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COMDay 2019 Speakers

Distinguished Speaker

Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe Sports Columnist and Associate Editor and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee

Dan Shaughnessy is a nationally recognized sports columnist and associate editor with The Boston Globe. A native of Groton, he is a graduate of The College of the Holy Cross.  He has been named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year 13 times and 11 times has been voted one of America's top ten sports columnists by Associated Press Sports Editors. In 2016 Shaughnessy received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for "meritorious contributions to baseball writing,'' presented at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. He has written 12 books, including New York Times bestseller "Francona,'' "The Curse of the Bambino,'' and "Senior Year." He appears regularly on The SportsHub, 98.5 FM, WHDH SportsXtra, and NBC Sports Boston. He is married to Dr. Marilou Shaughnessy and lives in Newton. 

Keynote Speaker

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Bestselling author and On-Air investigative reporter at WHDH-TV

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, winning 34 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. Nationally bestselling author of 11 mysteries, Ryan's also an award-winner in her second profession-with five Agathas, three Anthonys, two Macavitys, the Daphne, and Mary Higgins Clark Award. Critics call her "a master of suspense." Her novels are Library Journal's Best of 2014, 2015 and 2016. Hank's current book is the acclaimed standalone psychological suspense thriller TRUST ME, an Agatha Nominee ‒ the Booklist starred review says "a knockout!" and it was named a Best Thriller by New York Post, BOOK BUB, PopSugar, Real Simple Magazine, CrimeReads and Criminal Element. Her 2019 book is THE MURDER LIST, coming in August.

Panelists  

Political Communication in the Current Era   

Joshua Miller (panel moderator), Political Reporter, Boston Globe   
A Massachusetts native and graduate of Bowdoin College, Joshua Miller covers politics for the Boston Globe. He worked in Washington, D.C., at The Atlantic, ABC News, and the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call before joining the Globe in 2013.   

Jim Conroy, Campaign Manager, Charlie Baker for Governor and Principal, Victory Strategies   
With more than a decade of political, communications, crisis management and grassroots campaign experience, Jim Conroy is among the industry's leaders in design and implementation of a fully integrated modern campaign.  A former Deputy Campaign Manager for Congressman Rob Simmons, Campaign Manager for Connecticut Lt. Governor Michael Fedele and Executive Director of the Connecticut Republican Party, Conroy has extensive national experience.  In 2014, Conroy managed the successful campaign of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, going on to serve as Chief of Staff to Governor-elect's transition effort, and then serving in the administration as Senior Advisor to the Governor. Conroy is an expert in campaign and public affairs communications integrated across the full spectrum of modern platforms.  He has designed and executed successful campaigns for a host of legislative initiatives across a broad spectrum of issues.  Raised in Old Saybrook, CT, Conroy attended Syracuse University and currently resides in Waltham, MA.   

Cyndi Roy Gonzalez, Founder, & Principal, Pacer Strategies, formerly Communications Director, Attorney General Maura Healey  
Cyndi Roy Gonzalez is a seasoned communications expert, having served for nearly 15 years in high profile communications and media roles. She is the founder of Pacer Strategies, LLC a strategic communications firm that provides messaging strategy and marketing services to a wide array of clients. Prior to launching Pacer Strategies, Cyndi served as communications director for Attorney General Maura Healey and in numerous communications roles for Governor Deval Patrick. Before joining state government, Cyndi led communications strategy for the Massachusetts Democratic State Party. Cyndi brings her experience as a former reporter for the Boston Globe, Lowell Sun and State House News Service to her communications work, creating compelling narratives and working closely with reporters across Massachusetts. She graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor's degree in print and multimedia journalism. She lives in Needham with her husband.  

Environmental Communication   

Dr. Paola Prado, Associate Professor of Communication, Roger Williams University and Co-Author, Environmental News in South America: Confict, Crisis and Contestation
Dr. Prado earned her B.A. from Denison University, her M.A. from Georgetown University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Miami.  She teaches courses in journalism, digital media production and the First Amendment. Prado has authored journal articles and book chapters on topics related to digital inclusion, media diversity, and environmental risk news reporting in Latin America. She is co-author of Environmental News in South America: Conflict, Crisis and Contestation in the Palgrave Studies in Media and Environmental Communication.  Her research focuses on the adoption of information and communication technologies for development and social change in Latin America. A pioneer in online media, Dr. Prado directed news production for the Latin American and U.S. Latino arm of RealNetworks and the Latino community portal El Sitio. Prado's career started at Reuters Television, where she produced and licensed news coverage for television broadcast, and later included executive management positions at CBS TeleNoticias and The Weather Channel Latin America.

Philip Shabecoff, former reporter and correspondent, New York Times 
Philip Shabecoff was born 1934 in the Bronx.   He obtained his BA from Hunter College, and his MA from the University of Chicago.  He served in the US Army (4th Armored Division). Phil worked at the New York Times from 1959 - 1991, as a correspondent in Europe and Asia then Washington Bureau where he covered the national economy, the White House during Nixon and Ford Administrations and, finally, served as chief environmental correspondent.  Phil left Times in 1991 and founded and was publisher of Greenwire, a daily, online environmental news report.  He has written five books on environmental subjects.    

Life After Lasell Alumni Panel  

Alyssa Adams '16,  Sports Producer, Digital Producer @ CBS Philadelphia   
Alyssa Adams was born and raised in Philadelphia and yes, she is a diehard Philly sports fan. For as long as she can remember, she wanted to be a sports reporter. She started at CBS Philly as a part-time Digital Producer in February 2018 and 6 months later started working part-time as a sports producer. Alyssa believes that no goal is too big if you continue to work hard. Keep your eye on the ball (dreams).    

Emmalyn Anderson '11, Anchor | Reporter, WMCT News   
A 2011 graduate with a concentration in journalism and media writing and who took part in Lasell College Radio and The 1851 Chronicle while here, Emmalyn has worked in many aspects of the entertainment industry over the years. From working as an actress in New York City to becoming a Host on NESN's Dirty Water TV, her experiences have lead her on a unique path to where she is today. Currently, Emmalyn works as a News Anchor and Reporter for WMCT News in Marlborough.     

Michael Bueno '18, Production Artist, Photography and Marketing, Life is Good  
A December 2018 graduate, Michael was, among other roles, the Art Director of The 1851 Chronicle as an undergrad. Today, he is a Production Artist for the Photography and Marketing Department of Life is Good. He works on everything from pre-production planning for photo shoots and post production photo editing. He also works closely on set with in-house photographers assisting with lighting, digital tech, media management and any other content creation. He has also begun creating video content for the company's social media. 

Shannon Hart, '18,  Event Associate, New England Patriots;  freelance Production Assistant, FOX Sports, MLB Network and ESPN.    
Shannon Hart is a 2018 Sports Communication graduate of Lasell College. Her career interests include the Sports Journalism and Sports Broadcasting industries. She completed internships with the Irish Athletic Boxing Association while studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland, Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and Major League Lacrosse. Shannon is currently an Event Associate with the New England Patriots; and a Sales Associate at L.L. Bean; and a freelance Production Assistant with FOX Sports, MLB Network and ESPN. While at Lasell College, she ran four years of Cross Country and Track & Field, wrote for the 1851 Chronicle and served one year as the News Director for Lasell College Radio.   

Spencer Kosier '18, graduate student in Journalism, Emerson College
Spencer Kosier graduated from and left Lasell in 2018 in TV and Radio but took its sentiment of being a life-long learner with him. He is now going for his Master of Arts in Journalism at Emerson College. When not in class, he's a research assistant and a desk attendant for Emerson's Journalism department and, when one's needed, a producer for WEBN-TV. Spencer also makes TV magic as a freelance broadcast technician and camera operator for a media production company called VideoLink in West Newton.   

Armando Machado, Jr. '18, Staffing Consultant, Monument Staffing, Inc.    Armando Machado Jr. grew up in Washington State about an hour north of Seattle. He lived on a small mountain and near several lakes. He has a BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Spanish. During his time at Lasell, Armando was involved with the WLAS and The 1851 Chronicle. He became a recruiter because he enjoys making new connections, building relationships, and helping people. He is passionate about the environment and social justice. In his free time, Armando likes to watch sports, hike, write, and visit the MFA.   

Alexa Shola '16 , Associate Director of Annual Giving, Lasell College
Alexa Shola graduated from Lasell in 2016 with a B.A. in Radio and Video Production and a minor in Sports COM. At Lasell, she worked as a Student Ambassador for  Development and Alumni Relations and was part of their Phonathon Calling Team. She was also an R.A. for two years and worked as Director of Lasell College Radio her junior year. She was also a part of the radio show "Strictly Hip-Hop" that won Radio Show of the Year in 2014. Alexa had three internships while at Lasell that helped her grow into the young professional she is today. A month before graduating, she accepted a job offer from Cambridge College, a small non-profit adult-learning school, where she worked as the Communications and Marketing Coordinator for 2 and a half years before returning to Lasell as Associate Director of Annual Giving.