NLGJA 2026 National Convention

Rodney Wilson

American Red Cross

Sr. Biomedical Communications Officer

Columbus, Ohio

https://redcrossblood.org/lgbtq

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About me

Rodney is a communications professional working at the National Headquarters for the American Red Cross, passionate about community health. He led Red Cross Communications aspects of the FDA funded ADVANCE Study, which led to changes in blood donation eligibility for gay and bi men. His ongoing work seeks to ensure a more inclusive blood donation process for all.

9:00am PDT

Morning Coffee Klatch Seacliff FoyerPhRMA

9:45am PDT

ChatGPT For Real Newsroom Work Seacliff DEvan Hirsch • OpenAI

11:00am PDT

Follow the Money: AI and the Cross-Platform Global Newsroom Seacliff CJosh Eidelson • Rakshita Saluja • Todd Gillespie • Lynn Doan • Ben Steverman • Bloomberg

1:15pm PDT

View from the Top Grand Ballroom AMissy Spears • Claudio Cabrera • Stuart Boslow • Rakshita Saluja

2:30pm PDT

Coffee Break Cafe Seacliff FoyerMaynard Institute

3:00pm PDT

We Still Drive at 55: The Bay Area Reporter's More Than Half a Century Seacliff DMichael Flanagan • Cynthia Laird • Jim Provenzano • Michael Yamashita

4:15pm PDT

PRSA Presents Connecting Comms and Journalism: Advancing Accurate Representation in Media Seacliff BCurtis Sparrer • Heide Harrell • Matt Marcial • Public Relations Society of America

5:30pm PDT

Fireside Chat Grand Ballroom A

7:00pm PDT

Opening Reception Waterfront CDE

9:00am PDT

Expo Kickoff & Café Grand Ballroom BPhRMA Career & Community Expo Grand Ballroom B

9:30am PDT

If We Built Queer Journalism Today, Would We Call It a Newsroom? Seacliff AEvan Milward • Missy Spears • Divya Karthikeyan • Alex Cooper

10:45am PDT

Triplett Series - The Road Ahead Has Many Paths: How Can Media Meet at the Intersections of Faith, Gender, Race and Class? Grand Ballroom AKierra Johnson • Cathy Renna • Caitlyn Ryan • Christopher Wiggins

1:45pm PDT

Leveling Up the Narrative: Journalists' Contributions to HIV Prevention and Care Grand Ballroom AGilead Sciences

3:00pm PDT

Coffee Break Cafe Seacliff FoyerMaynard Institute

3:30pm PDT

The Podcast Era: Audio & Video Storytelling, Queer Narratives and Holding Space Seacliff DPJ Brescia • Ryan Lu

4:45pm PDT

How CBS News Bay Area (KPIX) and CBS News 24/7 Are Reinventing Broadcast Seacliff BCBS News and Stations

6:00pm PDT

Diversity Reception Waterfront CDE

8:00pm PDT

Night OutQueerty

8:30am PDT

Morning Boost Coffee Break Seacliff FoyerPhRMA

9:00am PDT

Lifting Up Diverse LGBTQ+ Media and Entertainment During Trump 2.0 Seacliff C

10:15am PDT

Beyond the Horserace: Covering The Real Stakes of the Midterms Grand Ballroom ALevi Kalish • Lex McMenamin

1:00pm PDT

Here I Am World All of Me at Last: The Origin and Impact of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Grand Ballroom A

2:45pm PDT

Pitch-A-Thon Seacliff CEric Hegedüs • Pat Manning • Cathy Renna

3:30pm PDT

Coffee Break Cafe Seacliff FoyerMaynard Institute

4:00pm PDT

Content That Connects: The Social Playbook Seacliff CPatrick Gomez • Jack Irvin • Jonathan Borge • Cait Knoll • People Inc.

5:15pm PDT

Convention CONNECTions: A Showcase of Student Work Grand Ballroom AVersant • Kellogg Foundation

7:30pm PDT

Closing Reception Full Grand Ballroom