Deepa Fernandes, Executive Director.

is an award-winning journalist, who is the host of Wakeup Call, the morning news show at WBAI 99.5 FM. Since 2003, Deepa has anchored most of the major national broadcasts for the Pacifica Network, including election year events, Supreme Court nomination hearings and major congressional investigations. Deepa is the author of Targeted, Homeland Security and the Business of Immigration, where she writes about immigration policy and history, published by Seven Stories Press in December 2006. Deepa is also a Puffin Writing Fellow at the Nation Institute. Her writings have appeared in the Village Voice, the Nation Magazine and Mother Jones magazine, among many others. She has an MA from Columbia University.

Jacqueline Kook, Associate Director

Jacqueline Kook, Associate Director at People's Production House (PPH), assists in program development, particularly in the youth leadership, journalism, and media literacy program, Radio Rootz. Jacqueline began working in radio in high school and continued to host and manage the station at Hamilton College. Prior to PPH, Jacqueline managed and taught the Active Learning Leads to Literacy early childhood program at Leap, Inc. After graduating from Hamilton with a B.A. in Public Policy and Dance, Jacqueline taught English in South Korea as a Fulbright fellow.

Leigh Ann Caldwell, DC Director.

Leigh Ann is the Washington DC editor for the nationally syndicated newscast Free Speech Radio News. She is one of the few women to hold the top position of Editor in the lively and complex media market of Washington, D.C. As a former instructor for Rootz in New York who believes in its lessons and philosophy, she felt the youth of DC deserved media justice and was instrumental in the launching of Rootz DC in 2006.

Radio Rootz Staff

Sylvia Guerrero, Radio Rootz Program Manager.

Born in El Salvador, Sylvia Guerrero is a Hofstra University Graduate with a B.A. in Communication. She is currently our Program Manager for our Youth Program, Radio Rootz, and a freelance reporter. Always interested in the role of the media, Sylvia teaches media literacy and radio production in New York City public high schools and hopes to inspire youth to become a part of the same media that influences them.

Kristal Graham, Youth Trainer (Former Radio Rootz Program Associate)

Currently attends Long Island University. She took part in the Junior Scholars program which teaches youth black history and media. After an introduction to radio through Junior Scholars she became involved in Radio Rootz. Through Radio Rootz her interest changed from majoring in Economics to Radio Journalism. She now majors in Broadcast Journalism. Ever since she was 12 she's set goals and as she matured she realized it was as important to achieve the goals set. For example, she has achieved honor roll throughout her high school career. Her most immense goal is to own her own radio station. 

Hana Georg, SMOP Program Coordinator. 

Hana Georg is committed to pushing the link between independent media and community organizing.  She graduated in 2009 from UC, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Feminist Studies and now channels her energy into the production of amazing and inspiring youth media.  Hana's experience with radio and audio production is began on New York's Pacifica station WBAI on which she was a producer for the youth radio show, Rise up Radio.  She also wrote and produced the Radio Rootz Radical Days in History segments.  Hana's work with community media outlets is driven by the idea that media should be the voice of the people, and also that the observation that the current power dynamic between those who produce mainstream media and those who receive it is it is drastically unequal.  

Mera Beckford, Youth Trainer for Radio Rootz.

Mera Beckford is an able, unwavering, and self-starting seventeen year old. She enjoys reading, writing, cycling, and doing new things. Mera grew up in Arverne, New York with her single mother and twin brother, Malcolm. Of her family she says, “They’re annoying sometimes but it’s nice to have people I can count on.” 2006 being her senior year at Brooklyn Technical High School, Mera looks forward to attending college outside of New York State. When she’s through with school Mera will be a news anchor/reporter

Joshua Breitbart, Policy Director.

In addition to being PPH's Policy Director, Joshua Breitbart is a principal of The Ethos Group, which advises municipalities and civil society on broadband development, and a producer of the Allied Media Conference, the premier national gathering of community media hosted in Detroit, Michigan. He was a founder of Brooklyn's Rooftop Films, now one of the largest film festivals in New York City. From 2001-2004, he worked with Clamor Magazine as a Consulting Editor and from 2000-2005 he helped organize the global Indymedia movement. Josh writes about media and technology on his blog and is a regular contributor to GovTech's Digital Communities.

Kristofer Ríos, AmeriCorps CTC VISTA, Program Associate for the Digital Expansion Initiative.

Kristofer Ríos is a community radio trainer and the policy program associate at People's Production House. As a journalist, Kristofer reports on communication policies and social justice issues that affect low-income and immigrant communities in New York City. Kristofer also hosts a weekly radio show on East Village Radio.

Sacajawea "Saki" Hall, is a native New Yorker. Currently she is the Director of Radio Rootz, People's Production House's youth media training program. For three years Saki has worked as a youth media educator helping to build the radio production, media literacy, and leadership skills of youth across New York City. Saki's radio training experience started as a member of the Free Radio Youth Collective. As a member of the collective for five years she also produced/hosted Rise Up Radio, a youth-produced social justice show on WBAI 99.5fm. She has gone on to file news headlines for Free Speech Radio News (FSRN), Pacifica Radio's national news, and cover local and international issues for WBAI's morning show Wake Up Call. Saki is also an organizer and activist member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and co-coordinated the Black August Hip Hop Project for three years.

Mitch Jeserich was the Director of CNPI. Mitch Jeserich is a veteran Capitol Hill reporter who has received accolades from both community activists and elected officials for his daily coverage over the last three years. Members of the Black Congressional Caucus have acknowledged that Mitch’s coverage of certain issues, like the REAL ID act, exposed the true nature of the punitive legislation like no other reporter had done. Mitch has also anchored major national Pacifica Radio broadcasts from Capitol Hill. Mitch is now the Executive Producer for the morning news show at KPFA in Berkeley, CA.

Selina Musuta was the main teacher for Radio Rootz DC. She's also a Free Speech Radio News Correspondent and freelance writer. Selina’s radio skills are a product of a community radio project called the DC Radio Co-op. The Radio Co-op inspired her to train people from the community on editing, interviewing, and constructing their own stories. More importantly she enjoys learning from the people she trains. Selina hopes to continue building with people locally as well as internationally, a community media movement.

Arturo Contreras was the Program & Technology Associate.  Arturo grew up in California (the Valley). Growing up he had a knack for just fiddling & figuring out how things worked, inside and out. He pretty much destroyed everything in my path, intermittently trying to figure out what exactly made that little toy jump like that, or that airplane flip the way it did, and how does that computer tell that screen to do that!?, you know, the ol' "curious boy" story. Alot of people thought Arturo was a crazy kid (some still do). Over time he learned too much though!; drawing, painting, photography, video etc. along the way, computers also got mixed up in the whole thing, Arturo wanted to know EVERYTHING (and he still does).  Put the two together and you get an irreversible interest multimedia-design. So here there he was, he moved to New York to start a career in Multimedia-Design. Arturo says that PPH allowed me to explore multiple characteristics of my creative persona.

Mihai Malciu was a Radio Rootz Intern. Mihais is from Romania. Ever since he was little, he traveled around the world. Mihai lived in Netherlands, Nigeria, and Hungary. Mihai moved to the US about a few years ago and he really likes it here. He speaks three languages, which include English, Romanian, and Hungarian. Mihai joined Radio Rootz soon after he moved to NY. Mihai really enjoys being a part of Radio Rootz. He's learned many interesting things about the media. For example, who really controls the media and also, how to use the studio board. Of all my projects that I’ve worked on, Mihai really enjoyed reporting at rallies. Mihai's covered several rallies like the “Day Without an Immigrant” Rally and the Rally against the War in Iraq. At the rallies Mihai had the opportunity to meet great reporters. Meeting journalists, working with Radio Rootz and learning about the media has really inspired him to become a journalist one day.