Kelly Atwood

Coordinator, Mississippi High School Journalism Project

Kelly has spent 28 years in higher education and two years in K-12. She formerly served as the Director of Public Information at East Mississippi Community College and Jones County Junior College. She's now a journalism instructor at Jones, where she advises the student newspaper and yearbook, both of which have been recognized for their excellence, including receiving hundreds of state awards and a national award.

She enjoys introverted past times, such as binge-watching, reading, and talking to international friends through social media. She resides in Ellisville, Mississippi, with her artist husband, Russ Farris, and cats Jinxi, Kevin, Tater Tot and Mindy.

Sabrina DuQuesnay

Manager, Student & Alumni Experience

Sabrina is a New York City public school alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and double minors in Philosophy and Creative Writing from Stony Brook University.

She has been involved with The Bell’s programs since her junior year of high school and was a co-host of the Miseducation podcast in its early seasons. She joined The Bell’s staff in 2022.

During her free time, Sabrina enjoys writing spoken word poetry, exploring the city with friends, singing off-key, escape rooms, naps, and trying foods from different cultures.

Karina Elwood

Editor, Firsthand

Karina is a journalist who most recently worked for The Washington Post, where her reporting on Virginia schools earned numerous awards and recognitions. 
Before that, she covered local and breaking news across the D.C. area and interned at newspapers around Florida, her home state.

A proud product of public school, Karina got her start in journalism at the University of Florida, where she was editor-in-chief of the Independent Florida Alligator. She strongly believes in the power of student journalism and its ability to uncover stories that would otherwise go untold.

Mira Gordon

Senior Manager, New York City Programs

Mira brings to her role a dual passion for youth development and educational equity. She has been part of The Bell’s team since 2020.

She previously worked as a High School Placement Assistant for Breakthrough New York. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Barnard College and is a proud graduate of Berkeley Public Schools.

In her free time she enjoys discovering new foods on long walks around the city.

Cait Hagan

Policy and Advocacy Fellow, NYC Youth Journalism Coalition

Cait spent four years as an elementary special education teacher in the Bronx and in Manhattan. She got her start in the classroom through Teach for America, where she strengthened her commitment to youth empowerment and supporting student voice.

Cait holds a Master’s degree in Childhood Special Education and completed a dual bachelor’s degree in Youth and Social Innovation and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. She’s a graduate of Fairfax County Public Schools, where she worked on her high school yearbook.

Taylor McGraw

Executive Director and Co-Founder

Taylor is a longtime advocate for student voice and leadership. Prior to launching The Bell in 2017, he spent five years teaching and coaching in New York City schools.

He is a journalist whose writing has appeared in USA Today, The New York Daily News, The Hechinger Report, Mississippi Today and Narratively.

After a decade in New York City, he moved in 2022 to Jackson, Mississippi, where he is leading The Bell’s newest initiative, the Jackson Youth Newsroom. A native of Oxford, Mississippi, he got his start in journalism working for the Oxford High School student newspaper.

Allison Milewski

Director of Revenue

Allison brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, philanthropy, and program development across education, media, and social impact organizations. Her work leverages philanthropy to build mission-driven partnerships, amplify community voices, and drive meaningful social change.

Allison has worked with Citizen Schools, Urban Arts Partnership, and the Union Square Awards for Grassroots Activism. She is also the founder of PhotoForward, where she led community-driven documentary initiatives in Laos, Cambodia, and New York.

In her free time, Allison enjoys exploring New York City with her husband and their dog, Georgie Tortellini.

Sophie Mode

Associate, NYC Youth Journalism Coalition

Sophie is a New York City public school alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and Urban Studies from Vassar College.

She has been involved with The Bell’s programs since her sophomore year of high school, and has been a part of the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition since 2023. She joined the staff in 2025.

Sophie has been organizing for issues in educational equity and youth voice across NYC (and Poughkeepsie, NY) for nearly a decade.

In her free time, she enjoys drawing, trying new foods, and seeing movies in theaters.

Maria Robins-Somerville

Senior Producer, P.S. Weekly

Maria is an audio producer and proud alum of the NYC public school system. She got her start screening calls on The Brian Lehrer Show at WNYC and went on to spend four years making podcasts at the now-defunct Pineapple Street Studios. She’s produced both narrative and chat-style podcasts for Apple, Netflix, HBO and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.

She holds an M.A. in Journalism from The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at  CUNY and a B.A in English and Psychology from the University of Michigan. She loves research, Prospect Park, and stories that center young people.

CJ Sánchez

Director, NYC Youth Journalism Coalition

As Director of the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition, CJ leads the collaboration of youth, professionals, organizations, and agencies working to expand equitable access to journalism opportunities for New York City youth.

With experience as a legislative assistant, public policy fellow, and middle school teacher, CJ brings a unique blend of classroom insight and systems-level advocacy.

They are pursuing an M.A. in Sociology and Education, Policy Concentration at Teachers College, Columbia University, and hold a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco, graduating summa cum laude.

Adrian Uribarri

Executive Chair and Co-Founder

Adrian chairs our Board of Directors and leads The Bell’s governance, finance and operations. He’s worked nearly 20 years in journalism, education, and technology.

At Google, he shaped executive communications and was a key leader in the development and launch of the company’s first premium Workspace subscription for solopreneurs. Previously, he directed the Esquire Mentoring Initiative, Hearst Magazine’s award-winning effort to rebrand the concept of male mentoring.

One of his first jobs was covering K-12 education as a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. He later joined Teach For America and the founding faculty of KIPP’s first elementary school in Chicago. A first-generation Cuban-American, he graduated from Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the University of Florida.

Azia Wiggins

Program Manager, Jackson Youth Newsroom

A Jackson native, Azia earned a bachelor’s degree in forensic science from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2013 and a master’s in biological sciences from Mississippi College in 2018. She began her journalism career at the Jackson Free Press in 2019, later becoming Voices Editor at Mississippi Free Press, a statewide nonprofit news outlet.

A 2023 Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media alumna and a 2024 Change Collective fellow, she is passionate about storytelling, advocacy, and community-building. Azia enjoys great food, music, traveling, singing, and spending time with loved ones—including her furbaby, Khloe.

Our Team

Advisory Board