Meet AIR's 2025 New Voices Public Radio Fellows!
The Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) proudly introduces the 16 fellows selected for the 2025 New Voices Public Radio program, the first New Voices cohort dedicated solely to public radio professionals.
Since 2009, New Voices has provided space, opportunity and community to underrepresented independents in audio. Defined by AIR's commitment to a vibrant range of diverse voices and experiences, the New Voices program nurtures pathways for independents to be heard, amplified and understood.
Past cohorts have included a blend of participants spanning across public media, early career, independent podcasters, and other crossover fields. This year, the program is designed to support mid-level public radio professionals to provide community, connection and craft sessions. Fellows will work on story pitches throughout the two month program starting September 2nd and culminating in a final pitch session at the end of October.
“We recognize the unique challenges and opportunities within the public radio landscape, and by bringing together a cohort specifically focused on this ecosystem, we can foster a network that will not only advance individual careers but also strengthen the entire industry for years to come." explains AIR New Voices Program Manager, Lynn Casper.
Each fellow will receive a $1,000 stipend, one-on-one mentorship from industry professionals, a one-year AIR professional membership, access to AIR’s SoundPath video library, and networking opportunities within the broader AIR community, ensuring continued support beyond the program.
Meet the 2025 New Voices Public Radio Fellows
Abigail Ruhman is the new Health Reporter at KERA in Dallas, Texas. Until Mid-August, they were the statewide health reporter for Indiana Public Broadcasting. Ruhman's goal is to be an accessible resource on complicated issues like health policy and Medicaid for their audience and colleagues. They continue to proudly serve as the Medicaid "nerd" almost everywhere they go — with little to no prompting needed. Before IPB, Ruhman was a reporter, producer and anchor for KBIA and helped produce an elections administration podcast. They earned a Bachelors of Journalism, as well as a Bachelor of Arts with a dual focus in Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Missouri. They enjoy TTRPGs, fiction writing and walks with good music.
Annie Nguyen is a queer, neurodivergent Vietnamese American storyteller with over a decade of experience in public media. She has reported, produced, and edited narrative audio for leading outlets including Snap Judgment, WBEZ, WGBH, and MPR. Her work is grounded in frameworks of abolition and joy. Her collaborations and stories have earned recognition as a Pulitzer finalist and honors from Third Coast and other industry awards. Annie is passionate about crafting stories that juggle complex emotions, layered experiences, and unexpected connections. In her spare time, she explores new crafts, currently focusing on collage journaling, bookbinding and paper making.
Cynthia Betubiza is a journalist from Maryland who covers education, politics, arts, technology, policing, and more for outlets including WAMU, WBUR, NPR, Marketplace, Vox, and TED. She is committed to telling diverse, community-centered stories, especially those about underserved communities. Cynthia holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. She is currently a freelance reporter for Washington, D.C.’s WAMU.
I-Yun Chan is a bilingual reporter and producer based in the Bay Area. Her work ranges from globally focused podcasts in Taiwan and local reporting in California, with a focus on mental health, LGBTQ+ communities, housing, and immigrant rights. As a recent graduate of UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, her work has appeared on KALX, KPFA, and KQED. I-Yun previously worked as an associate producer at a multilingual podcast network in Taiwan, where she produced shows on diplomacy, regional politics, and global affairs. When she's not reporting or producing, she loves watching movies, wandering through record stores, and cuddling with her two cats.
J.C. Howard is a producer at NPR for the show How I Built This with Guy Raz; he has also contributed to TED Radio Hour and Code Switch. He serves as an occasional panelist for Pop Culture Happy Hour, delivering takes and perspective on the copious amounts of TV and movies he already watches. Before joining NPR, J.C. was a freelancer whose projects included reporting and audio editing for member station KALW in San Francisco. J.C. is also a graduate of the First Voice Apprenticeship Program at KPFA. He received a master's degree from Gonzaga University in communication and leadership.
Katie Reuther is a Chinese American audio producer and documentarian who challenges narratives around adoption, identity, and belonging. She’s worked with Marketplace, APM Studios, Heritage Radio Network, and Out There podcast, to produce everything from longform narrative podcasts to broadcast segments to educational podcasts for kids and teens.
Katie’s independent work has been archived at the Vermont Folklife Center and the Library of Congress, and published by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
Before starting in audio, she earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Middlebury College and a master's degree in food studies from Chatham University. In 2019, she received a Fulbright grant to research organic agriculture in China.
LaShawn L. Hudson is an Atlanta-based multimedia journalist who is passionate about telling compelling stories across print, video, digital, and radio platforms. She currently serves as a radio producer and reporter for "Closer Look with Rose Scott," the flagship daily news show for WABE, an NPR-affiliated station in Atlanta, Georgia. Her written work has appeared in Sesi Magazine, Pride Magazine and the Atlanta Voice newspaper. Additionally, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists Pioneer Award recipient previously worked as a television news producer for WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina, FOX23 News in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and WNEM TV-5 in Saginaw, Michigan.
Lyndon German covers Henrico and Hanover counties for VPM News in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to that, German worked for several award-winning news organizations, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Virginian-Pilot and The Progress-Index. Outside of journalism, the Mechanicsville native and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate worked in audio, as a volunteer for the community radio station WRIR, and in creative publishing for VCU literary journals such as Blackbird and Pwatem.
Margaret Cirino (she/her) is a Vietnamese-American audio journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work explores the intersections of environment, identity, and culture through place-centered storytelling. She is currently a podcast producer for NPR’s Life Kit and has contributed to Short Wave, TED Radio Hour, It’s Been A Minute and How I Built This. Margaret was a 2024 UnionDocs Collaborative Studio Fellow and is currently developing a documentary about climate gentrification in New York City. She is passionate about creating work that helps communities envision more just and powerful futures.
Molly Marcello is a journalist and audio maker currently reporting from rural Utah. She spent over six years directing KZMU News, a daily community radio program, and has produced stories on queer life, outdoor rescue, and what makes small towns tick. Her best work centers voices that don’t always get heard, especially in rural spaces, and she’s passionate about audio that feels personal and place-based. Right now, she’s producing Back From Beyond, a podcast about the busiest Search and Rescue team in canyon country. She's deeply inspired by sound as a medium for connection and community.
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler is an Associate Producer for Planet Money. Previously, he's held positions at NPR's Ask Me Another & All Things Considered, and was the inaugural Code Switch Fellow. Before NPR, he interned with World Cafe from WXPN. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and continues to reside in Philadelphia with his dog, Peggy.
Shardae White is a multimedia journalist based in Dallas, Texas. She works as an Assistant Podcast Producer at KERA. In her role, she produces the daily news podcast, Wake Up with KERA News. She also co-produced several podcasts including translation work for “Tiempo Tranquilo” a bilingual children’s podcast. She earned a Master’s in Journalism from the University of North Texas’ Mayborn School of Journalism. Shardae is an alum of the NPR Next Generation Radio and National Press Foundation’s “Widening the Pipeline” fellowships. She’s currently on the third repeat of her beginner’s running program, and will analyze anything if left to.
Sofi Gratas is a reporter at Georgia Public Broadcasting where she covers health and health care, often from Georgia's rural counties. She also reports on immigration and the environment. Sofi joined GPB in June 2022 as a Report for America Corp member and over the past three years, has built up the health beat at GPB, aiming to localize national policy and bring community-driven stories to a statewide audience. Her reporting has been featured on National Public Broadcasting. Sofi previously worked at the NPR-affiliate station in Athens, WUGA, where she helped produce weekly segments with local stakeholders. She won a PMJA award for Climate/Environment reporting in 2024.
Srishti Prabha is a Bay Area–based journalist with a passion for amplifying local South Asian narratives and other marginalized voices across radio, print and digital media. They are currently an intern with The California Report Magazine at KQED, producing longform human interest features, and a specialist with the News Revenue Hub, supporting independent newsrooms nationwide. Their reporting has appeared in NPR, Solving Sacramento, The Sacramento Observer and East Palo Alto Today.
Most recently, Prabha covered education in Sacramento for CapRadio as a Report for America corps member, reporting on school discipline, funding inequities and policies affecting communities of color. Before that, they served as managing editor of India Currents, a nonprofit magazine covering immigration, cultural identity and health in the South Asian community. They began their journalism career at East Palo Alto Today as a Public Allies fellow, documenting the human cost of gentrification, and have earned recognition from the San Francisco Press Club and the California News Publishers Association.
Wambui Kamau is a Baltimore-based journalist specializing in urban justice storytelling — reporting that asks who gets what, and why. Her work explores the intersections of policy, place, and power, with stories airing nationally on magazine shows such as Marketplace and NPR’s Morning Edition & All Things Considered. Passionate about expanding public media’s lens, she’s committed to developing original storytelling that blends investigation, memory, and neighborhood politics. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, family and going to the beach.
Zena Issa is Michigan Public’s new Criminal Justice reporter, joining the team after previously working as a newsroom intern and Stateside production assistant. She has contributed to award-winning projects like Voter Voices and What the Vote. A fluent Arabic speaker and experienced multimedia journalist, she has reported for WLNS-TV, WDIV-TV, and WBAL-TV, and brings strong social media storytelling skills to her new role. She's also a graduate of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
New Voices Captain
Thomas Lu is a journalist, audio producer, and story editor based in Washington, DC. He is currently a freelance producer/editor at the Washington Post and an editor/mentor for Australia’s All The Best Radio. He was most recently a producer for Vox’s science podcast Unexplainable, where he produced and reported an episode on how to talk to aliens.
New Voices Program Manager
Lynn Casper is the New Voices program manager at AIR. Casper has been an independent podcaster for over a decade and has been producing the queer music podcast, Homoground, since 2011 which has evolved into an incubator for queer creators. Casper has done voice narration, music sourcing and co-production on various other shows. Coming from a background in community organizing, Casper speaks frequently on the impact of intentional podcasting and DIY audience engagement strategies. Outside of the Internet, Casper enjoys kayaking, biking, and singing in a Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover band.
New Voices Advisory Committee
Kyle Norris (‘16), Janet Woojeong Lee, Brandi Fullwood and Raymond Pang ('21)