TRAVIS MITCHELL BIOGRAPHY With over 35 years of media experience, Travis Mitchell serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer at Maryland Public Television (MPT).

Tony Mendiola is the Social Media Coordinator at Maryland Public Television, where he develops and manages digital content that connects audiences across the state to public media programming. Tony focuses on strategic storytelling, audience growth, and creating engaging content that reflects the breadth of Maryland’s communities and perspectives.

Martine Charles is a strategic communications expert skilled in brand development, creation, and execution of comprehensive marketing & communications campaigns and targeted corporate and crisis communications plans. Her relationships with the nation’s top sports, business, non-profit, and entertainment brands have enabled her company and teams to produce outstanding campaigns and positioning strategies for high-profile clients and Fortune 500 companies. Results-driven, she is known for her ability to move the needle and create sustained best-in-class media coverage and transparent...

Tykiah "Lexii" Fowlkes is an assistant production manager at Maryland Public Television (MPT) supporting the HBCU Week NOW initiative. Prior to joining MPT, Lexii worked as the creative director and production manager at Billboard Studios in Atlanta. She works at the intersection of production and partnership to bring the transformative stories of HBCUs to a national audience across public media platforms.

Autumn is a Capital Emmy Award-winning producer at MPT. She currently acts as the social video specialist for Digital Content & Operations' Jobs Explained Initiative. She leads the creation of multi-platform content that exposes 15- to 26-year-olds to valuable career insights and workforce trends.

Indu Balakrishnan is a Senior Online Producer at Maryland Public Television/HBCU Week NOW, managing the website, streaming platforms, media player, analytics and digital space, ensuring content reaches audiences seamlessly, and the overall digital experience stays smooth and engaging.

Dennis has over 25 years experience in media and communications, specializing in the intersection of media, community, and public affairs. Dennis is founding and managing partner at Impact Media Partners, which has provides strategic communications, audience development, community engagement and distribution services to over 60 film and TV projects and numerous PBS stations to date, Dennis spent more than 10 years working in public media, serving as Managing Director of Communications and Media Strategy at ITVS, where he led all promotional efforts for the Emmy Award-winning PBS series...

Lizz Colby is Director of Marketing at Big Media Agency and serves as Assistant Project Manager for HBCU Week NOW. A proud small-town North Country native from Northern New York, Lizz studied pre-law and Spanish at Emmanuel College in Boston before launching her career in retail management and later transitioning into banking. There, she advanced into a Marketing Executive role, leading internal marketing efforts and developing customer acquisition strategies and campaigns that delivered measurable results. Lizz joined Big Media Agency in April 2022 as an intern—and immediately made her...