Susan Arbetter is the News Director at WAMC Northeast Public Radio. She has worked in radio for 12 years, starting in Boston at WBOS-FM where she coordinated the station's public affairs efforts and hosted environmental programs. Susan moved to upstate New York in 1991. She worked as both a deejay and a morning personality at WTRY/WPYX before joining the staff of WAMC in 1993. She and the news department at WAMC have won many awards including a national Scripps-Howard award for Excellence in Electronic Journalism, the National Press Club Kozik Award, 2 regional Murrow Awards, and numerous New York Associated Press awards. Susan is on the board of the Capital District Women's Bar Association, a member of the Women's Press Club of Upstate New York, and the national news broadcasting groups RTNDA and PRNDI.

Liz Bishop, News Anchor at Channel 6, has covered a wide variety of assignments in a career that has spanned more than two decades at the station. She was one of the pioneers of what is widely held to be the first all-woman newscast in the 1970's. In the mid-70's she became the first woman reporter allowed into the New York Yankee locker room after the Supreme Court ruled it should be open to women reporters. Liz has won numerous awards for General Excellence in Reporting (1993 and 1999). She has also interviewed many national figures from Wilt Chamberlain to Bob Hope. Liz has been a member of the board of directors of the Empire State Youth Orchestra since 1990. She has also hosted the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon since 1986 and is a former campaign chair for the Schenectady United Way.

Joann Crupi is the editor of the opinion pages at the Times Union. She is responsible for the editorial pages, daily op ed pages and Sunday Perspective section. Previously, she was the newspaper's managing editor for features and sports, supervising the work of the features, entertainment, graphics and sports departments. Earlier in her career Joann vvas executive city editor of the ,em>Times Union, and before that, city editor of The Knickerbocker News which ceased publication in 1988.

Tasha Jamerson,/b> has been co-anchor of the morning show at WTEN-Channel 10 since 1998. She began at the station in 1996 as a reporter. Prior to coming to Albany, she worked as a producer and then morning anchor/reporter for WABI-TV, the CBS affiliate in Bangor, Maine, where she became the first African American local news personality in the state. Jamerson graduated from the University of Maine in 1994.

Benita Zahn is anchor of NewsChannel 13's Live at Five and Live at Noon. She is also the Health Reporter, covering issues including wellness, treatment breakthroughs, aging, nutrition, and the latest health care trends. Benita's work has garnered her many awards, including a 1999 nomination for a NY Emmy and the Distinguished Communicator Award from American Women in Radio and Television. Benita is on the board of Park Playhouse and L'Ensemble She has also been named Honorary Chair of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Run.

Karen R. Hitchcock, 16th President of the University at Albany, will serve as moderator of the conversation.