Contributors
Jessica Copen is an award-winning communications professional with expertise in public policy writing, media strategy, speechwriting, video scriptwriting and social media messaging. She has delivered communications counsel to senior level public officials, including a Mayor and Governor, which resulted in strengthening their influence with the media and key constituents. Her multimedia brand messaging for various Deloitte LP audiences effectively built consensus for the Deloitte Leadership Center launch. She has initiated sophisticated national media campaigns that raised visibility for key public policy and political advocacy initiatives, including Illinois Motor Voter legislation, New York State economic development projects and the Los Angeles charter reform movement. Jessica also has written speeches, blog postings and internal brand messaging for UNICEF’s Executive Director, showcasing the organization’s role as the “global voice” for women and children. Jessica has a Master’s of Science degree in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She lives in New York City.
Lisa Desai is a multi media journalist who has reported and produced for PBS, BBC, CNN International, Al Jazeera English and The Nation among others. She has covered an environmental lawsuit in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest; the education crisis among Iraqi refugees in Syria; and the state of maternal health in Rwanda. In 2012 she directed a 2-hour documentary about international adoption for Dan Rather presents. Lisa lives in London, where she reports and produces news and features for print, radio and television. She has also produced for CNN International’s flagship show, Amanpour. Lisa is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Journalism.
Lisa A. Goldstein is a freelance journalist currently living in Pittsburgh, PA. She has written articles, op-eds, and essays for print and online publications including USA Today, Mashable, the Chicago Tribune, Backchannel, the Sacramento Bee, the San Francisco Chronicle, Wired.com, and the Buffalo News. Among the topics she covers are disabilities, women’s health, technology, and parenting. She has a Masters in Journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. A news junkie, Lisa is a voracious reader, avid traveler and is active in her community. Lisa has been deaf her entire life, but that has never stopped her from speaking her mind. She’s thrilled to join the Women Whistleblowers team where she can continue to educate others about injustice.
Sarah Gross is a print, radio and television journalist currently based in New York City. She’s traveled extensively for the BBC, covering stories as diverse as the hostage crisis in Peru, pollution in Mexico, land grabs in Argentina, and the notorious 2000 US election. She has appeared on BBC World Service Television and BBC domestic television.While at ABC News, she reported from the field on unrest in Zaire, earth quakes in India, and corruption in Armenia. She worked for CNN International’s flag ship program, Aman pour, where she produced hour-long shows fea tur ing inter views with global leaders and heads of state such as Robert Mugabe, Jacob Zuma, and Good luck Jonathan. She has also reported for radio outlets such as American Public Media’s Marketplace and BBC’s Radio 4. She has written for a variety of news pa pers and mag azines, including a story on For-Profit Colleges which appeared in Mother Jones last year. And she has produced and written several documentaries which aired on CNN international and AXS TV.
Tasha Mudd is a writer/blogger, photographer, project manager, social media strategist and the managing editor of Women Whistleblowers. Tasha grew up in Guam and graduated from Chaminade University of Honolulu with a degree in Marketing and minor in Historical and Political Studies. She is currently Managing Partner at Women Whistleblowers. Prior to Women Whistleblowers, Tasha worked as ad media manager at the Houston Press, Houston’s weekly alternative newspaper. Also as account manager at Bernard Hodes Group, where her clients included MD Anderson Cancer Center and Corner Bakery Café. Tasha’s fortes include brand management and media planning with an emphasis on unconventional and social media. An avid traveler and aerial yoga enthusiast, Tasha has strong interests in women’s rights, gun control and environmental issues.
Vicky Yao is the Art Director and Designer of Women Whistleblowers. Vicky is a 2006 graduate of LA’s Art Institute of California. Deciding to start at the top, Vicky worked for Saatchi & Saatchi, Taiwan, where she helped launch the Toyota Prius brand in both print and TV. An award-winning designer and illustrator, Vicky has a extraordinary flair for vivid, clean and elegant design. Vicky is the lead art director at and based in Shanghai. An inveterate world-traveler, Vicky hopes someday to see every locale on the BBC’s list of 50 Places To See.
Peter Wood is an artist, activist and creative director at Women Whistleblowers. Peter is from the north of England and studied at Manchester Polytechnic, Maidstone College of Art and the Royal College of Art, London, where he received a Masters Degree in Fine Art. Peter works in a wide variety of visual arts: printmaking, painting, posters, graphics, film and commercials. In the US, Peter worked at the advertising agencies the Richards Group and Ogilvy & Mather before setting up The Hucksters, a creative boutique which focuses on political, legal, non-profit, fashion, style, pop culture, sports and entertainment marketing. In the political arena, wage/income inequality, environmental issues, gun control and the privatization of prisons, schools and colleges are just a few of the areas that interest, and concern him, the most.
