Howard Schneider

Schneider lead the team that developed the proposal and establishment of SUNY’s first School of Journalism in 2006. For more than 35 years, Schneider was a reporter and editor at Newsday and, for 18 of those years, he served as managing editor and then editor. Under his tenure, the newspaper won eight Pulitzer Prizes and was one of the first in the nation to create a website.

At Stony Brook, Schneider helped develop the nation’s first course in news literacy, designed to teach students to become more discerning news consumers. A version of the course has spread around the country and overseas. He serves as executive director of the School’s Center for News Literacy, and helped to lead the effort to establish the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook in 2009.

Schneider began his teaching career as an adjunct instructor at Stony Brook in 1980. He received the 2012 DeWitt Reddick Award for Public Communications and Journalism from the University of Texas. In 2003, he received Columbia Graduate School of Journalism’s Alumnus Award.

He has been a member of the Pulitzer Prize judging panel three times.

He earned his B.A. at Syracuse University in Journalism and Psychology and his master’s in journalism from Columbia University.

Frank Posillico

Frank Posillico is a New York-based Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist. He currently works as a Freelance Producer. Previously he worked on the national digital video team at Spectrum News and was a Senior Video Producer at the New York Daily News. Frank was a student at Stony Brook University in the journalism program and graduated in 2013.

At Stony Brook he got his start at the campus newspaper “The Statesman.” He was a photo editor, news editor and eventually the paper’s Editor-in-Chief for three years. After graduation, Frank has stayed in touch with the school and currently serves on the School of Journalism Alumni Board. Frank has worked with the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists since 2011.

Rick Ricioppo 

Rick Ricioppo was named associate professor of electronic and video journalism in September 2007. Rick also serves as the manager of TV production for the communication and journalism school.

Ricioppo was the production director of TV 10 at Illinois State University from 2002 to 2007. At Illinois State, he taught introductory and advanced television production classes and oversaw all technical aspects of the daily live student newscast. An experienced professional video photographer and editor, Ricioppo taught news and sports shooting and editing as well as studio and control room production. Additionally, he oversaw video production of sporting events both at the university and at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, Ill.

Before joining Illinois State, Ricioppo held a variety of positions in electronic journalism. Most recently, he was a sports photographer and editor for the Empire Sports Network from 2000 to 2002. Previously, he was news photographer and editor, WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY(1994-2000); videographer, director and technician, C-Span (1988-94); promotions producer, Cablevision, Woodbury, N.Y (1987-88); and photographer, editor and director, Telicare, Rockville Centre, N.Y. (1986-87).

Ricioppo holds a master of science degree in communication from Illinois State University.

Marcy McGinnis

Marcy McGinnis was associate dean of Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism from 2007 until 2014. McGinnis joined Stony Brook as director of the broadcast journalism program in 2006 and, with the founding dean, helped start the first undergraduate school of journalism in the SUNY system.

McGinnis was Senior Vice President, News Coverage, at CBS News from 2001-2005 and Vice President, News Coverage from 1997-2001. She managed CBS News’ worldwide newsgathering operation, hard news broadcasts, special events coverage and breaking news as well as the operation and staffing of all domestic and overseas bureaus

Connie Conway

Connie Conway is a television/radio reporter with more than 30 years of experience. She worked most recently for Long Island Public Radio as News Director, Reporter and host of the “Evening Report.” Before that she was a Reporter at News 12 Long Island for 13 years.

Connie covered stories from 9-11 to the East End wildfires. And throughout her career she has won 20 awards, from the Associated Press, Long Island Press Club and the International Communicator awards club, to mention a few. She has taught broadcast journalism at Stony Brook University and is Chief of Staff for the Town of Southampton Supervisor’s Office.

JD Allen

J.D. Allen is a lecturer at the School of Communication and Journalism, with a joint appointment in Stony Brook’s Office of Marketing and Communications to help develop climate and science stories, as well as find opportunities for and coordinate with students.

As a journalist, J.D. won an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Excellence in Science Communication Award from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for the first season of his podcast, Higher Ground. The award was in the Best Science Reporting in the Local/Regional Level category.

A native Long Islander, J.D. has reported for public radio stations, including bylines with WSHU, WNYC, WBUR, WAMC and NPR. J.D. has reported on healthcare and small businesses for “Long Island Business News,” and real estate and land-use for The Express Group newspapers.

He holds a B.A. in journalism and sociology from Stony Brook and an M.S. in communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. He also holds accreditation from the Solutions Journalism Network to teach response-driven enterprise storytelling, especially in climate solutions.

George Giokas

George Giokas started his journalism career as a reporter in Westchester County and then spent many years at Newsday as one of its top editors before launching his own business in 1995, StaffWriters Plus, Inc.

Giokas is also one of the founders of HealthDay, the country’s largest syndicator of consumer health news, which can be found thousands of websites. He served as the managing editor of its Custom Content division and also as the company’s chairman of the board. 

He is also a screenwriter and recent graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television.  Giokas has been active in numerous Long Island organizations including past board member of the Long Island Software and Technology Network and the Strictly Students Film Festival. He also has been a columnist for Newsday and BusinessWeek Online, and is the author of the young adult novel Nickel Ice.

A native Long Islander, J.D. has reported for public radio stations, including bylines with WSHU, WNYC, WBUR, WAMC and NPR. J.D. has reported on healthcare and small businesses for “Long Island Business News,” and real estate and land-use for The Express Group newspapers.

He holds a B.A. in journalism and sociology from Stony Brook and an M.S. in communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. He also holds accreditation from the Solutions Journalism Network to teach response-driven enterprise storytelling, especially in climate solutions.

Bill Bleyer

Bill Bleyer was a prize-winning staff writer for Newsday for 33 years before retiring in 2014 to write books and freelance. He is the author of Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History; The Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island’s Welcoming Beacon; Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt’s Summer White House and co-author of Long Island and the Civil War. He is past president of the Press Club of Long Island, the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and has served on the board of SPJ. He has taught college courses in journalism, economics and history. This is his fourth year as chief copy editor for the Greene Team profiles.

Arielle Martinez

Arielle Martinez is a senior digital production coordinator at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is the former editor-in-chief of The Statesman, the campus newspaper of Stony Brook University. She has also written for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Long Island Press, and the four newspapers of L&M Publications (now owned by Richner Communications): Merrick Life, Bellmore Life, The Freeport-Baldwin Leader, and The Wantagh-Seaford Citizen. She was an editing intern at The Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minnesota during the summer of 2015 as part of the Dow Jones News Fund. She was also a copy editor for the 2016 New York Times Student Journalism Institute. In 2017, she graduated from Stony Brook, where she majored in journalism with a concentration in global issues and perspectives.

David North

David North of David North Media is a journalist and broadcaster who produces audio and video presentations for clients in New York and on Long island. His career highlights include coverage of the TWA Flight 800 catastrophe, 9/11, the Great Northeast Blackout, and SuperStorm Sandy for Long Island’s WALK 97.5.

David began his career working in TV and radio in New England; on Long Island, he was a regular panelist on News12 LI’s “Reporter RoundTable,” and a producer for their nightly program, “Long Island Talks.” He wrote and delivered the Newsday.com NewsMinute; and was High School Journalism Program Coordinator and Suffolk correspondent for the Long Island Press. He is a producer/host of “Health Story,” for Northwell Health, and a recipient of numerous awards for journalism. David is a member of the Board of Directors for the SPJ/Press Club of Long Island.

Special Thanks

Dini Zimmerman
Maya Brown
Cecilia Dowd 
Kate Nalepinski (Greene Team TK)
Dan Stark (Greene Team TK)
Liisa May
Paul Schreiber
Lily McInerny
Danielle Ranucci
Andrea Ordonez
Carl Corry
Scott Brinton
Caryn Eve Murray
Brendan O’Reilly

The School of Communication and Journalism

Howard Schneider
Irene Virag
Maureen Robinson
Paul Christensen