ROLL CALL: who will be at the conference?

[Betsy Hubbard]

You've probably seen the speaker bios on the official conference Web site. And you'll get a list of your fellow participants (name, contact info) once you arrive. But this is your chance to meet--virtually--before October 12.

Take a minute to write just a few lines about yourself. No pressure--it doesn't have to be a work of art. And we won't use this as any kind of official bio (but feel free to add your official bio to your profile page, if you'd like). This is just a way to get to know one another before the conference begins.

I'll start:

I'm Betsy Hubbard, Program Manager for the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism (which means I do a little bit of everything for the program, including serving as a lead organizer for this conference). My background is in public policy and program management. My current interests relate to digital media. In addition to organizing and leading trainings about the impact of digital technologies for our journalism fellows and others, I co-teach a graduate course that examines public affairs in our digital age.

That's me. What about you?

[K Kaufmann]

I'm K Kaufmann (yes, it's just K, no period) and I write on a number of topics for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs--one of them being energy. My main beat is Palm Desert, a town of about 50,000 15 miles east of Palm Springs that is in the midst of a five-year drive to reduce energy use by 30 percent. (I also cover higher education and medical marijuana, but those are other stories.) The Coachella Valley is ground-zero for solar energy --350 days of sunshine a year, and while the population skews right politically, the ridiculously high summer electric bills have made pragmatic environmentalists of us all. The area is also in the beginning stages of becoming a major enclave of green business and technology. We've got a small group of local entrepreneurs and innovators who are coming up with some pretty interesting processes and products. Which is all to say, there's a lot going on and while I'm not officially an environmental reporter, I'm as close to one as we've got and am working on expanding my knowledge and contact base.

[Bruce Henderson]

I'm Bruce Henderson, environment reporter for the Charlotte Observer, where I've worked for much of the current geologic era. In 30 years I've seen green, once water-rich North Carolina scorched to toast most recent summers, streams drying up if not for sewage effluent and political leaders scrapping over water rights. Hurricanes regularly blast our heavily developed shoreline, and some experts predict much of it will be underwater in 50 years. I look forward to joining this conversation.

[Christian Trejbal]

Hello everyone. I'm Chris Trejbal, an editorial writer with The Roanoke Times in Virginia. I write about pretty much anything that calls out for commentary, and these days that means climate change is a regular topic. Before coming to Virginia, I worked for The Bulletin in Bend, Ore. And before that I spent way too many years in school pursuing way too many degrees, surprisingly, none of them in journalism.

I grew up in Cleveland, so I'll enjoy getting back to the Buckeye State for a few days. The conference looks great, and the participants look even more interesting. See you all there.

[Betsy Hubbard]

Here is an official list of conference participants.