In Media Res: Meet our 2026 Keynote Panelists

This year’s ICTE Spring Conference features a panel of accomplished journalists whose work intersects with education.

Virginia Black is the editor of three Indiana daily newspapers: the Lafayette Journal & Courier, the Muncie Star Press and the Richmond Palladium-Item. Formerly, she mentored future journalists by serving as the news adviser for the student-run Purdue Exponent. She also worked at the South Bend Tribune as a deputy managing editor, investigative reporter, and columnist. Her work has won many statewide awards, including HSPA's Story of the Year and Indiana AP's Kent Cooper Award. 

Joe Killian is Greensboro Editor with The Assembly, a North Carolina-based media company focusing on in-depth reporting. He built his career working for daily newspapers and was Senior Investigative Reporter for N.C. Policy Watch for seven years, where he broke the story of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees refusing to vote on tenure for Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones. His awards include top recognitions from the Society of Professional Journalists, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the North Carolina Press Association, and a national Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association. 

Nathan Krebs is Producer for Education Counts Michiana, a WNIT PBS Michiana production that celebrates learning and explores issues pertaining to education in our region. Before transitioning to journalism, Nathan worked as a music educator, including as a middle school music teacher and choral director. 

Join us for a thoughtful conversation about media and education with these professionals who are very much “in the middle of things”! Register Here.