Board member blog post: Don’t miss out on CAMP in Roanoke, Va.

By Justine Griffin, JAWS Board Member

Can you believe the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) is already next month?

A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes at the Journalism and Women Symposium to put together the programming for CAMP.

From selecting a neat city and comfortable hotel, to bringing together an impressive lineup of speakers and all the logistics in between, it’s been work, but also collaborative. A lot of our members have volunteered countless hours to put all these pieces in place.

As the vice president of JAWS and the CAMP co-chair, it was my job this year to come up with the topics and workshops you’ll see at our conference next month. It wasn’t easy, but I’m so proud of what our team was able to produce.

Attendees can take advantage of two hands-on workshops on Friday before regular CAMP programming begins. Dawn Fallik and Michele Weldon are leading a workshop, “Freelance Free for All,” which will answer all your freelancing questions. Learn how to use and interpret data for everyday stories with MaryJo Webster in our data reporting workshop.

During CAMP, don’t miss out on some of our most timely panel discussions. Learn some tips on how to move up in management from manager veterans, Amy Resnick, Teresa Schmedding and Sheila Solomon. We’ll discuss some of the lessons learned from covering the 2016 presidential election with political reporters Angela Greiling Keane, Meg Heckman, Sandra Fish, Mary C. Curtis and Kathy Kiely. The American Press Institute will lead a conversation about why the public distrusts the media more than ever before.

Don’t forget our stellar keynote speakers this year, Danyel Smith, cultural lead at ESPN’s “The Undefeated,” and Aminda “Mindy” Marqués Gonzalez, the executive editor and vice president of news for The Miami Herald.

There will be plenty of down time at CAMP too. Sign up to be a mentor or to have a mentor to connect with at CAMP. Or drop by one of our tech training sessions, where experts will be on hand to answer questions about social media and other digital platforms that are useful to journalists.

There’s also the Friday night party, where attendees can mix and mingle. This year we’ll also pay tribute to the women journalists who won Pulitzer Prizes, since this year is the 100th anniversary of the top award.

I’m looking forward to seeing friends old and new at CAMP in Roanoke, Va., next month, and meeting the amazing women who are coming as fellows. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about the program this year.

Safe travels!