MiND Advisory Board

MiND: Media Independence is supported by an active board of media and technology professionals, educators, thinkers and community activists.

Jennifer Lawson

Currently General Manager of WHUT, a PBS member station licensed to Washington DC’s Howard University, Jennifer was previously the first executive vice president of national programming for PBS. During her tenure, she was responsible for The Civil War, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? and Barney and Friends. Prior to PBS, Jennifer was an executive at CPB, the result of extensive work in independent film.

Allen Sabinson

Currently Dean of Drexel University’s Anthoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Allen has been a senior executive with Miramax, A&E, ABC, ICM, NBC, and Showtime. Included among his many television credits: A&E’s Horatio Hornblower (Emmy Award Winning Mini-Series); The Crossing (Peabody Award); numerous documentaries; TNT’s Gettysburg (theatrical release with more than one million home video copies sold); and much more.

Dr. Andrew Lippman

Founding Associate Director of MIT Media Lab, and a Senior Scientist at MIT. In his 30-plus years at MIT, Andy has created research programs on entertainment, interactivity, networking, radio communications, personal computers, and graphics. He currently directs a $5.5 million-per-year research consortium entitled “Digital Life” that addresses commerce, personal expression and community in a connected world. He also heads the Lab’s Viral Communications program and co-directs MIT’s new interdisciplinary Communications Futures program. He is starting an MIT-wide program called Living the Future that empowers the MIT and Cambridge population to build their own networks to make life better.

Andrew Hejnas

Andy heads the computer consulting firm, Talisman Technologies, which designs and implements media technology for large-scale ventures. Andy has been responsible for the architecture of bn.com (Barnes & Noble’s web venture), and for the development of implementation of systems for Cablevision (video-on-demand), Pfizer, Novartis, and more. Andy started his career at QUBE, developing and implementing the world’s first large-scale interactive television venture, and has also worked in radio broadcasting.

David Borgenicht

David is the founder and president of Quirk Books (www.quirkbooks.com), Philadelphia’s only independent consumer book publisher. Well known for his best selling Worst-Case Scenario brand, Quirk Books publishes several dozen new titles each year. Prior to founding Quirk, Dave was Senior Editor and Director of Foreign Rights at Running Press Book Publishers, another local publishing house.

Joseph J. Esposito

Joe is President of Portable CEO, an independent consultancy specializing in digital media, strategy, and interim management.  He has been involved in the publishing and new media industries and served as CEO three times:  at Encylopaedia Britannica, where he was instrumental in the launch of Britannica Online; at Tribal Voice, an Internet community and communications company; and SRI Consulting, a services and high-end research publishing company.  His clients have included such technology stalwarts as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, publishers such as Scholastic and Simon & Schuster, and not-for-profit organizations such as the American National Standards Institute, JSTOR, and the University of California Press.

Jack Isquith

Jack is head of digital music for Warner Bros. Records. He was previously Executive Director Music Industry Relations for AOL Music and the Executive Producer of AOL Music LIVE!, AOL's award winning live concert series. Jack’s involvement with new media began with CDNow, where was the head of talent and label relations for innovative internet music retailer. He has also held various executive positions at Epic and A&M Records, and as an artist manager.

Mark Klein

For nearly three decades, Mark has been directly involved in the education of children and teenagers. Currently the Superintendent of the Council Rock School District, Mark started his career as a fourth grade teacher, and has been a Principal at several Bucks County elementary schools. Mark is also an attorney, and has taught school law at several area colleges.

Michael X. Delli Carpini

Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, Michael was previously the Director of the Public Policy Program of the Pew Charitable Trusts, and a member of the member of the Political Science Department at Barnard College and graduate faculty of Columbia University. His research explores the role of the citizen in American politics, with particular emphasis on the impact of the mass media on public opinion, political knowledge and political participation.

Danny Goldberg

Danny is the President of Gold Village Entertainment and is a former CEO of Air America Radio, the popular liberal talk radio network. Danny is a well-known music industry executive (Chairman of Mercury Records; Chairman and CEO of Artemis Records; Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records), artist manager (Bonnie Raitt, Beastie Boys, Nirvana). He was President of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, and has published a book about culture and politics, “How The Left Lost Teen Spirit.”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

An inspiring scholar who has written extensively on motivation thinking and learning, Mike is the director of the Quality of Life Research Center (QLRC) at the Drucker School of Claremont Graduate University. The QLRC is a non-profit research institute that studies "positive psychology"; that is, human strengths such as optimism, creativity, intrinsic motivation, and responsibility. He was previously head of the department of psychology at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several significant books about quality of life thinking and human performance, notably Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.

Patricia Aufderheide

A professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C., and author of several books, including the forthcoming Documentary: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford). Pat is well known within the media community as the Director of the Center for Social Media. She’s a prolific cultural journalist, policy analyst, and editor on media and society and has received numerous journalism and scholarly awards. She has consulted on media issues for the Benton, Rockefeller, Ford and MacArthur Foundations, as well as a variety of public television organizations.

Joanne Harmelin

Joanne is founder and CEO of Harmelin Media, one of the nation’s top 10 independent media firms, and Pennsylvania’s largest media services agency. She is a member of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) and The Forum (a women’s advocacy association comprised of Philadelphia’s leading professional women). She is a board member of Penn Liberty Bank. Other boards include the Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Arden Theatre Company, the Walnut Street Theatre, the Philadelphia Police Athletic League, The Philadelphia Zoological Society, and the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance.

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