Celebrating 200 Years
NEWS

The Miami Student set to celebrate bicentennial with distinguished alumni

The Miami Student (TMS) will celebrate its 200th anniversary the weekend of Feb. 27–March 1. The guest speaker series, hosted on Feb. 28, in the Heritage Room of the Shriver Center, will include a keynote speech, panels and roundtable discussions from TMS alumni spanning five decades. 

The guest speaker series is open to all Miami University faculty and students, and more information — as well as the form to RSVP — can be found on the QR code located on page three.

Keynote speaker

Emily Williams, class of 2018, said she knew she wanted to join TMS even before she officially arrived on campus. While at the paper, she took on the roles of reporter, editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief.

After graduation, Williams held a summer internship at the Boston Globe. She later moved to the Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2020, she began co-hosting a weekly podcast for The Post and Courier. In 2022, she transitioned to Colorado Public Radio, where she worked on the podcast team and produced several different shows.

“I loved it,” Williams said. “What I realized is that it was all of the great things of doing print stories, but then with this whole other exciting element [where] you’re putting together sound and music.”

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Williams currently works with the CNN podcast team as an audio producer in Washington, D.C.

Panel #1: The Miami Student Through the Years

Susan MacDonald, class of 1977, joined TMS on a whim after seeing an advertisement to join the staff in the paper.

“I knew as soon as I walked in there, 15 minutes into that meeting, I was like, ‘This is where I need to be,’” MacDonald said. “‘These are my people.’ And I never left.”

After graduating, she worked for the Cincinnati Enquirer for 22 years as a reporter and columnist. In 2000, she began working for PlanetFeedback.com, a startup consumer feedback website, where she wrote web content, e-newsletters and marketing content. MacDonald moved deeper into the public relations field and worked for a variety of public relations firms. In 2017, she began working in marketing at VITAS Healthcare, where she remained until her retirement in 2021. MacDonald currently serves as a board member for Cincinnati Public Radio.

Donna Boen, class of 1983, wrote for both TMS and the Dayton Daily News during her time at Miami. She is the former features editor for The Student.

After graduation, Boen worked for the Citizen Journal, the morning paper in Columbus, for two years. In 1985, she returned to Oxford to work for the Miami News Bureau, where she wrote press releases and helped collaborate with media outlets. In 1990, she took over the Miamian Magazine, produced by the Alumni Association. She still serves as the editor of the magazine..

JD Malone, class of 1998 and later class of 2006, joined TMS as a sports writer, and later transitioned to a sports section editor, feature writer, column writer and sports page designer during his tenure at the paper.

After graduation, Malone was a writing and reporting fellow at The Poynter Institute for a summer. He spent six years at The Express-Times in Easton, Pennsylvania, writing for multiple beats. He worked for two years at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania as an environmental and local reporter. In 2014, he began working as a business reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. He has won national awards for feature writing, explanatory writing and investigative reporting, along with various state awards.

“While you don't do the work to win awards, winning awards feels like validation for the time and effort you spent doing the work,” Malone said.

Five years later, he became an editor and communications consultant at American Electric Power in Columbus, and in 2024, he left to become a communications lead for Owens Corning in Granville, Ohio.

Panel #2: The Miami Student and Where it Takes You

Mike Carter, class of 1977, joined TMS as a photographer, eventually becoming co-head photographer. During his time at The Student, he shot photos at sporting events and concerts for notable performers, including Bruce Springsteen and Joni Mitchell.

Carter, whose undergraduate degree is in architecture, worked for 10 years at the Kellam & Associates architecture firm post-graduation. In 1989, he moved to Cleveland, where he worked at multiple different architecture firms. He is currently a senior project manager at K2M Design. Additionally, Carter has helped design a building on every Ivy League campus.

Barbara Zigli, class of 1975, joined TMS and became a copy editor, editor of the Perspective page and co-managing editor during her time.

“What really sticks in my mind is the camaraderie of working together, exchanging ideas, supporting each other, kidding around in the office and forming friendships with people with whom I am still in touch 50 years later,” Zigli said.

After graduation, Zigli worked for the Cincinnati Enquirer. In 1982, she became a member of the founding staff of USA Today and worked as a national reporter, education reporter and travel editor.

In 1987, Zigli became a foreign service officer and served as a cultural affairs officer in Beijing, China; Chengdu, China; Moscow, Russia; Bratislava, Slovakia and Hong Kong. She took press calls in Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. She is now retired and enjoys traveling and taking art classes.

Susan Wenner Jackson, class of 1998, served two years as managing editor of TMS. After graduation, she wrote for the Fort Pierce Tribune in Fort Pierce, Florida for a year before pursuing her masters in journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill. 

She then transitioned from traditional journalism into digital marketing and content strategy. Over two decades, she has led content initiatives for advertising agencies, founded her own consulting firm and driven digital strategy for brands ranging from Procter & Gamble to Kroger Precision Marketing. Starting in February 2025, she began working at Worldpay, a payment processing company, creating product pages, newsletters, customer stories and other written content.

Panel #3: Journalism Today

Owen Berg, class of 2022, joined TMS as a designer and worked as the design and style editor during his time at The Student.

After graduation, Berg worked at NBCUniversal, THE CITY newsroom, Civic News Company and Documented. In June 2025, Berg became an Audience Fellow at The New York Times, where he works to help editors and journalists connect with their audiences.

Céilí Doyle, class of 2020, joined TMS as a first-year, and achieved the positions of news editor and managing editor during her tenure. In 2024, Doyle won Miami’s 18 of the last 9 award.

After graduation, Doyle worked for The Columbus Dispatch for almost three years before moving to Texas to work for Houston Landing, a nonprofit newspaper. In 2025, she became a reporter for the Baltimore Banner and currently covers Baltimore County.

Douglas John Imbrogno, class of 1979, joined TMS his first year and became feature editor his senior year. After graduating, he worked for three decades at the Charleston Gazette as a feature writer and editor. He has been published in Medium, The Seattle Times, Miami Herald, Washington Times and more.  In 202o, he helped found WestVirginiaVille.com, an online magazine. Currently, he runs a Substack and continues to work as a writer and a freelance journalist.

The three panels will run from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, following welcoming remarks from Editor-in-Chief Olivia Patel, remarks from President Gregory Crawford and a keynote speech from Williams.

Registration for Saturday’s guest speaker series will remain open until Feb. 23. 


mahones5@miamioh.edu

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