SJMC Centennial: Twin Cities Speaker Bios

Join Drake alumni and prospective students for networking and conversations in Minneapolis and get an insider's view of the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses.

Discussion Panel - Full Bios

Lee Carey, JO'77, Moderator

Lee Carey is the founder and principal of Carey+Company, Inc., a communications planning and production company specializing in creating content that supports leadership development and employee engagement.

In her past lives, she was a celebrity chauffeur, an FM-radio morning-show host, and a devoted Monkees fan. A self-diagnosed “recovering journalist,” she considers presidential elections the greatest sports season ever (except for baseball: Go, Twins!).

Originally from Michigan, she received a degree in journalism from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She moved to the Twin Cities after college and a brief stint as a news reporter at KUNI-FM in Cedar Falls, and now lives in St. Paul with her favorite husband, Terry Linskey.

 

Erin Hassanzadeh, Discussion Panel

Erin Hassanzadeh is a reporter for WCCO-TV in Minneapolis covering everything under the sun and filling in on the anchor desk from time to time. After graduating from Drake University with honors in Broadcast News and Sociology, Erin went to South Korea on a Fulbright grant through the State Department for two years.

During her time there, she lived with a host family for a year, worked with North Korean defectors, fell in love with kimchi and traveled extensively throughout Asia. Some of her stops included Japan, Cambodia, Thailand and New Zealand. Korean food is still one of Erin’s passions. The spicier, the better.

Erin has worked at three market-leading, powerhouse stations in the midwest: KCCI, KETV and WCCO. As a Drake student, Erin interned for ABC News and CBS Radio News during the Iowa Caucuses and the Presidential Debate that was held at the university. That opportunity set her up to land a part-time reporter position at KCCI while she was still a student. Erin is a Minnesota native and is excited to connect with other Drake grads in the Twin Cities.

 

 

Jennifer Konfrst, Discussion Panel

Jennifer Konfrst, JO'96, BN'98, is an associate professor in Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She created and currently leads Drake’s Strategic Political Communication program, and she teaches public relations and graduate courses. Prior to joining the journalism faculty in 2013, she worked in public relations for 20 years, most recently at Iowa Public Television. She served as the statewide network’s spokesperson, and worked extensively as an on-air host. She has also worked on political campaigns, and is currently serving her first term in the Iowa House of Representatives.

Jennifer is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America, and hold Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Drake. Konfrst is active in her community, and volunteers for Roosevelt High School PTA and Roosevelt Forensics.She lives in Windsor Heights with her husband of 23 years, Lee Konfrst, and her two children: Ellie, 19, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame; and James, 17, a senior at Roosevelt High School.

 

 

 

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