Virgil and Joann Smith Thought Leaders Forum
Sponsored by:
The Virgil and Joann Smith Family Fund
Communication Today: Are We Getting the Whole Story?
Women’s History Month
March 13, 2025
Speakers
The Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication is honored to showcase the Virgil and Joann Smith Thought Leaders Forum, which highlights women thought leaders who bring to the forefront thought-provoking ideas and expert commentary on issues in the field of communication to a national audience.
Speakers in the Forum will be showcased in the Kopenhaver Center signature virtual workshop held annually in the spring during Women’s History Month. The Forum and the speakers will also be highlighted on the center’s website and social media platforms through a series of multi-media video presentations.
Thought leaders who participate in the forum will actively contribute to the center’s online educational archive by providing world-class ideas and expert guidance on contemporary issues, ensuring transformational conversations and change for women in the field of communication.
The 2025 Thought Leaders Forum topic will focus on the information explosion around us. Communication Today: Are We Getting the Whole Story? Featured speakers for the 2024 Thought Leaders Forum are the following:
- Kelley Benham French, Narrative Accountability Editor, The Washington Post – Key Note Speaker
- Erika Gonzalez, Anchor/REporter, CBS News Miami – Convener
Kelley Benham French
Key Note Speaker
President & CEO
The Washington Post
She oversees immersive reporting and investigative work, focusing on stories of national interest. Previously, she was senior editor for storytelling at The Dallas Morning News and worked at USA TODAY, editing notable projects like “1619: Searching for Answers.”
French is also a professor of practice at Indiana University’s Media School and co-authored “Juniper: The Girl Who Was Born Too Soon” with her husband Thomas French. She was a Pulitzer finalist for her work on extreme prematurity and has taught narrative journalism internationally.
Erika Gonzalez
Convener
Anchor/Reporter
CBS News Miami
Erika Gonzalez joined CBS Miami/WFOR-TV in November 2024 as part of the CBS News Miami Morning Edition team.
Before returning to South Florida, she spent nine years as an evening anchor at KDVR/KWGN in Denver and previously worked as a reporter at WBRC in Birmingham and WMBF in Myrtle Beach, where she also served as a traffic anchor.
A Miami native, Erika began her career in public relations before transitioning to television as an assignment editor at WFOR-TV.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and psychology from Florida International University. A first-generation daughter of Cuban and Guatemalan immigrants, she lives in Miami with her husband, two sons, and rescue dog.