Biography of Hazel Trice Edney

Award-winning veteran journalist Hazel Trice Edney is president & CEO of Trice Edney Communications and editor-in-chief of Trice Edney News Wire. She is former Editor-in-Chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service and Blackpressusa.com and former interim executive director of the NNPA Foundation.

Edney is also an adjunct professor of journalism at Howard University. She teaches Reporting & Writing, Writing for the Media and the freshman seminar class of Annenberg honor students.

A native of Louisa, Va., she was the first Black woman inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. She covered Capitol Hill, the White House and national electoral politics for NNPA from Sept. 2000 to Sept. 2010, including as an investigative reporter in NNPA's NorthStar Investigative Reporting Program.

Hazel’s coverage has included the World Conference Against Racism in Durban South Africa in 2001; the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon; she spent eight days in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; she flew exclusively with the family entourage on the plane carrying the body of Rosa Parks from Detroit to Montgomery; and was among a team of journalists on a fact-finding mission in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Hazel was also awarded an exclusive interview with then President-elect Barack Obama during his historic Whistle Stop Train Tour from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.

Edney has a Masters Degree from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she was awarded the William S. Wasserman Jr. Fellowship on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. She is also a graduate of Harvard's KSG Women and Power Executive Leadership program.

She was a 1999-2000 congressional fellow, sponsored by the American Political Science Association. In the nine-month fellowship for journalists, she served as a legislative aid in the personal office of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Her journalism awards also include the 2011 New America Media Career Achievement Award; a fellowship at the Annenberg Institute for Justice in Journalism at the University of Southern California; the prestigious Lincoln University Unity Award in Media for economics writing;  the coveted Tisdale Award, named for crusading Black Press editor the late Charles Tisdale of the Jackson Advocate; and a string of NNPA Merit Awards, including  NNPA First Place Feature Story Merit Award 1990 for her final interview with Virginia death row inmate Wilbert Lee Evans.

Selected as graduate student orator for the Harvard University Commencement 1999, she is a gifted public speaker on race and social justice issues. Her professional media appearances have included the Tavis Smiley Show; CNN; C-Span, Bishop T.D. Jakes' Potter's Touch; The Al Sharpton Show; Washington Watch with Roland Martin; the Washington Journal and she has served on numerous forums and panels.

Hazel was named "2008 Role Model" by the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education and a "2010 Phenomenal Woman" by the Phenomenal Women’s Alliance. She was also featured as a "Living Legend" on Tom Joyner's BlackAmericaWeb.com in February 2011. She credits all of her successes to the blessings and mercies of God in her life. She especially enjoys imparting her personal Christian testimony of perseverance against all odds. She has ministered at the Washington, D.C. Regional Jail; Teen Life Choices; the Howard University Sister Stars program; the YoungLives teen mothers program; the New Endeavors for Women Shelter program and numerous churches and women’s conferences.

In addition to building the Trice Edney News Wire, Hazel is currently writing her personal memoir. She can be reached at Hazel@triceedneywire.com or 202-291-9310.

Dr. Robin Thornhill, Advertising Director

Dr. Robin Thornhill is former advertising professor in residence to Howard University having served as an advertising representative at the Washington Post. She presented best practices and professional development strategies to advertising and marketing students. As assistant dean for student affairs and assessment at Howard University Cathy Hughes School of Communications, she counseled and advised students on student affairs matters, directed the professional development program and the entrepreneurship program which graduated more than 200 students prepared to launch businesses.

She has also served as director of advertising for the NAACP Crisis Magazine. Recently, as an adjunct professor at Elon University, she facilitated an entrepreneurship and innovation course to develop business plans and business models. As founder and consultant for Destiny New Image Consulting, she provides concierge-type strategic planning for small and large organizations to help reach their personal and professional goals. Dr. Thornhill holds a journalism degree from Howard University School of Communications, a master of arts in religious studies from the Howard University School of Divinity and a doctorate of ministry degree from the Howard University School of Divinity.

Biography of Fatima K. Bartee

Fatima Bartee is manager of National News Releases, a subsidiary of Trice Edney Communications, LLC. She is also an operations assistant, teleprompter operator and floor manager for Aljazeera, an international news network, in Washington, D.C.

Fatima has served in administrative roles for several major companies, including as a volunteer administrator and press release manager for the National Newspaper Publishers Association; three years as an events coordinator and office manager at AT&T; researcher, receptionist and accounts manager for the law offices of Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP; administrator for ARKTX, PC, an Enron affiliate; and office manager for O’Keefe Communications, Inc.

Fatima also serves as a minister at Victory Church International in Fort Washington, Md., where she is currently a pastor in training. She also enjoys physical fitness, events planning, and working with people. 

Fatima can be reached at Fatima@nationalnewsreleases.com or by calling 202-431-9711.

Derrick Kenny, Web Master

As a Digital Media Professional, Kenny provides professional services including the management of projects that include website development, website content management, digital marketing, live streaming, virtual events, video on demand content, social media management, and the production and distribution of podcasts. He also provides ongoing functional support.

Kenny has a knack for researching and developing innovative solutions, providing effective project management and facilitating effective communications with stakeholders.

He holds a BA in Journalism from Howard University and a MBA in Marketing from Strayer University. He earned his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Hera Huggins, Graphic Designer

HerasCreative.com