The CoH Team
Our team is currently composed of students at Roger Williams University. We are working to hire community members and high school students to join our staff or work as freelancers. We are specifically interested in working with members of the communities we aim to serve, those who have little access to jobs within the mainstream media.
If you are interested, please contact us at communitydrivennews@gmail.com.
Our Current Team
Luke joined Communities of Hope because he agreed that marginalized communities need to have their voices heard. He is from Easton, Massachusetts and in his free time, he enjoys reading and playing music.
Luke Brennan
News Manager - The Hope Project
Senior Journalism major and Film core concentration
Luke joined Communities of Hope because he agreed that marginalized communities need to have their voices heard. He is from Easton, Massachusetts and in his free time, he enjoys reading and playing music.
Emily Rosen
Junior Journalism major and Political Science minor
News Manager - EcoTalk
Emily fell in love with writing and photography at a young age. She plans to pursue both in her studies at Roger Williams University, working with Communities of Hope, and post-graduation.
Dr. Motta encouraged Emily to join Communities of Hope when she was a student in his introductory journalism course. She wants to work with and help others as well as to become an active part of the community.
She enjoys creative writing, photography, and spending time with friends in her free time.
Jordan Baylis
Senior Graphic Design major and Marketing minor
Lead Graphic Designer and Creative Manager
Jordan has worked with Communities of Hope since the fall of 2021, where she's enjoyed different sides of the organization: producing original designs, working with new people, and uplifting the voices of underrepresented communities.
Outside of her work, she is a dancer and a member of RWU's dance club and dance team.
Sam Elwell
Copyeditor and Ecotalk Host
Senior Journalism major and Sustainability Studies minor
Sam is one of the co-hosts of the EcoTalk in addition to being the host of his own radio show on WQRI and an editor for the Hawks' Herald.
He joined the Communities of Hope team to get experience in environmental reporting. He hoped to become an environmental and sustainability reporter, to get involved with the community, and to help others.
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Jocelyn Jackson
Multimedia Journalist
Junior Journalism major and Film minor
Jocelyn is very passionate about social justice and plans on advocating for awareness through her reporting. She was drawn to Communities of Hope by the opportunity to support individuals who are impacted by societal issues.
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Her goal is to make positive changes for local communities and after graduating from college, she plans to become a photojournalist and to document the stories that shine a light on the problems people consistently choose to ignore.
Solutions Journalism Researcher and Reporter
Junior Journalism major and French minor
Jeannette White
Jeannette is a part of Solutions Journalism for Communities of Hope. She is from Fall River, Massachusetts and she is majoring in Journalism.
She joined Communities of Hope to be a part of the community and gain experience in the field of journalism.
Her current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is getting on the front page of the Hawks Herald with her article about Native American Mascots.
Annika Irene
Senior Graphic Design and Spanish double major
Graphic Designer
Annika is a member of our Creative Team where she has produced original designs, logos, and promotional materials. She joined Communities of Hope to collaborate with other designers and use her passion to help people's voices be heard.
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When she has free time, she enjoys walking around the local parks and sailing in the Mount Hope Bay.
Grace McCarthy
Graphic Designer
Sophomore Public Relations major and Graphic Design minor
Grace joined Communities of Hope because it was a space that allowed her to do what she loved alongside likeminded people who want to change the world just like her.
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She hopes to design websites for fashion companies once she graduates.
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When she's not working, she enjoys walking on the bike path in downtown Bristol.
Mary Drasheff
Social Media Marketing Manager
Senior Communication and Media Studies major
Mary is the Social Media Marketing Manager in Communities of Hope. She is from Hasbrouck, New Jersey and is majoring in Communications and Media Studies.
She joined Communities of Hope because she loved the message and wanted to be a part of all the great things that Communities of Hope has to offer.
Aside from Communities of Hope ​She also manages the plays at Roger Williams University.
Maya Ponomarenko
Journalism major
Reporter
Is a new member to Communities of Hope and is ready to make a big impact!
Kayle Messier
Public Relations Associate
Senior Public Relations major
Claire Kelley
Reporter
Freshman Journalism major
Jeannette is a part of Solutions Journalism for Communities of Hope. She is from Fall River, Massachusetts and she is majoring in Journalism.
She joined Communities of Hope to be a part of the community and gain experience in the field of journalism.
Her current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is getting on the front page of the Hawks Herald with her article about Native American Mascots.
Kayle does public relations for Communities of Hope. She is from Albany, New York, and is majoring in public relations. She also is minoring in cultural studies and communications
She joined Communities of Hope to gain more experience in her major. Her favorite memory with Communities of Hope has been planning fundraisers and social media campaigns.
Kayle ​has traveled to 5 countries and is looking forward to traveling more in the future.
Claire is a part of the solutions journalism in Communities of Hope. She is from Willimantic, CT and is majoring in Journalism.
She joined Communities of Hope to get more experience in the field of journalism. Currently, her favorite memory with Communities of Hope is doing interviews for documentaries.
Kyle Villella
Senior Secondary Education and Spanish major
Spanish Translator/Interpreter
Aidan Bowen
Graphic Designer
Senior Communication and Media Studies major; Graphic Design and French Minor
Is a new member to Communities of Hope and is ready to make a big impact!
Kyle is one of the Spanish translators for Communities of Hope. He is from Barrington, Rhode Island. He is majoring in secondary education and Spanish.
He joined Communities of Hope to help communicate the needs of various communities in Rhode Island. His current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is getting to work with the team.
Alexandra Hall
Visual Artist and Marketing Associate
Communication and Media Studies major
Lexi is a part of the creative team in Communities of Hope. She is from Massachusetts and is majoring in Communications and Media Studies.
She joined Communities of hope because she believed that the values that Communities of Hope stands for are something that more people need to know about. She also wanted to have the opportunity to help minority groups which she believed could be impactful.
Leena Dolabany
Criminal Justice major and Psychology minor
Legal Research Team
Leena is a part of the legal research team for Communities of Hope. She is from Westwood, Massachusetts and is majoring in criminal justice and minoring in psychology.
She joined to serve and shed light on issues that impact marginalized communities and develop her skills and knowledge. She has a strong desire to make a difference and find solutions for communities in Rhode Island.
Sam Filiaggi
Legal Research Team
1st Year Law Student and Candidate for Juris Doctor
Sam is a part of the legal research team for Communities of Hope. He is from Batavia, Illinois and is a first year law student. His interests involve environmental justice, land use, and public interest law.
He joined Communities of Hope to help tackle the many issues facing Rhode Islanders. He believed in Communities of Hope’s mission to uplift untold stories in the media.
His current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is meeting the team and seeing how everyone works together to create something transformative.
Wren Rodrigues
Legal Research Team
Law Student and Candidate for Juris Doctor
Professionals
Kaylee Pugliese
Director of Audiovisual Production
EcoTalk Podcast Editor
Dr. Bernardo H. Motta
Roger Williams University - Communities of Hope Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)
Solutions Journalism Network (SJN)
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Founder
Colleen Cronin
Program Coordinator - Hope Squad
EcoRI News, Report for America
Contributors
Jack Aviles
Multimedia Journalist
Junior Journalism major and Graphic Design minor
Jimmy Sadowski
Multimedia Journalist
Journalism major