Who We Are
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Staff - Headquarters
William Ryerson, President
ryerson@populationmedia.org
Population Media Center’s founder and President, William Ryerson has a 37-year history of working in the field of reproductive health, including 20 years of experience adapting the Sabido methodology for behavior change communications to various cultural settings worldwide. He has also been involved in the design of research to measure the effects of such projects in a number of countries, one of which has led to a series of publications regarding a serialized radio drama in Tanzania and its effects on HIV/AIDS avoidance and family planning use. He also serves as President of the Population Institute, which works in partnership with Population Media Center. He received a B.A. in Biology (Magna Cum Laude) from Amherst College and an M.Phil. in Biology from Yale University (with specialization in Ecology and Evolution). Before founding Population Media Center, he served as Director of the Population Institute’s Youth and Student Division, Development Director of Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, Associate Director of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Executive Vice President of Population Communications International. As a graduate student, he was Founder and first Chairperson of the Yale Chapter of Zero Population Growth (ZPG). He also served on the Executive Committee of ZPG, as Eastern Vice President and Secretary of the national organization. Mr. Ryerson is listed in several editions of Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the East. In 2006, he was awarded the Nafis Sadik Prize for Courage from the Rotarian Action Group on Population and Development.
Kriss Barker, Vice President for International Programs
krissbarker@populationmedia.org
PMC’s Vice President for International Programs. She has over 20 years of experience in health development, specifically in information, education and communication (IEC), behavior change communication (BCC), operations research (OR), and monitoring and evaluation. In her five years at PMC, Ms. Barker has trained numerous media and health communciation professionals in the Sabido methodology for behavior change communication using the mass media. She oversees management of PMC programs in over 20 countries worldwide. Ms. Barker has authored several papers on the Sabido methodology, including manuscripts, journal articles and chapters in edited textbooks. She is considered an expert on application of the Sabido methodology for behavior change. She holds a B.A. in Human Biology with Honors from Stanford University, and an M.P.H. from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, with a specialization in International Health and Family Planning.
Joseph J. Bish, Population Outreach Manager
joebish@populationmedia.org
Joe Bish holds a Masters of Science in Environmental Advocacy and Organizing from Antioch University New England in Keene NH. He has worked in environmentally themed non-profit administration settings in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont on issues ranging from ocean conservation to alternatives to nuclear power.
Scott Connolly, Ed.D., MPH, Research Director
connolly@populationmedia.org
Dr. Connolly has been actively engaged in the design, production, and evaluation of media-based public health programs for the past 15 years. Prior to joining PMC, he served as Senior Communications Professional and Research Investigator at the Office of Health Promotion Research, College of Medicine, University of Vermont. He holds an M.P.H. in Behavior Science and Health Communication from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and an Ed.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont.
Katie Elmore, Director of Communications
elmore@populationmedia.org
PMC’s Director of Communications received a B.A. in History with a minor in Sociology from the University of Vermont. Currently, Katie is pursuing a Masters in Media Studies at The New School for Social Research in New York, NY, where she received a departmental scholarship. She also serves on the board of The Center for Media and Democracy in Burlington, Vermont and on the board of New England Coalition for Sustainable Population (NECSP). Before joining PMC, Katie was the Director of Communications and Fundraising Events at Special Olympics Vermont. She served as the President of the UVM Concert Bureau for three years and consulted with Howard Dean’s presidential campaign on how to reach out to young voters through music and events. She also interned in the Music and Talent Department of Jimmy Kimmel Live in Hollywood, CA.
Irwin Sonny Fox, West Coast Representative
fox@populationmedia.net
Irwin Sonny Fox brings more than forty years of experience in television to his position as West Coast Representative for Population Media Center. Fox’s career includes an award winning tour as Voice of America’s correspondent covering the Korean War. He later hosted the CBS-TV series, Let’s Take a Trip, hosted the CBS-TV prime-time show The $64,000 Challenge, and for over eight years produced and hosted Wonderama, a children’s TV program in the New York area. He produced an off-Broadway musical, Taking my Turn, which he later presented as a PBS Masterpiece Theater special, and a film with Julie Harris, Bronte. Mr. Fox has been the Vice President, Children’s Programs, NBC-TV, and Chairman of the Board of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). He has served as Chairman of the Board of PCI, and has been a consultant to Granada Television in England. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He serves on the Past Presidents Committee of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and on the Advisory Board for the Norman Lear Entertainment Center Hollywood, Health and Society project at the Annenberg School for Communication. Mr. Fox is the author of four books and is currently working on his fifth.
Thato Ratsebe, Development and Communications Assistant to the President
ratsebe@populationmedia.org
Thato recently completed a Master of Science in Administration and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, both from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. Since receiving her degree, she has worked at the Population Reference Bureau in planning an international conference. Originally from Botswana, she received training in the Sabido methodology from Population Media Center as a writer and was involved in a CDC-run radio serial drama project there focused on raising awareness of the personal and community costs of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent it and other sexually transmitted diseases. She has served as a host of radio programs in both Botswana and Vermont. As a radio producer and presenter in Vermont, Thato worked with the Association of Africans Living in Vermont to advocate for the new population in the area. She featured local service providers, community members and new refugees in her radio program to discuss social and cultural issues faced by the new community. She also served as coordinator for Vermont Public Television’s participation in a yearlong campaign of the Global Health Council, “Rx for Child Survival,” to highlight the treatment of childhood illnesses in America and around the world.
William J. Rider, CPA, Finance Director
rider@populationmedia.org
PMC ’s Finance Director, Bill Rider has 20 years of experience in non-profit finance and accounting, most recently as Budget Director for Vermont’s largest health system. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Vermont and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.
Chantelle Routhier, Office Manager
routhier@populationmedia.org
Chantelle Routhier manages the day-to-day operation of PMC’s headquarters office. She came to PMC from B.R. Guest, an event and hospitality firm that operates some of New York City’s trendiest restaurants. Ms. Routhier holds a bachelor of arts in Public Relations from Hofstra University, located on Long Island, NY. While at Hofstra, she also completed an intensive internship at Danielides Communications, a full service communications agency based in New York City.
Wendi Stein, Program Assistant
stein@populationmedia.org
Stein came to PMC from the community foundation world having served as a grants administrator for the Vermont and the Greater Worcester (MA) community foundations. She brings over 13 years of administrative and project coordination experience in the nonprofit sector in areas of higher education, the arts, and sustainable forestry. She received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University.
Paul Ugalde, Director of Development
ugalde@populationmedia.org
PMC’s Director of Development, Mr. Ugalde has over 15 years of experience as a non-profit fundraiser. He has raised money for organizations in health care, arts advocacy, public television and higher education. While running the Major Gifts program for Vermont Public Television, he also appeared on-air during pledge drives and provided the voice for two feature-length documentaries. He worked in commercial broadcast before turning to the non-profit sector.
