Workshop speaker lineup announced

Students will get a chance to listen to and interact with a great variety of speakers during this year’s workshop. Here are details on some of the people at the events that are planned this week:

Covering the Election (Sunday)

• Emily Lawler, Correspondent at Michigan Information and Research Service

  Emily is a correspondent at Michigan Information and Research Service, a political newsletter covering the state capitol in Lansing. She has worked with MIRS for a year in her capacity as an administrative reporter, and for more two years in her previous capacities as an intern and freelancer. A 2011 graduate of Michigan State University, she holds a degree in Journalism with a second major in Public Policy.

• Kelly Rossman-McKinney, CEO and Principal, Truscott Rossman

  Kelly holds a BA from Wayne State University and is a certified crisis communicator, a nationally accredited public relations counselor (APR), and a member of the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) distinguished College of Fellows — one of only three in Michigan. She chairs the Michigan Chamber Foundation and serves on several other boards, including the Michigan Political Leadership Program and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

Bullying issues seminar (Monday)

• Katy Butler, senior, Greenhills School, Ann Arbor

  Katy gained national attention when she successfully lobbied the MPAA to change the rating of the documentary “Bully” from R to PG-13. Because of her work on this issue she has appeared on such shows as “Ellen” and “CBS This Morning” to throw her support behind anti-bullying efforts.

• Kevin Epling, National co-director, Bully Police USA

  The Eplings lost their son Matt to suicide as a result of a bullying incident in 2002. Since then, they have been active in speaking with civic groups and schools about their personal experience. Michigan’s anti-bullying legislation is named Matt’s Safe School Law in honor of their son.

• Sen. Gretchen Whitmer

  Sen. Whitmer is the Senate Democratic Leader and the first woman to lead a caucus in the Michigan Senate. Senator Whitmer was first elected to the State Senate in March of 2006. She has been a strong supporter of anti-bullying legislation.

• Lance Delbridge, Principal, Mason High School

  Before he was principal at Mason High, Lance was a teacher in the Lansing public school system, and an assistant principal at Olivet High School and Mason High School. He holds degrees from Olivet Nazarene College and Central Michigan University. As a school administrator, he said he finds himself spending more time every year dealing with electronic bullying that takes place outside of school.

• Marco Jones, Recruiter for First District Headquarters, Lansing

  Trooper Jones has 16 years of experience as a Michigan State Police Trooper, with four years prior experience as a Federal Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard. He attended Kansas State University on a track scholarship before entering the U.S. Coast Guard in 1985 and joined the Michigan State Police in 1989. He has been active in working with anti-bullying efforts from a law enforcement perspective.

Band Performance (Monday)

• Ben Daniels Band

  When Ben Daniels decided he was going to be a musician, it was more than a career choice. This young songwriter went to school on Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson and Jack White, among others. The Ben Daniels Band sound spans blues, reggae, hip hop and even jazz.BDB has played throughout Michigan, as well as Nashville and New York City. As a solo artist, Ben has stepped on the stage in Austin, TX at the Cactus Cafe, as well as The Barns at Wolf Trap. He has even sang at the grave of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson in Greenwood, Mississippi. Ben is the son of actor Jeff Daniels. Other members of the band include George Merkel on guitar, Tommy Reifel on bass and Wesley Fritzemeier on drums & fiddle. They have just released their sixth studio album “Roll,” this summer.

Press Conference (Tuesday)

• Sharon Carty, Senior Editor, The Huffington Post

  Carty is a Senior Editor for The Huffington Post. She has written about cars for a decade, writing for “USA Today”, “The Wall Street Journal,” the Associated Press and Dow Jones. She was a 2008 fellow with the Stanley Foundation, traveling to India to study economic issues in the developing world and the Indian auto industry. She also was a 2010 fellow with the East-West Center, traveling to Korea to delve into global economic issues, including visits to the Korean automakers. She does frequent media appearances, including interviews on NPR’s “On The Media” and Fox Business News.

• Mike Ramsey, automotive reporter, The Wall Street Journal

  Mike covers Ford Motor Co., Asian automakers and electric and other alternative powertrain technologies for WSJ. He previously was the Chrysler beat reporter for Bloomberg, breaking the news that it would go bankrupt, and worked at the Associated Press in Detroit and The State newspaper in South Carolina. He is a board member for the Society of Professional Journalists in Detroit and graduated from Ohio University.