Authors

Bob Simon is a freelance magazine/newspaper journalist residing in Tampa. He is earning his MA in journalism from Regent University. Bob is also a multimedia content producer and social media specialist. His enthusiasm for journalism sparked while working as a general assignment reporter in 2015. Now, he is dedicated to reporting newsworthy stories about places, people and issues. For him, journalism is about people and their thirst for peace, equity and human rights. Learn more about Bob and his works. @facebook @twitter

Tashie Tierney has always been an avid storyteller with a dedication of sharing the inspiring humans within this world. Tashie's innate curiosity and affinity of talking to strangers might have stressed out her parents during her childhood, but it ultimately led her down the path of journalism. She graduated the University of South Florida in 2023 with a degree in International Relations and the hopes that it would take her all across the world. When she's not busy writing the latest story, she's probably either traveling, painting, making music, creating videos, or playing with her bunny. Learn more about Tashie at her travel blog or follow her on Instagram @tashies.travels

Philip Morgan is a freelance writer living in St. Petersburg. He is an award-winning reporter who has covered news in the Tampa Bay area for more than 50 years. Phil grew up in Miami and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. He joined the Lakeland Ledger, where he covered police and city government. He spent 36 years as a reporter for the former Tampa Tribune. During his time at the Tribune, he covered welfare and courts and did investigative reporting before spending 30 years as a feature writer. He worked as a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times for 12 years. He loves writing stories about interesting people, places and issues.  

Marilyn Young is an award-winning journalist who has led newsrooms in Indiana and Florida, including as managing editor of The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. She made the transition to corporate communications, serving as managing editor for the state’s largest health insurance company. Marilyn enjoys telling the stories of nonprofits, people and companies who make their communities a better place to live. Much of her spare time is dedicated to animal rescue, where she works with others who are committed to helping cats, dogs, birds, rabbits and any other animal find their forever home.

Michele Smith is a writer based in Tampa since the ’90s. She has a degree in International Business & Fine Art from the University of Tampa and has contributed to numerous start-up ventures in the Tampa Bay area. Her writing is influenced by a local and global perspective. Topics of interest include arts leadership, business development, creativity and innovation and wellness. Michele is also the Executive Director of the nonprofit Tampa Arts Alliance.

Jorgelina Manna-Rea is a University of South Florida graduate with a degree in mass communications. She has served as the assistant news editor at the university’s newspaper, The Oracle, and as a radio and digital news intern at NPR affiliate WUSF. She will continue radio journalism in Washington D.C. In her free time, Jorgelina enjoys watching all kinds of action movies.

Joe Henderson worked at the Tampa Tribune, mostly in the sports department, for nearly 42 years. He covered local baseball for much of that time, including the inaugural season of the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He watched players like Wade Boggs, Dwight Gooden, Fred McGriff, and many others advance from high school to the major leagues. These days, he enjoys semi-retirement and spending time with his wife of 40 years, Elaine, and his fantastic new grandson Landon.  

Meghan Christopher is a graduating senior at the University of Tampa pursuing a degree in advertising and public relations. Originally from Palm Harbor, her dream job is to work for a public relations agency dedicated to social change. Meghan also is on the digital communications committee for PRSA Tampa Bay and currently works as a public relations intern for Lynn Public Relations. Meghan enjoys painting, spending time with friends, and finding new places to explore in the Tampa Bay Area.  

Stacey Cahn comes from a distinguished background in storytelling. She spent over 20 years in the trenches of broadcast news, first as an anchor on the NBC Radio Networks, then as producer at the CNBC and Fox News Channels when both were first launched before segueing into the corporate video world with “Fortune 500” clients. In 2009, Stacey founded “Time in a Bottle Video Productions” to help others to tell their stories; personal  for posterity, business stories to help companies distinguish themselves from the competition, and  “Day in the Life Video” documentaries to help the wrongfully injured tell their stories in personal injury lawsuits. She wears a lot of hats, writing press releases, ghostwriting articles for high-profile clients, profits and not-for-profits as well as media coaching and using her broadcasting pipes for voice-overs to help tell stories in short and long-form documentaries. Stacey has been honored several times for her work but considers winning a track and field relay at Cornell University her “most astounding achievement.” Although she is a native New Yorker, Stacey and her hubby have "come home to Tampa" where they can’t believe they have bananas growing in their backyard.  

Joanne Milani is a Tampa-based freelance writer and former art and theater critic for The Tampa Tribune. After leaving the Tribune, she served as the executive director of Tampa’s Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and remains a member of the International Art Critics Association (AICA). She graduated from Vassar and worked in New York museums before moving to Tampa.

Lissette Campos is a freelance writer and communications strategist living in Tampa. Lissette spent more than 11 years as the host of Positively Tampa Bay for WFTS TV ABC Action News where she showcased thousands of local community programs and service projects. She loves history and café con leche -- which frequently land her in Ybor City. She also serves as a board member of the Ybor City Museum Society, which oversees the Tampa Baseball Museum, The Spring of Tampa Bay Domestic Violence Center, and the WEDU Community Advisory Board.  

Ricardo Perez, a student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, takes classes at the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications and expects to graduate in fall of 2022 with a degree in Mass Communications, Broadcast Program and Production concentration. A native of upstate New York, his family moved to Florida when he was only 3. He grew up mainly in the Wesley Chapel area and attended Wesley Chapel High School, which offered a TV Production program that started his passion for broadcasting.

Breanna Godwin, a graduate of South Florida State College with an A.A., attends the University of South Florida, where she is studying to complete her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with a focus on broadcast journalism. She grew up in Hardee County south of Tampa and now works as a merchandising assistant at Streamsong Golf resort and spa in Polk County east of Tampa.

Jay Nolan is an award-winning photographer and visual storyteller based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. A former Tampa Tribune photographer, his images have appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, Associated Press and Der Speigel. He also covers events for clients such as Hillsborough Community College, Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida. He attended the University of Minnesota and now lives in Tampa. View more of his work at Jay Nolan Media.  

Janine Quarles-Adkins is a creative entrepreneur and mediamaker from Boston, MA now residing in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa. She is a founding member of the lifestyle brand and creative assistance hub, The Nuance Company. Her experience and background expands across several areas including education, community, organizing and youth development, journalism, and mass media art. She enjoys international travel, however, you can also catch her on a road trip with friends and with camera in hand. Lately she’s enjoyed creatively assisting entrepreneurs and artists as a videographer, photographer, and marketing consultant. She is also currently working on a number of passion projects. When not trying to save the world, she enjoys being a full-time Barista.