Meet Our Staff

is a health journalist with 15 years of experience at The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer covering public health, with a particular focus on health disparities and the impact of poverty on the health of the city’s children. Her years-long reporting on lead poisoning in Cleveland with Rachel Dissell recently led to the passage of a law that will, for the first time, protect children in rental housing in the city from exposure to lead.  She is the winner of the New York Academy of Medicine's 2015 inaugural Urban Journalism Award, a USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism national fellow, and Association of Healthcare Journalists regional fellow. Zeltner lives in Ohio with her husband and son, where she is gradually turning the backyard into an organic garden.

is a Chicago-based reporter and producer focused on mental health. Her award-winning work has appeared in outlets including NPR’s “This American Life” and “Morning Edition,” Chicago Public Radio, PBS and ABA Journal. Hill was a 2006 Rosalynn Carter Fellow in mental health journalism and a National Press Foundation Fellow for reporting on HIV-AIDS. Her award-winning 2019 investigation into New Hampshire’s policy of sending mental health patients who have not committed crimes to state prison prompted the governor to change the state budget to build a new psychiatric hospital. She launched one of the first college-level courses in reporting on mental health in the US at Loyola University Chicago, and has taught at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Ohio University and the University of Chicago.

supports the development team with strategy, grant writing research and development work to identify key funding sources and help conceive and submit grant proposals for funding under the supervision of the CEO and the Editorial Partnership and Strategy Consultant. She also assists with administrative and operational functions of the organization. She has over 30 years of experience in editorial operations and news production, online communications, public relations and communications channels at USA TODAY and customer relations experience with Marriott and Crate & Barrel.

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She obtained her Master of Arts degree in Organizational Communications from Bowie State University, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University. Cynthia lives in Clinton, Md. with her husband and has two grown sons and one granddaughter.

is responsible for the daily operations of YMG. She has almost 20 years of experience in business development and operations for companies including Wachovia Bank and Homewood Suites by Hilton. She brings to the Youthcast Media Group expertise in organizational branding, improving the customer experience, and operational activities and initiatives associated with making organizations better. Carey Johnson is an avid hiker and hobbyist photographer, born and raised in Arlington, Virginia.

Sophie is an independent graphic designer and content creator based in Boston. She is a 2022 Syracuse University graduate with a BA in Psychology and minor in Design Studies. Her previous experience includes work as a research and graphic design intern at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Surgery and Public Health and as a graphics and social media intern at Youthcast Media Group. Her current clients include health care companies and other businesses. Sophie strives to inform and elevate the voices of her peers about mental health issues through graphic design.

is a former Writer-Editor for Time-Life Books. Dr. Teresa Redd earned a Phi Beta Kappa key from Princeton University, an M.A. in English, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Maryland, College Park. For more than 30 years, she taught writing at Howard University, where she attained the rank of Full Professor in the Department of English. During her tenure at Howard, she also directed Howard’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Assessment and its Writing Across the Curriculum Program. After retiring from Howard, she founded Redd Ed Consulting, LLC to assist educational programs and institutions with curriculum development, faculty development, online course design, and assessment. It is in this capacity that she has served Youthcast Media Group, first, as a program evaluator and, now, as a curriculum developer.

is a Miami-based writer who worked in newspapers for 20 years, 14 of those at USA Today. Over his career, he was a foreign correspondent traveling throughout the Middle East and Latin America, covered Congress and politics in Washington, D.C., and later served as USA Today's Miami Bureau Chief covering Cuba and national immigration issues.

is a former national reporter for The Associated Press and USA TODAY. In 50 years as a journalist, he’s covered stories such as the assassination of John Lennon, the 9/11 attacks, the conflict in Darfur, the John Gotti trial, the two costliest storms in American history, eight national political conventions and four U.S. papal visits. He's profiled the nation’s greatest life insurance salesman and its losingest thoroughbred racehorse. He’s a graduate of Boston College and Boston College Law School. At the moment, he’s working on a book about Radburn, New Jersey, “The Town for the Motor Age.’’

has an associate's degree in pre-medicine, a bachelor's degree in global studies with a focus on health, development and environment, and a minor in biology.  During her internship at the Comprehensive Rural Health Project, she was deeply inspired by their holistic approach to developing health in multiple communities. She hopes to continue working with communities in need to help build such a comprehensive and sustainable health system. Pooja is currently pursuing a master’s of science degree in Global Health at Duke University. Outside her class, she is also a freelance artist and an avid gardener.

 is a content writer and freelance journalist based in Golden, Colo. A Maryland native and University of Maryland graduate, Sarah spent seven years reporting in Baltimore—first at the Baltimore Business Journal and then at The Baltimore Sun—where she covered beats including breaking news, health and food. When she's not writing, she enjoys teaching yoga, climbing rocks and experimenting in the kitchen.

is an audience editor at The Associated Press. She previously worked at USA TODAY. Alex graduated from Iowa State University in journalism and political science. She's currently based out of Washington, D.C. 

is a native of Milwaukee, a graduate of Northwestern University and Marquette University, and a former print journalist. She spent 20 years in newspapers, including The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was on the health reporting team for seven years. She is currently on the communications team at The MetroHealth System, the safety-net health system for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

is a video journalist at the Wall Street Journal. She received her master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University. She has worked for NBC News NOW, USA Today and Agence France-Presse.