Kevin A. Hill

Kevin A. Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Florida International University in Miami . He is the editor of Florida ’s Politics: Ten Media Markets, One Powerful State (2004). His research and teaching specialties are southern politics, Florida politics, voting rights, and the politics of ethnicity. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Florida and a B.A. from Furman University.

Hill has published numerous articles in such journals as The Journal of Politics, International Studies Quarterly, The Journal of Urban Affairs, Politics and Policy, and The Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. He serves on the editorial board of The Florida Political Chronicle.

Hill has also worked on several dozen political campaigns in South Florida for both Democratic and Republican candidates. He has conducted polls through Campaign Data, Inc., a leading political polling firm based in Miami. He has been an expert witness and consultant in several voting rights cases, including the Bush v. Gore set of cases in 2000, the Florida redistricting case Martinez v. Bush in 2002, and the Miami vote fraud case of 1998.

Michael Lewis 

Michael Lewis is both publisher and editor of Miami Today, an award-winning 32,000 circulation newspaper that he founded in 1983. Miami Today serves the civic and business communities of the Greater Miami area, providing information not readily available elsewhere.

Mr. Lewis is a director of the Beacon Council and serves on the board of the Brickell Avenue Literary Society and the Prologue Society. He directs the International Roundtable, now in its 18th year, which Miami Today created to focus on the elements of Miami 's increasing international linkages.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Lewis was a senior editor with the now-defunct Miami News, the Orlando Sentinel, the Charlotte Observer and several other newspapers.

Mr. Lewis is a native of Chicago and a career-long journalist. He holds both bachelor's (magna cum laude) and master's degrees from the University of Michigan. He is an academic honoree of Phi Beta Kappa.

Michael Mayo

Michael Mayo has been the Broward Metro columnist for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel since April 2002.

He has worked at the Sun-Sentinel since 1989, the first 13 years as a sports writer and columnist. He has covered nearly every major sporting event, including the Olympics, Super Bowl and World Series.

His work has been honored by the Florida Press Club, the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Golf Writers Association of America and the Florida Sports Writers Association.

Mayo was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He graduated with honors from Tufts University , earning a bachelor's degree in Soviet and Eastern European Studies. He also attended the London School of Economics. He has previously worked for The Boston Globe and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in South Carolina.

Lesley Northup

Lesley Northup is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University. Her research and teaching interests include American religion, ritual studies, mythography, religion and sexuality, and popular religious practice. She is the author of two books, The 1892 Book of Common Prayer and Ritualizing Women, the editor of two collections, and the editor of the reference work, Religious Documents of North America Annual. She has also authored many articles and reviews.

Northup serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Humanities Council, is an associate priest at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove, and is a retired Commander in the Navy Reserve. She received her Ph.D. from Catholic University of America.

Wingate Payne

Wingate Payne has been an editor and reporter in Florida for more than 30 years. She has been affiliated with The Miami Herald for much of that time in various capacities, including 18 years as a member of the editorial board.

In 2002, Ms. Payne received a Knight International Press Fellowship from the International Center for Journalists and served as a consultant to newspapers in northern Mexico. She holds an A.B. cum laude from Smith College and an M.S. from Columbia University 's Graduate School of Journalism.

Justin Sayfie

Justin Sayfie is a founding shareholder of the law firm of Blosser and Sayfie, and a governmental relations consultant for Poole, McKinley and Blosser* in Ft. Lauderdale. He is a former spokesman, policy advisor and speechwriter for Governor Jeb Bush.

As an attorney and government relations consultant, Mr. Sayfie represents clients in a variety of industries, including land development, health care, tourism and security. He currently serves as a member of the Miami-Dade County Judicial Nominating Commission. He also publishes a website focusing on Florida political news and state government called the Sayfie Review at www.sayfiereview.com .

Mr. Sayfie served as Governor Bush's Deputy Policy Director from September 2000 to June 2001. In this capacity, he oversaw development and implementation of the Governor's public policy initiatives as well as the execution of the Governor's legislative strategy and agenda. Prior to that, he served as Governor Bush's Director of Communications and Press Relations.

From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Sayfie practiced environmental and land use law at the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig. He received his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami and graduated with a degree in American Government from Georgetown University.

* Poole, McKinley and Blosser occasionally represents Channel 2's parent company, Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc..

Ike Seamans

A journalist for 36 years, Ike Seamans is senior correspondent for NBC 6/WTVJ News.

A former NBC News correspondent in Miami and Rome , he was also the network's bureau chief in Moscow and Tel Aviv. Seamans has covered news in more than 80 countries. He writes a column on the Middle East for the Miami Herald as well as book reviews and travel articles which appear in newspapers all over the world.

He has won numerous awards including two from the Overseas Press Club for the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and the Nicaraguan Civil War. Seamans is also the recipient of lifetime achievement awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Miami International Press Club.

Mary Carter Waren

Mary Carter Waren is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at St. Thomas University in Miami . She teaches primarily in the areas of liturgy, sacraments, and peace education. She received her Doctorate of Ministry from Barry University in Miami , her M.A. in pastoral ministry from St. Thomas University , and her B.A. in vocal music from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Carter Waren has also worked as a social advocacy coordinator and parish consultant for Catholic Community Services of Broward County. She spent 4 years as project coordinator for the Center for Peace and Justice at St. Thomas University and 5 years as director of social ministry at St. Leo Catholic Church in Winston-Salem , North Carolina .

Carter Waren is a member of the American Academy of Religion, Catholic Charities USA, College Theology Society, and Catholic Theological Society of America. She has served as both an elected member national council chairperson for Pax Christi USA – the national Catholic peace movement.

The Rev. Dr. Priscilla Felisky Whitehead

Dr. Whitehead has served as Associate Minister at The Church by the Sea (United Church of Christ) in Bal Harbour since September of 1989. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University and her undergraduate degree in music from Wheaton College in Illinois.

The daughter of immigrants, Dr. Whitehead grew up in Michigan in a Russian-speaking home and church. She is involved in many organizations, including: The Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, Switchboard of Miami, the Russian Farm Community Project, and Soli Deo Gloria – a foundation dedicated to the commissioning of new sacred classical music. She has chaired the Greater Miami Religious Leaders Coalition and the Miami region's interfaith clergy dialogue of the National Conference for Community and Justice.

Dr. Whitehead believes communities of faith, working in partnership with one another and with other government, educational and social service organizations, can make a difference in moving our country and our world toward a future wherein each and every person can live in peace with liberty and justice for all, enjoying the benefits of this earth which is our shared home.