WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS
David Sattler, Ph.D.
Award-winning Professor at Western Washington University, photographer, and International Board Member of OHAI Tonga, a nongovernmental organization devoted to raising awareness about the impact of climate change for Pacific island nations. Dr. Sattler has extensive experience in the Pacific region and internationally as a climate change scientist, and serves as a delegate for the Kingdom of Tonga at United Nations Climate Change Conferences and as a Leader with Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. Dr. Sattler served as a co-instructor at the My Climate Change Story Master Class in Fiji, Tonga, and Tuvalu. Dr. Jane Goodall wrote the foreword to Dr. Sattler’s nationally recognized environmental photography book focusing on marine life in the Pacific Ocean.
Assistant Professor of Journalism at Western Washington University, Nieman Foundation Fellow at Harvard University since 2012, and seasoned media professional with extensive experience in print, digital, nonprofit, and broadcast newsrooms. Specializing in developing editorial practices and strategies, Betsy O’Donovan has led impactful projects, including Localore: Finding America, a $3.2 million public media initiative fostering sustainable news practices in underserved communities. As a solutions journalism educator, she prioritizes courses that emphasize solutions journalism, audience engagement, and media literacy.
Betsy O’Donovan, M.Phil.
Uili Lousi
President of OHAI Tonga, a nongovernmental organization in Tonga devoted to raising awareness about the impact of climate change for Pacific island nations. Uili Lousi is an internationally recognized climate change advocate and renowned Tongan artist, a Leader with Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, and a delegate for the Kingdom of Tonga at United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Uili Lousi served as a co-instructor at the My Climate Change Story Master Class.
An award-winning photographer/videographer with a decade of media experience working with university communications and as a free-lance journalist. Rhys Logan is involved in international projects documenting the global effects of climate change in the Pacific (Tonga, Fiji, Tuvalu) and Mongolia with Dr. David Sattler. Rhys Logan served as a delegate for Tonga at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and as a co-instructor at the My Climate Change Story Master Class taught in the Pacific.
Rhys Logan
President of the Media Association of Tonga and Chairperson of the Pacific Anti-Corruption Journalist Network (a regional organization under the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption), and Editor at Talanoa ‘o Tonga online news. With over 40 years of experience in journalism, Kalafi Moala interests include developing effective communications strategies and practices concerning key issues like climate change, human rights, sovereignty, security, and freedom.
Kalafi Moala
Laura Wides-Muñoz
Laura Wides-Muñoz is Director of Standards and Editorial Practices for NBC News Group’s digital and social platforms, where she reviews wide ranging coverage, including U.S. political elections, artificial intelligence (AI) and online deep fakes, and international conflicts. She served as Investigations Editor at NBC News’ Biz/Tech, reported for more than a decade for The Associated Press from Guatemala, Los Angeles and Miami, and worked in standards at the millennial startup Fusion Network and at ABC News. She served as Deputy Washington Bureau Chief at the Los Angeles Times and co-edited the award-winning “Extreme Heat” series. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The New York Times and Foreign Policy Magazine. Her 2018 book, “The Making of a Dream,” about the United States’ immigrant youth movement, was a semifinalist for the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith award for nonfiction.
Jeff Shaw
Adjunct Professor of Journalism, Western Washington University. Jeff Shaw has an extensive background in journalism, public relations, strategic communications, and environmental justice. Jeff Shaw served as Deputy Communications Director for the national Sierra Club, America’s largest and oldest environmental organization, and led communications work for the Beyond Coal campaign, which Politico hailed as “the most effective campaign in the Club’s 123-year history, and maybe the history of the environmental movement.” Jeff has extensive international experience, including leading workshops and participating at a United Nations Climate Change Conference.
OHAI Tonga Administrator, an experienced attorney, and Leader with Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. Debra Allan co-established OHAI Tonga with Uili Lousi and served as a delegate for Tonga at United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Debra Allan is actively involved with food security issues, including facilitating bee pollination in Tonga, and served as a co-instructor at the My Climate Change Story Master Class.
Debra Allan
As a dynamic professional, Barbara Kirshheimer thrives at the intersection of creativity and strategy. With expertise in website design, brand strategy, and social media, Barbara crafts compelling digital experiences for diverse entities, from global brands like Puma and The Romans (the most awarded PR firm) to NGOs, and innovative startups. Barbara brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking to elevate brands and drive impactful online presence.
Barbara Kirchheimer