ELI Presents: Pass The Mic

Vanessa Maria Graber is the Senior Director of Journalism and Media Education at Free Press. Learn about Vanessa's career and vision for community media in this conversation with gabe castro, Member Programming Director at PhillyCAM.

Barbara Chisholm is the executive director at WACA TV in Ashland, Massachusetts. Previously, she was a founding board member of the station. Under her leadership, WACA has expanded into a larger studio space and increased programming from two nights a week to 24/7 across 3 channels. Barbara shares for leading and growing a community media center, reaching out to the people you serve, building relationships for fundraising and development, and the importance of believing in what you do.

Barbara Chisholm is also the board chair of the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media—find out how she got involved with ACM, and learn Barbara’s advice for those interested in serving on a nonprofit board!

This episode is hosted by Tommy Shenefield. Tommy works with Glenn as the assistant radio manager at BNN Media, and he also serves on the board of the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media.

On Pass The Mic, community media leaders share their stories with the next generation of practitioners. The show is presented by the Emerging Leaders Institute, an initiative of the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media. https://allcommunitymedia.org/foundation

Emerging Leaders Institute alumni Rachel Kamel and Tommy Shenefield report from the Alliance for Community Media National Conference in Madison, WI. As we celebrate 50 years of the Alliance, community media leaders past, present, and future share their memories of earlier conferences, advice for emerging leaders, and their vision for the future of our field.

Applications for the Emerging Leaders Institute are now open! Learn more and apply here by 9/1/26: https://lnkd.in/gjPEs8mE

Ross Rowe has been in broadcasting for 48 years, starting at East Lansing Public School’s WELM TV, and eventually spending 23 years running EGTV, Elk Grove Village’s government access channel. He is a former Alliance for Community Media National Board Member, Midwest Region representative to the national board, Central States Region board member, a founding member of the Michigan ACM chapter, and a recipient of ACM’s Buske Leadership Award.

Ross shares advice for people entering the community media field, and discusses the difference between public access and public broadcasting. In particular, he shares how community media allows you to dig into local stories that might not make it onto larger, commercial platforms. 

This episode is hosted by Tom Keppler, Manager of Brunswick Area Television (BAT) and Ben Staunton, Access Specialist at BAT. In 2025, Tom Keppler received the ACM Emerging Leader Award.

Audrey Duncan, Director of Community Affairs at BronxNet, discovered her passion for media production when it came time to produce a PSA for her nonprofit. When BronxNet opened its doors in 1993, she became the Director of Training, creating programs that have educated over 200 people per year. In her current role, Audrey helps raise funds, write press releases, and communicate with other organizations. 

In this episode, Audrey Duncan discusses building organizational partnerships, her approach to leadership, and the advice she would give her younger self. She also talks about how community media has expanded her knowledge of the world around her, and shares how you can support the field by voicing your support for legislation such as New York Senate Bill 9352.

This episode is hosted by Charlotte Lynch. Charlotte is the Station Manager at Westwood Media Center in Westwood, MA. She first got involved in community media as a teenager working at Milton Access Television, and completed the Emerging Leaders Institute in 2024. 

Jasmine White is leading Montgomery Community Media into the future. After discovering the joy and impact of community media at MCM in 2005, she went on to serve as the Manager of Production Services & Education at DCTV, the Director of Education & Community Engagement at MCM, and the Executive Director of Capital Community Media. Jasmine has also dedicated herself to the national movement, serving as Chair of the Alliance for Community Media Board of Directors from 2023 to 2025. 

In 2023, Jasmine returned to Montgomery Community Media as CEO, bringing her extensive experience and wisdom back to where she got her start.

In this episode, Jasmine White shares her advice for serving communities through media, leadership lessons she's learned along the way, and the one thing she hopes community media never loses.

This episode is hosted by Rachel Kamel. Rachel is the Patron Member Coordinator at the Community Media Center of Carroll County and completed the Emerging Leaders Institute in 2024.

Glenn Williams knows community media from all sides. He started as a producer when Boston Neighborhood Network was in need of an arts show, and now he serves as the station's general manager. Starting just weeks before COVID, Glenn has led BNN Media through a period of renewal. He also serves on the boards of Alliance for Community Media and the ACM Foundation.

Find out what makes community media special from someone who's spent thirty years immersed in it, with plenty of lessons learned along the way.

This episode is hosted by Tommy Shenefield. Tommy works with Glenn as the assistant radio manager at BNN Media, and he also serves on the board of the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media.

Welcome to Pass The Mic, a new podcast where community media leaders share their stories with the next generation of practitioners.