From the 2025 Schaeffer Fellows Annual Report: Schaeffer Fellow alumni are shaping how stories are told and information is shared across sectors. Many have built careers in communications, media, and writing, applying their public service experience to foster understanding, transparency, and engagement. From producing journalism to publishing books, these alumni demonstrate the power of storytelling in strengthening trust and community.
Digital Media
CEO and Co-Founder at MutualsMedia
Communications Coordinator for Student Affairs at Texas A&M University
Journalism
Reporter at Michigan Advance
Reporter at The Times-Picayune | Nola.com
Published Authors
Author of “Freedom Child” and “Freedom Lost”
Author of “White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorus – in Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World”
Public Relations
Communications Counselor at Full Court Press Communications
Senior Consultant at DB E.C.O. North America Inc.
Mia Speier (2020), Senior Consultant of Digital Rights at Shared Planet
As a Senior Consultant on Digital Rights for Shared Planet, Speier drew from her research with Oxfam in Jordan on the risks and opportunities of AI in humanitarian and development work. Pictured: Speier (left) engaged in discussion on how AI can support peace while safeguarding human dignity at Globethics Geneva Peace Week.
A lot of AI development and ideation starts in Western countries and a lot of the people that work on these products are either not from or do not have local context or knowledge of the language. We need to consider the impact of taking new and emerging technologies and applying them to different [contexts].”