Jack is a senior staff photographer at USA TODAY, based in Washington, D.C., one of the largest digital media companies in the country, where he plays a pivotal role in visual storytelling. Known for his commitment to unbiased storytelling, Jack has earned the respect of the photojournalism community for both the quality of his work and his unwavering professionalism. Over his career, he has covered a wide range of significant events, from major conflicts and natural disasters to the Olympic Games and red-carpet events. His experience also extends to documenting key moments on Capitol Hill and at the White House, offering an insider’s view of U.S. politics and presidential administrations. Jack’s ability to navigate high-profile, high-pressure environments has made him a trusted presence in these pivotal settings.

Scott joined the photography staff at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2014 after spending the first 27 years of his career at Chicago newspapers, including 13 at the Chicago Tribune. Strazzante is a former POY/NPPA National Newspaper Photographer of the Year, an 11-time Illinois Photographer of the Year and was part of a Chicago Tribune team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for investigative journalism.

Strazzante’s personal project, Common Ground, has been featured in National Geographic, Mother Jones, New York Times’ Lens Blog and on CBS Sunday Morning. The 23-year-long effort, which has won BOP’s Best Feature Video and POYi’s Community Awareness Award, became his first book with PSG. In October, 2017, Strazzante's second book- Shooting from the Hip- was released. The book consists of iPhone Hipstamatic snaps from around the USA.

Mick has been a professional photojournalist for 41 years, Mountain Workshops Picture Editing faculty since 2002. The journey: Jacksonville (Illinois) Journal-Courier; Springfield (Illinois) State Journal-Register; Providence (Rhode Island) Journal; Charlotte Observer; USA Today. No rest for the wicked.

Tom, a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, is a writer and photographer based in Lexington. Before retiring from full-time journalism, he was with The Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Lexington Herald-Leader, where he was the managing editor and a columnist. He now manages the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, a join project of the Kentucky Arts Council and the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning.

Maxx is a multidisciplinary designer, creative director, and technologist passionate about crafting immersive experiences, digital products, and motion-driven storytelling at the intersection of design, technology, and human connection. With 15+ years of experience, he has led teams and crafted award-winning work across XR, UI/UX, branding, and experiential installations blending innovation and sustainability for brands, startups, and cultural projects.

Gabi is an independent visual journalist specializing in both photography and videography based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Broekema’s career has included photojournalism internships with MLive- Kalamazoo Gazette and the Colorado Springs Gazette followed by a year and a half working across four small papers for USA Today-Wisconsin. Her education spanned even further with a study abroad semester at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus, Denmark which she attended as she completed her bachelor's degree in photojournalism from Western Kentucky University. Broekema also placed numerous times in the Hearst Journalism Awards for her excellence in editing, photojournalism and documentary videography both individually and with group projects

Founder of StorySplat, Sonny builds real-time, browser-first 3D stories. He’s shipped interactive work with ARound, NOWHERE, Yahoo Sports, The New Yorker, and Syracuse University.

Jan is a journalist-engineer with The Pudding who specializes in data visual storytelling. She has been awarded top prizes from the Society of News Design and the Online Journalism Awards, has contributed to Pulitzer and Emmy finalist projects, has had her work displayed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery, and is a LEGO Adult Night building competition winner. Her internet claim to fame is a data-driven piece on the size of women's pockets. She's been designing the Mountain Workshops t-shirts for the last 3 years.

Kurt is an Endpoint Engineer for Western Kentucky University’s Information Technology Services. A 1998 graduate of the WKU Photojournalism program, Kurt worked at multiple newspapers before joining the WKU PJ department as a staff member in 2003. Kurt has been involved with the Workshops for over 20 years. He lives in Bowling Green with his wife Jana, son Nate (who is a senior at WKU) and daughter Kara (who will be a junior at WKU next year).

Justin is currently a visual communications specialist at Springfield Clinic in Springfield, Illinois. He was previously a staff photographer at the State Journal-Register from 2006 to 2021, covering life in and around the capitol city. Fowler, a native Kentuckian, found his love photojournalism on accident at Western Kentucky University in 2000 and took his first staff photographer position in Janurary of 2006 at the SJR. While studying photojournalism and political science at WKU, Fowler had internships at The Lexington Herald-Leader, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Naples Daily News and The State Journal-Register.

Nic is a documentary filmmaker and photographer in Atlanta, GA. With experience in commercial film production, he has developed a love for non-fiction storytelling and the documentary process. He is forever seeking to document fascinating characters, relationships, places, and the narratives they weave.

Teresa is an Air Force veteran who has more than 21-years experience in military journalism and visual information. Her experiences in the military include editing and design of several military newspapers and writing and editing news and feature articles on a vast array of military-related subjects as well as research and design of World War II educational products and memorabilia. She has designed and edited several military history books, pamphlets, brochures and posters. She is the office coordinator for the School of Media & Communication at WKU.

Sam Mallon is an independent documentary filmmaker and photographer based in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. She is drawn to stories that explore the natural world and our relationship to it.

Brian, a long-time visual and digital innovator, award-winning photographer, editor and true friend of the Mountain Workshops is a former Photojournalist-in-Residence at Western Kentucky University, Director of Photography & Editorial Systems at The Flint (Mich.) Journal newspaper, from 1999-2006. Prior to The Journal, Brian worked at the Muskegon Chronicle and was recognized as Michigan Photographer of the Year. He served in various roles on the Michigan Press Photographers Association board for more than two decades.

Brett is the community photojournalist for Mirror Indy in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also a CatchLight Local Fellow and a Report for America Corps Member. Before joining Mirror Indy, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Journalism & Photography, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Marketing in May of 2025. Brett has completed multiple photojournalism internships, including The Indianapolis Star, The Boston Globe and The Chautauquan Daily. He believes in capturing the celebration of life and documenting the legacy of communities for generations today and tomorrow.

Amy is a Digital Communicator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. She spent two decades as a photojournalist between the Troy Daily News in Ohio, South Bend Tribune in Indiana, and the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee before moving into storytelling roles for Zoo Knoxville and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Originally from Nashville, she is a 1998 graduate of Western Kentucky University’s photojournalism program. The job may change, but the heart remains the same, finding new and interesting ways to tell stories.

Steve, a 1992 graduate of WKU, is a corporate media producer, photographer and editor. He is a senior manager at Deloitte, a global consulting firm producing a wide variety of internal media and marketing communications.

Jonathan is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and creative force behind some of the most ambitious space documentaries of the past decade. As a journalist-turned-producer and co-founder of Working Tens, a production company with deep roots at Kennedy Space Center, he works alongside leading aerospace companies to capture the stories reshaping our future. With rare access, field-tested instincts, and a gift for emotionally rich storytelling, Jonathan is drawn to moments where human ambition meets the edge of possibility.

Adam is an independent Director of Photography in Brooklyn. He's usually working for OceanX filming wildlife and science on a research vessel.

Jonathan has bounced around in the visual storytelling world ever since graduating from Western Kentucky University’s PJ program in 1993. His favorite newspaper job was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming before being lured away by the money of crazy big weddings. For the past seven years he has taught at WKU and has helped run all aspects of the workshops. Now his main job at Mountain is to make sure everything comes together without anyone noticing.

Jeanie has been teaching at WKU for close to 25 years and is fueled by inspiring her students to see the best in themselves. She was the recipient of the National Press Photographers Association’s Robin F. Garland Educator Award in 2021, which recognizes outstanding educators who shape a new generation of visual communicators and photojournalists through their lessons.

Tim, a 1988 graduate of WKUPJ, has been a professor of photojournalism since 2001 at WKU. He has been involved with the Mountain every year since 1985 and now directs the production and video storytelling side of the workshops making sure your experience is one of a kind.

James is the program coordinator for the WKU Visual Journalism & Photography program and director of the Mountain Workshops. Though his work is very important to him, it pales in comparison to the greatest blessings in his life – his wife, six kids and two grandchildren.