Join us for an afternoon of music and conversation!
EVENT SCHEDULE
Launch of Radio Jaguar, Gov State’s student-run radio station
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: Hall of Governors
Reception, moderated panel discussion, and audience Q&A on Equity and Inclusion in Radio
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Engbretson Hall
Moderated by Dr. Cherise Stone-Thompson with special guest panelists Ayana Contreras,
Content Director for Vocalo Radio Chicago, Anna DeShawn, founder of E3 Radio, and SashaAnn Simons, host of Reset on WBEZ Chicago.
MODERATOR
Dr. Cherise Joy Stone-Thompson
Dr. Cherise Joy Stone-Thompson who goes by the moniker – Joy Storm – is a multi-talented
singer-songwriter, actress, activist, and educator. In addition to her passion for music, Dr. StoneThompson teaches college composition and literature classes. She is a three-time graduate of
Governors State University, with a Master of Arts in English, MBA, and a doctorate in
Interdisciplinary Leadership. In July 2022, she released her debut album, A Tempest a Piece of
Joy. Dr. Cherise Joy Stone-Thompson and her husband, author Lance D. Thompson, Jr. (Poetic
Justice) founded CMI Radio, an internet-based radio station. CMI Radio believes in giving all
artists, particularly marginalized independent artists, a platform to be heard worldwide.
SPEACIAL GUEST PANELISTS
Ayana Contreras
Ayana Contreras is a cultural historian, memory worker, radio DJ and archivist. An avid
collector with over 8000 vintage vinyl records, she hosts the Reclaimed Soul program on WBEZ
and Vocalo Radio in Chicago. She is also a columnist for DownBeat magazine, and her writings
have been published in The New York Times, Chicago Review, Oxford American and
Bandcamp Daily among other publications. Her book on Post-Civil Rights Era cultural history,
titled Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism and Creativity in Chicago, was published December
2021 through University of Illinois Press.
Anna DeShawn
Anna, pronouns anything respectful, is a multi-award and Ambie award
winning podcast producer and host. She is also a Chicago-born social entrepreneur who builds
streaming platforms which center & celebrate BIPOC & QTPOC creatives. Media has always
been her passion and in 2009 she turned that passion into a reality when she founded E3 Radio,
an online radio station playing Queer music & reporting on Queer news with an intersectional
lens. She expanded her media reach when she co-founded The Qube, a podcast production
company and curated platform to discover the best music & podcasts by BIPOC & QTPOC
creatives. Most recently, Anna was announced as part of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame 2023
induction cohort. Anna is determined to ride media into its next era by utilizing digital media
streams to tell the stories and play the music that deserves to be heard. Learn more about her
work here.
Sasha-Ann Simons
Sasha-Ann Simons is an award-winning journalist and the host of WBEZ's Reset. She comes to
Chicago from Washington's NPR station WAMU where she was a program host, regularly
behind the mic on newscasts and talk shows. Sasha-Ann was also a national reporter, focused on
issues of race, identity and economic mobility. Her accolades include an Edward R. Murrow
award and a radio feature award from the National Association of Black Journalists. In 2022, she
received a Peter Lisagor award for health and science reporting from the Chicago Headline Club.
Sasha-Ann has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and
studied film and television production at American University.