Michigan Public Staff

Large sets of numbers add up to peoples’ stories. As Michigan Public’s Data Reporter, Adam Yahya Rayes seeks to sift through noisy digits to put the individuals and policies that make up our communities into perspective.

April Baer is the host of Michigan Public’s Stateside talk show.

April Van Buren is a producer for Stateside and On Hand. She also coordinates the Stateside internship program.

Beenish Ahmed is one of Michigan Radio's Detroit-based reporters. Since 2016, she has been a reporter for WNYC Public Radio in New York and also a...

Brett joined Michigan Public in December 2021 as an editor.

Brian is Michigan Public's managing editor for multiplatform news strategy, joining the station in 2026.

Caoilinn Goss is Michigan Public's Morning Edition producer. She pitches, produces and edits interviews and feature stories, as well as the “Mornings in Michigan” series.

Christopher Johnson is the weekend morning host at Michigan Public. Based in Metropolitan Detroit, he brings together a background in broadcasting, IT, and business to create clear, compelling experiences for listeners and audiences.

Doug Tribou joined the Michigan Public staff as the host of Morning Edition in 2016. Doug first moved to Michigan in 2015 when he was awarded a Knight-Wallace journalism fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Dustin Dwyer reports enterprise and long-form stories from Michigan Public’s West Michigan bureau. He was a fellow in the class of 2018 at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. He’s been with Michigan Public since 2004, when he started as an intern in the newsroom.

Josh Hakala, a lifelong Michigander (East Lansing & Edwardsburg), comes to Michigan Radio after nearly two decades of working in a variety of fields within broadcasting and digital media.

Kalloli Bhatt is a Digital Content Producer. She helps develop and manage digital and social content across the station's platforms.

Kate Furby is Michigan Public's Senior Environmental Reporter. She has a PhD in marine biology from Scripps Oceanography, and she is a National Geographic Explorer.

Katheryne Friske is a fill-in host.

Lindsey Smith is a Peabody Award-winning journalist. In 2023, she and the team were finalists for a Pulitzer Prize. She previously served as Michigan Public's Morning News Editor, Investigative Reporter and West Michigan Reporter.

Mark Brush was the station's Digital Media Director. He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. He was 49 years old.

Michelle Jokisch Polo is a producer for Stateside. She joins us from WKAR in Lansing, where she reported in both English and Spanish on a range of topics, including politics, healthcare access and criminal justice.

Mike Blank is a producer and editor for Stateside.

Mike Perini is Michigan Public's midday host. He started at the station in 1996 as a temporary, fill-in announcer and was made the full-time midday host in 2002.

Mercedes Mejia is senior producer for Stateside and also hosts The Dish podcast.

Rebecca Hector is the host of All Things Considered at Michigan Public. She also co-hosts Michigan Public's weekly language podcast That’s What They Say with English professor Anne Curzan.

Before working at Michigan Public, Rob worked at the University of Michigan in the Center for Academic Innovation. There, he worked across departments to edit and produce video from conception to completion.

Rebecca Williams is senior editor in the newsroom, where she edits stories and helps guide news coverage.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987.

Ronia Cabansag is a producer for Stateside. She comes to Michigan Public from Eastern Michigan University, where she earned a BS in Media Studies & Journalism and English Linguistics with a minor in Computer Science.

Sam Beaubien is a producer for Michigan Public’s Stateside and a Detroit-based musician, composer, producer and audio engineer. Before joining Michigan Public, he spent more than a decade at WDET Detroit Public Radio, helping shape the station’s sound through audio imaging and music and culture programming. He is also the founder and bandleader of Will Sessions and has worked with artists including Slum Village, Eminem and Dennis Coffey

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Public since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting.

Tracy Samilton covers energy and transportation, including the auto industry and the business response to climate change for Michigan Public. She began her career at Michigan Public as an intern, where she was promptly “bitten by the radio bug,” and never recovered.

Zena Issa is Michigan Public’s new Criminal Justice reporter, joining the team after previously working as a newsroom intern and Stateside production assistant. She's also a graduate of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. (Go Blue!)

Wendy Turner's leadership is guided by a commitment to ensuring that Michigan Public remains a vital resource for news, culture, and education across the state.

Jodi is Michigan Public's Director of Digital Audiences, leading and developing the station’s overall digital strategy.

Laura is Executive Producer of Stateside. She came to Michigan Public from WDET in Detroit, where she was senior producer on the current events program, Detroit Today.

Matt Shafer Powell returned to Michigan Public in 2022, after working as Director of News Content at WUOT in Knoxville, TN and Chief Content Officer at WFYI in Indianapolis, IN.

Suzanne Belanger is a Marketing & Communications Manager at Michigan Public, overseeing community and media partnerships, public relations, special events, and more. She started working in radio when she was 14 years old at her hometown station in Delphos, Ohio. Throughout her radio career, she’s worked at a number of stations in Ohio, Florida and Michigan.

Vincent Duffy has been news director at Michigan Public since May 2007.

Zoe Clark is Michigan Public's Associate General Manager and Political Director. In these roles, Clark guides coverage of the state Capitol, elections, and policy debates. She hosts the weekly show It's Just Politics. As Associate General Manager, she helps to guide Michigan Public’s strategic direction, content vision, and cross-platform integration.

Danielle has been with Michigan Public since January 2015. As a journalism major in college, Danielle fell in love with public media in general and Michigan Public in particular.

Ellen Perry has been at Michigan Public since October 2016 as an Account Executive on the Sponsorship team.

Jaci Kovala has been at Michigan Public since May 2019. She is the Sponsorship Manager.

Sara Westbrook is an Account Executive on the Corporate Support team.

Alix is Michigan Public's Gift and Donor Administrative Assistant. She began her career in development back in 2016 for the Office of University Development at the University of Michigan.

Charlie is a Member Support Assistant at Michigan Public.

Chenita Anderson is Michigan Public's Membership Customer Service Coordinator.

Christa Quinn is the Lead Major Giving Officer at Michigan Public. She spent the first five years of her time at Michigan Public as a member of the Corporate Sponsorship team. Christa came to Michigan Public in late 2018 with many years of experience in the media industry.

Colleen has 30 years of Public Media experience working with stations in Illinois, Florida, Texas, and Massachusetts in finance, fundraising, and management. As a Membership Manager at Michigan Public, Colleen will work to ensure that essential news and information reach listeners across the state, helping to keep the public connected and informed wherever they listen.

Danielle has been with Michigan Public since January 2015. As a journalism major in college, Danielle fell in love with public media in general and Michigan Public in particular.

Mara Logan is an Annual Giving/Stewardship Officer at Michigan Public.

Michael is a Member Support Assistant at Michigan Public, and he is a recent graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in Public History and Political Science.

An is Michigan Public's Office Coordinator. A newbie on the block, An helps with gift processing, greets the crew and guests as they arrive at the station, and helps with general office needs.

Andrea, who joined Michigan Public in 2007, is the station’s Budget Analyst. She is responsible for the post-award financial duties of our sponsored grants, as well as our monthly accounting and annual budget process.

Cindy Payne is Michigan Public's Human Resource Administrator. She is responsible for day to day HR related issues, employment, and assists with the monthly accounts payable and billing processes. Cindy has been at the University of Michigan for 23 years and Michigan Public for 13.

Frankie is a Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Michigan Public. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Communications and Business Administration.

Lynette is Michigan Public's receptionist and has been with the station since 2015. She assists with the data entry of gifts, and is listeners' first point of contact when they call or visit Michigan Public. She loves working at the station since it’s like a home away from home. She looks forward to talking with you.

Michelle is the Audience E-Communications Manager, overseeing newsletters, emails, and the digital content that arrives to your inbox.

Russ Marschall is Michigan Public's Broadcast Engineer. Before this, he worked at the FanDuel Sports Network.

Rusty has been working with computers since the 1980's when data was stored on audio tapes and a computers weighed more than a boat anchor. He's delighted now that computing devices weight only a few ounces and data storage has moved into the cloud.

Taha Abbas is Michigan Public's Audience Reporting Analyst. Having got his degree in Marketing from Eastern Michigan University, Taha brings experience in interpreting data sets and ad campaigns. He works with all departments helping to analyze our audience and curate strategies around them.

It has been my duty to maintain the broadcast transmission equipment and systems at our three transmitter sites in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Flint. Including my time at the station, I have a total of more than 28 years of broadcast experience in both radio and TV in both small and major markets.

Anne Curzan is the Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of English and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan. She also holds faculty appointments in the Department of Linguistics and the School of Education.

Since 1995 John has created Michigan-based editorial cartoons for the Grand Rapids Business Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, and MLive Newspapers. His cartoons are currently featured at MichiganPublic.org and are syndicated to newspapers through the Michigan Press Association. John is an active member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. You can view an archive of his editorial work and other cartoons at Auchtoon.com.

John U. Bacon has worked nearly three decades as a writer, a public speaker, and a college instructor, winning awards for all three.