easter Seals, and the Kansas Food Bank. She also serves on the advisory boards for the Elliott School of Journalism at Wichita State University and the A.Q. Miller School at Kansas State University. Under her direction, the KWCH 12 news team won two national Edward R. Murrow Awards. She was also awarded the prestigious Gannett Broadcasting "Award of Excellence." Joan is a graduate of Kansas State University. She now resides in Wichita with her husband Jeff; two sons, Josh and Jake; and two beagles.

Paul Dughi

Paul Dughi is the president of Cowles California Media Company, which owns/operates six television stations throughout California, associated with CBS, FOX, Telemundo and CW networks, as well as a network of 52 news websites.

Paul has 25 years in the broadcasting business working as news director, producer, station manager, and now group president. He has won more than 25 regional, statewide, and national awards from the Radio & Television News Director's Association, Associated Press, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and United Press International for reporting, producing, web, and public service.

Previously, Paul worked as general manager of KNDO-TV/Yakima, WA and KNDU-TV/Kennewick, WA as well as VP/Technology for KHQ, Incorporated.

As vice president & executive director of The Producing SchoolSM at the Broadcast Image Group, Paul worked as a strategic consultant and trainer at some of America's top television stations, including those owned by Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst-Argyle, Post-Newsweek, Cox Broadcasting, Raycom Media, Journal Broadcasting, Freedom Broadcasting, and Fox.

Paul also has worked as news director for WBNS-TV/Columbus, OH, KHQ-TV/Spokane, WA, and WAEO-TV/Rhinelander, WI. Before moving into news and station management, he held positions as news anchor, sports anchor, reporter, producer, executive producer and assistant news director at various stations in the Midwest.

Paul has authored two books on marketing, including “Weapons of Mass Distinction," which helps promotion and marketing executives focus their brand and break through the marketing clutter.

Paul has been married to his wife, Michelle, for 30 years. Together, they have three children and a grandson.

Valerie Hyman

News & Management Training
St. Petersburg, Florida
(727) 866-3232
ValerieHyman@Betternews.com

Valerie Hyman has worked as a television reporter, newsroom manager, and corporate news executive. She was the founding director of the Poynter Institute's broadcast program, and spent a decade there leading seminars in management, reporting, ethics, and enterprise thinking.

As a reporter, Valerie's honors included the DuPont-Columbia Silver Baton, the Peabody Award, and two National Headliner Awards. She spent a year at Harvard as a Nieman Fellow, followed by nearly two years as director of news development for the Gillett Group of network-affiliated television stations.

As president of News & Management Training, Valerie provides workshops for television station groups and newsrooms across the country. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, where another of her primary occupations is being "Mom" to Jocelyn and Solomon.

Bob Sullivan

Bob Sullivan is vice president-content for Scripps broadcasting; overseeing content, marketing, research and local programming. Bob is responsible for developing strategic direction for the 10 Scripps Television properties over all media platforms.

2010 marks Bob's thirtieth year in broadcast television and consulting. Before Scripps, Bob was founder, President and CEO of Sullivan and Associates Consulting a marketing and brand development firm. Bob worked with businesses nationwide looking to refine and grow their message in a crowded marketplace including Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream, Taco Time Restaurants, Blimpie Sub Sandwiches, Banner Health, Deloitte, The Pro Football Hall Of Fame and The Competitor Racing Group. He also served as president of The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, responsible for the production, planning and execution of Super Bowl XLII played in Glendale, Arizona on February 3rd, 2008. This game was the second most watched Super Bowl in history and the third most watched television show in US history.

His broadcast client list includes various local television stations and national cable channels including ABC, The Discovery Network, The Learning Channel, and FOX Sports. In addition, Bob has managed a broadcast television group division, (Gannett-CBS) three top fifteen market television stations, one national broadcast television consulting company (The Broadcast Image Group) and six local television news operations. From 2001-2006, Bob oversaw the news, production, engineering, programming and creative services departments at KNXV-TV, the Scripps, ABC affiliate, in Phoenix, Arizona, and generated unprecedented ratings growth. Also during his tenure, the station received numerous honors including the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Emmy Awards for Station of The Year and the 2005 Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall News Excellence.

Adam Symson

Adam Symson is the vice president/interactive for the E.W. Scripps television station group and is responsible for the operation, content and revenue of the division's 11 interactive businesses, including community news and information websites in nine local markets across the country. He is also responsible for directing the division's overall growth strategy in the interactive space. Prior to his current appointment, Adam served as the director of content & marketing for the Scripps interactive media division.

Adam joined Scripps corporate in 2002 as the director of investigations and special projects for the television stations group. Shortly thereafter, he was named director of news strategy and operations, with responsibilities for the station's NBC and ABC affiliated stations. Adam first joined the E.W. Scripps Company as the executive producer of investigations and special projects for KNXV TV, the Scripps-owned television station in Phoenix, Arizona. At KNXV, Adam re-launched the ABC15 Investigators and grew it to be a nationally recognized and acclaimed investigative unit, specializing in long-form journalism.

Prior to his work in Phoenix, Adam worked as an investigative producer for CBS stations, WBBM TV in Chicago, and KCBS TV in Los Angeles. He has also worked as an independent producer for CBS News and NBC News, specializing in breaking news and political coverage, and done tours of duty as an assignment editor or producer in newsrooms across Los Angeles, including KNBC TV and KCAL TV. Adam began his broadcast career at KGIL AM 1260 in Los Angeles, California, and he has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of California, Los Angeles. He lives with his wife Sherri, and daughter Logan, in Cincinnati, Ohio.