Co-Presidents:

Liz Miller is a senior studying Radio/Television/Film and Environmental Policy and Culture. She ultimately hopes to combine the two by using the power of the media to change environmental attitudes and behaviors. She has already had the opportunity to begin by spending summer 2011 making a documentary about the use of toxic chemicals in cosmetics. When she’s not making or promoting socially conscious media, Liz can usually be found Bollywood dancing, thrift shopping, or planning her next journey to some faraway corner of the world.

Rayyan Najeeb is the other president of Inspire Media and all you really need to know about him is that he likes hummus. From a young age, he grew accustomed to the thick zesty Mediterranean side dish that has become a staple of his caloric intake. You may be expecting an attempt at an intricate-but-most-likely-lame metaphor to refer this back to something relevant, but you won’t find that here. In fact, he prefers you find him on campus and have a chat about what youlike; the two of you could even break bread over Rayyan’s endless supply of hummus.

Vice Presidents of Production Management:

Liv Jaeger is a sophomore Radio/Television/Film major with a minor in Business Institutions and a prospective certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications.  She has a passion for media, specifically social media marketing, and is a firm believer in the impact of utilizing the right mix of various media channels to reach a target audience. She loves music and concert going, social awareness,
distance running, film-making, the outdoors, and exploring, among other
things.  Being involved in a group devoted to utilizing media to
promote societal well-being is extremely important to her, and she’s
excited for an awesome year with Inspire and all of the innovations
coming to the organization.

Vice President of Public Relations:

Sarah Clark is a sophomore Environmental Anthropology/Communication Studies double major and Spanish minor hailing from the Chicago suburbs. She works as a research assistant at the Feinberg School of Medicine where she investigates the pathology and correlation between unforeseen side-effects and specific pharmaceutical products. When she isn’t busy studying in Evanston or researching in Chicago, Sarah works with Global Water Brigades to help build sustainable water systems for rural communities in Honduras. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys chilling at local coffee shops and designing various visual art pieces. Sarah is a firm believer in the strength of social issue media as a catalyst for positive change. She hopes to change the world by coupling her passion for social justice and the environment with creative marketing strategies.

Vice Presidents of Advocacy and Awareness:

Jessica Smasal is a sophomore from St. Louis, MO who is serving her second year on Inspire Media’s Executive Board. She may be its only non-RTVF/Medill major, but she strongly believes in the power of social media to educate our community and our world. When she’s not lovin’ on Inspire, she’s savin’ the world as an Alternative Student Breaks trip leader. She also loves exploring Evanston, bikram yoga (the hot one!), and making new friends. She is very excited to be involved with Inspire for a second year, and can’t wait to see what we come up with next!

Alison Decker is a sophomore journalism and African studies major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She also writes for the Protest, Northwestern’s socially conscious quarterly magazine.  Alison loves how media can engage people’s hearts and minds, and encourage them to act on social justice issues in ways that simple discussions cannot.  In her spare time, she enjoys playing Frisbee, eating many, many mangoes and playing with her golden retriever.

Vice Presidents of Business Affairs:

Netta-Lee Lax is a sophomore in Medill. Horses, the NY Knicks, and Israel fall among her favorite things. Netta sees Inspire Media and the socially conscious media it encourages as a means of making the world a better place. She is very excited for the promise that this upcoming year with Inspire is already showing.

Vice Presidents of Communications:

Phyllis Dugan is a sophomore majoring in Radio/Television/Film. She is inspired by people’s stories. A story is something that everyone has, and they are all unique in their own way and have the ability to provoke change. Here are two fun facts about Phyllis – She loves sunglasses! And her favorite quote is, “Vision? What do you know about my vision? My vision would turn your world upside down, tear asunder your illusions, and send the sanctuary of your ignorance crashing down around you. Now ask yourself, Are you ready to see that vision?” -Huey (Boondocks). Now that’s inspiration!

Yoonj Kim often finds herself with too many interests and not enough time to explore them all. A broadcast journalism and international studies double major, she is graduating this year after a reporting stint in South Africa through Medill. She obviously loves film, social change, and various genres of media, but would also love to do things with weird foods, Silicon Valley start-ups, and aquaculture, to name a few. For the moment though, she’s incredibly excited for the great stuff Inspire Media will create with the community this year!

Vice Presidents of Outreach:

Lauren Manning is a junior studying journalism and sociology and recently received her Certificate in Civic Engagement from the School of Education and Social Policy. Like much of the Inspire board, Lauren is committed to using media as a means of creating global awareness and sees storytelling as having the enormous strength to empower to enact real change. She loves the idea of sharing new voices and viewpoints. When not thinking of new “inspiring” ways to save the world, Lauren drinks too much coffee and enjoys wearing different-icolored socks, baking cupcakes, and sending emails from her Blackberry. And while she is still waiting for her letter from Hogwarts, Lauren is especially excited for her second year with Inspire!

Danielle Kerani is hard-put trying to place herself in a nutshell. She’s a sophomore journalism major, but her soul lies somewhere between writing and music. She’s inspired by success stories, even if they are filled with sadness. She loves t-shirts, songwriting, running marathons, writing sad ballades, goldfish crackers, J.R.R. Tolkien, and exploring city neighborhoods. Her friends and family constantly inspire her to change and rethink her outlook on life. If she could make one change in the world, it would be to reinvent the media such that it focuses on celebrating life by raising people up instead of bringing them down.