Behind the Voices
7 Minutes, 6 stories, 5 days a week
KidNuz is a fun, fresh, first-of-its-kind kids’ podcast that delivers top-of-mind news every weekday morning. It's age appropriate, nonpartisan, and produced by Emmy-winning broadcast journalists who believe in the importance of engaging kids in current events, encouraging critical thinking, and sparking meaningful conversations.Together with parents and teachers, KidNuz introduces kids to issues that are relevant to them. Or soon will be.
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Tori Campbell,
Founder/Anchor
Tori is an award-winning broadcast journalist with 27 years of experience. She first worked as a radio reporter in the New York metropolitan area and then in the San Francisco Bay Area. For 19 years, she was co-anchor of the region’s #1 morning newscast, KTVU-TV’s “Mornings on 2″. Tori has done a variety of volunteer work, including producing and recording a weekly one-hour program reading news articles for the blind. When she’s not working, Tori spends her days cooking, exercising, and reading. She has two grown sons and lives with her husband in Singapore.
Ro Thomas Schwarz, Founder/Editor,
Board Co-President
Ro is the 4-time Emmy award winning Creator and Executive producer of KTVU’s “Mornings on 2”. After more than a decade at the helm, she traded the control room for consulting to help television stations across the country improve formats, talent, writing and ratings. Through it all, Ro proudly raised her 4 children on a steady diet of current events and is thrilled to bring her passion for unbiased and age-appropriate news to a new generation. She lives in Northern California with her husband, kids and golden retriever, Poppy.
Kimberly Hunter,
Founder/Anchor
Kim is an Emmy Award winning television reporter, actor, Ironman Triathlete and former collegiate swimmer. Kim’s journalism experience includes more than a decade in television news, most recently as a correspondent for CNN and reporter for KTVU-TV in the San Francisco Bay Area. She periodically acts in commercials and television including spots for Xfinity, IBM, Vail Ski Resorts and the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” Kim lives in Northern California with her husband, four children and labrador retriever,
Stephanie Kelmar, Founder/Parent Council Chair
Stephanie is a 2-time Emmy award winning producer of KTVU-TV’s “Mornings On 2” newscast in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her professional broadcast career producing radio talk shows while still a student at UC Berkeley. Since leaving the full-time working world to raise a family, Stephanie has written programs for an internet television channel, produced a monthly newsmagazine and produced Facebook Live broadcasts for a website geared towards millennials. Stephanie lives in Palo Alto with her husband, two children and their dog.
Jennifer Anderson, Brand Director/Board Co-President
Jennifer is the creative eye for KidNuz. Before joining the team, she spent 15 years crafting digital, social, and traditional experiences for companies large and small. She brings insight, enthusiasm, and an entrepreneurial edge to KidNuz, along with a deep passion for positive change. Jennifer complements her professional career with nonstop dedication to multiple nonprofits, for which she has held various board positions. She always leads with kindness, optimism, and authenticity.
Tracey Bracco, Treasurer/Board Member
Tracey brings over 16 years of non-profit accounting experience to KidNuz. She earned her MBA from Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley while working at BofA, was a nationally ranked amateur triathlete and developed a passion for nonprofit accounting at the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). She is currently the CFO of a small real estate corporation and volunteers on several youth-oriented nonprofit boards. She lives near SF with her husband and two children.
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Tara Singer
Finance/Development
Board Treasurer
Tara is a financial accountant with more than 27 years experience. She graduated from St. Mary's College in Moraga, California with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. After working for KPMG in San Francisco, she earned her CPA. Tara lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys running, skiing and biking. She and her husband have two teenage sons.
Ema Jitsukawa
Education/Board Member
Ema is a literacy professional and advocate for students in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a master’s degree in Japanese Literature from the University of Michigan, where her non-linear career began as a researcher and then as a producer for all the major Japanese networks. Her calling, however, is literacy and she set out on a mission to improve reading rates among the kids who need it most. Ema now teaches third graders as an early literacy tutor, supporting a science-based reading intervention program at an Oakland public school.
Max Woolf
Business/Board Member
Max is a Managing Director with Tyton Partners, where he delivers strategic guidance and support for companies in the education and media space. He leverages years of experience as an operator, researcher and analyst to help drive the future of the education ecosystem.
He also previously served as the General Manager of The Daily Jolt, a network of 200 college community and news websites across the country. Max has authored dozens of reports and articles, and regularly speaks at industry events, on webinars, and with leading media outlets on topics related to the online education market.
Dr. Mark Curtis, Ed.D.
Editorial/Board Member
Mark is a veteran of radio and television news and currently serves as the Chief Political Reporter for the Nexstar Broadcasting Group. In 2008, he traveled the country with all the presidential candidates as a reporter and political analyst for numerous media outlets. His book, “Age of Obama: A Reporter’s Journey with Clinton, McCain and Obama in the Making of the President 2008” was released in the Inaugural week of 2009. In all, Mark has covered ten presidential campaigns, been nominated four times for Emmy Awards and is a 2-time regional Edward R. Morrow winner and a national finalist.
Kim Yonenaka
Editorial/Development/
Board Secretary
Kim Yonenaka is a multi-Emmy Award-winning broadcaster in television news and sports. Recognized with her most recent Emmy in 2023 with the San Francisco Giants, she has over 20 years of experience writing, producing and reporting. Her professional career also includes HGTV and various corporate and nonprofit projects. She’s excited to join the Kidnuz team and reunite with former colleagues to help bring current events to today's kids.
Kevin Merritt, Designated Hitter- Hosting!
Every now and then, KidNuz needs a fill-in anchor and we are so very lucky to have One Foot Productions co-founder Kevin on our team. Kevin’s background is nothing if not eclectic. His creative wanderlust has led him through all kinds of professional and artistic endeavors—from studying music and directing cartoons to writing musicals and producing participatory art projects for Burning Man. With One Foot, Kevin has been working to create his dream company; a place where awesome artists generate great stories that provide service and make people happy... all while having as much fun as possible. He's certainly doing all of that and more with KidNuz!
John Grabowski, Designated Hitter - Writing!
The KidNuz team does A LOT of writing and is fortunate to be able to lean on John. He’s worked in broadcast news, PR and advertising, and is currently a freelance business writer with an emphasis in health & wellness and real estate, particularly real estate tech. He is also the author of two novels and a short story collection. A third novel is set to be published the second quarter of 2024. He is married and lives in the East Bay. When he’s not writing something, which is rare, he can be found enjoying gourmet coffees, reading, listening to classical music, pondering the future, and wondering what half the buttons on his TV remote do.
Advisors
Albert Tong
Albert is a partner at Burke Williams & Sorensen where he practices commercial litigation. He received his J.D. from George Washington University Law School and his A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley. Originally from Los Angeles, he now lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two daughters where he enjoys snowboarding and playing the ukulele
(and is equally terrible at both).
Lisa Parker
Lisa is a principal at Regalia & Associates, CPAs. After more than twenty years in public accounting working with hedge funds and similar organizations in the financial services industry, she now enjoys working exclusively with non-profit organizations, providing audit, tax, and consulting services. Originally from the Midwest, she now lives in Boston. She and her husband have two daughters.
Tom Blaney
Tom is a partner at PKF O'Connor Davies LLP. He has spent 30 years specializing in the accounting and tax aspects of exempt organizations. Tom is a frequent speaker and author on private foundations and not-for-profit topics. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Barron's and other leading business publications.
Marissa McGee
Marissa has spent her career in communities that have been historically underserved due to systemic inequities. She taught kindergarten, first, and second grade in Washington, D.C. for nearly a decade. She now serves as an instructional coach in Oakland, CA and she works with Stanford graduate students who are entering the teaching profession.
Joe Siedel
Joe is COO at e123, an investor-backed insurtech platform operating in the healthcare space. Joe is an experienced executive, operator and entrepreneur working primarily for small and mid-market investor-backed companies for over 15 years. Previously he was a consultant for Bain & Company and worked in Business Development at National Geographic. Joe grew up around education in Ann Arbor, Michigan with parents who taught at the University of Michigan and in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. He currently lives in Oakland, California with his wife and 3 children.
Mike McAllen
Mike discovered the power of podcasting early. Since 2007, he has produced hundreds of episodes and live events for his clients, currently produces virtual and live podcasts for associations and membership-based companies, and enjoys helping newcomers to this awesome audio medium get started. He is also the Executive Director of the California Podcast Association. Mike lives in Oakland, California, with his wife and 5-year-old daughter, two dogs, and two cats.
Noah Teitelbaum
Noah started his work in education as a fifth grade teacher 20 years ago. He's taught, been an instructional coach, curriculum designer, and nonprofit director. He now consults on learning and development and business management for nonprofits and companies. His two kids and he listen to KidNuz on the way to school.
Laura Bergman
Laura has served the non-profit sector for almost 30 years. After getting her Masters in Public Policy, she created the first-ever Parliamentary internships in Eastern Europe and an arts foundation in Prague. Back in the U.S., Laura worked at the Exploratorium Museum before becoming the executive director of Z Space Theater, where she still serves on the board. She also serves on two other boards, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce’s Job Forum and Clothes for Kids. She currently works part-time consulting, and teaching nonprofit management.
Renee Pyle, PhD
Renee has worked in clinic, hospital, school and private practice settings for almost 20 years. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences where she supervises and teaches child and adolescent psychiatry fellows. She lives in the SF Bay Area with her husband and their two sons.