About Us
Building a Stronger HBCU Media Ecosystem
The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative works with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to
strengthen campus media and expand opportunities for students pursuing careers across
journalism, media, and communications.
Through training, mentorship, industry partnerships, experiential learning, and direct support for campus media organizations, we help students gain greater access to professional opportunities while helping campuses build stronger environments for learning, publishing, and career development.
Who We Are
Connecting HBCU Students, Campuses, and the Media Industry
The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting HBCU journalism and media students and strengthening the campus organizations that help prepare them.
We bring together students, educators, campus media advisers, industry professionals,
employers, funders, and institutional partners around a shared goal: creating stronger pathways
from education to professional opportunity.
Our work includes year-round training, mentorship, campus-media development, industry
engagement, financial support, and opportunities for students and educators to build meaningful
professional relationships.
Why We Exist
Creating Opportunity Where Gaps Still Exist
HBCUs have developed generations of journalists, storytellers, creators, executives, and
communications professionals.
However, students do not always have equal access to the professional networks, technology,
mentorship, internships, fellowships, training, and applied experiences that can influence how
their careers begin.
Campus media organizations also face challenges related to funding, technology, staffing,
publishing infrastructure, and access to industry expertise.
The Collaborative exists to help address these gaps by working directly with students and
campuses while building relationships with the organizations and professionals positioned to
support them.
The Origin Story
How the Collaborative Began
The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative began through conversations about the disconnect
between the talent being developed at HBCUs and the resources, professional relationships,
and opportunities available to many students and campus media organizations.
The Co-Founders created the Collaborative to build stronger connections between HBCU
campuses and the journalism and media industries.
The organization’s initial work focused on creating opportunities for students, bringing campuses
and industry professionals together, and helping HBCU media organizations access additional
support.
As the work expanded, the Collaborative began developing a broader set of programs designed
to support students and campuses throughout the academic year and across different stages of
professional development.
Who We Serve
Serving Students and Campuses Together
The Collaborative serves HBCU students pursuing opportunities across journalism,
broadcasting, digital media, photography, design, filmmaking, communications, and related
fields.
We also work with campus media organizations, advisers, educators, and institutional leaders
seeking to strengthen the environments where students learn, publish, create, and develop
professional skills.
This dual focus is intentional. Students benefit from direct access to opportunities and
professional relationships, but their development is also shaped by the strength of the campus
organizations and educators supporting them.
Who We Are
Connecting HBCU Students, Campuses, and the Media Industry
The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting HBCU journalism and media students and strengthening the campus organizations that help prepare them.
We bring together students, educators, campus media advisers, industry professionals, employers, funders, and institutional partners around a shared goal: creating stronger pathways from education to professional opportunity.
Our work includes year-round training, mentorship, campus-media development, industry engagement, financial support, and opportunities for students and educators to build meaningful professional relationships.
Why We Exist
Creating Opportunity Where Gaps Still Exist
HBCUs have developed generations of journalists, storytellers, creators, executives, and communications professionals.
However, students do not always have equal access to the professional networks, technology, mentorship, internships, fellowships, training, and applied experiences that can influence how their careers begin.
Campus media organizations also face challenges related to funding, technology, staffing, publishing infrastructure, and access to industry expertise.
The Collaborative exists to help address these gaps by working directly with students and campuses while building relationships with the organizations and professionals positioned to support them.
How Began
How the Collaborative Began
The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative began through conversations about the disconnect between the talent being developed at HBCUs and the resources, professional relationships, and opportunities available to many students and campus media organizations.
The Co-Founders created the Collaborative to build stronger connections between HBCU campuses and the journalism and media industries.
The organization’s initial work focused on creating opportunities for students, bringing campuses and industry professionals together, and helping HBCU media organizations access additional support.
As the work expanded, the Collaborative began developing a broader set of programs designed to support students and campuses throughout the academic year and across different stages of professional development.
Who We Serve
Serving Students and Campuses Together
The Collaborative serves HBCU students pursuing opportunities across journalism, broadcasting, digital media, photography, design, filmmaking, communications, and related fields.
We also work with campus media organizations, advisers, educators, and institutional leaders seeking to strengthen the environments where students learn, publish, create, and develop professional skills.
This dual focus is intentional. Students benefit from direct access to opportunities and professional relationships, but their development is also shaped by the strength of the campus organizations and educators supporting them.
Who We Are
Connecting HBCU Students, Campuses, and the Media Industry
The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting HBCU
journalism and media students and strengthening the campus organizations that help prepare
them.
We bring together students, educators, campus media advisers, industry professionals,
employers, funders, and institutional partners around a shared goal: creating stronger pathways
from education to professional opportunity.
Our work includes year-round training, mentorship, campus-media development, industry
engagement, financial support, and opportunities for students and educators to build meaningful
professional relationships.
Why We Exist
Creating Opportunity Where Gaps Still Exist
HBCUs have developed generations of journalists, storytellers, creators, executives, and
communications professionals.
However, students do not always have equal access to the professional networks, technology,
mentorship, internships, fellowships, training, and applied experiences that can influence how
their careers begin.
Campus media organizations also face challenges related to funding, technology, staffing,
publishing infrastructure, and access to industry expertise.
The Collaborative exists to help address these gaps by working directly with students and
campuses while building relationships with the organizations and professionals positioned to
support them.
How the Collaborative Began
The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative began through conversations about the disconnect
between the talent being developed at HBCUs and the resources, professional relationships,
and opportunities available to many students and campus media organizations.
The Co-Founders created the Collaborative to build stronger connections between HBCU
campuses and the journalism and media industries.
The organization’s initial work focused on creating opportunities for students, bringing campuses
and industry professionals together, and helping HBCU media organizations access additional
support.
As the work expanded, the Collaborative began developing a broader set of programs designed
to support students and campuses throughout the academic year and across different stages of
professional development.
Who We Serve
Serving Students and Campuses Together
The Collaborative serves HBCU students pursuing opportunities across journalism,
broadcasting, digital media, photography, design, filmmaking, communications, and related
fields.
We also work with campus media organizations, advisers, educators, and institutional leaders
seeking to strengthen the environments where students learn, publish, create, and develop
professional skills.
This dual focus is intentional. Students benefit from direct access to opportunities and
professional relationships, but their development is also shaped by the strength of the campus
organizations and educators supporting them.
How We Serve
Supporting Individual Opportunity and Campus Capacity
For Students
We help students:
- Discover internships, fellowships, and employment opportunities
- Connect with working media professionals
- Receive mentorship and career guidance
- Participate in skills-based training
- Explore graduate education
- Attend conferences and professional-development experiences
- Learn about emerging tools and career pathways
- Build relationships that can continue beyond graduation
For Campuses
We help campuses:
- Strengthen digital publishing capabilities
- Expand student learning through practical media experience
- Connect advisers and students with industry expertise
- Access training and professional resources
- Improve audience and revenue strategies
- Develop relationships with media organizations
- Create stronger connections between campus experiences and professional careers
Our Membership Model
A Community Built Through Campus Relationships
Our no-cost membership model establishes direct, year-round relationships with participating
HBCU campuses.
Through membership, the Collaborative works with communication departments, campus media
organizations, advisers, institutional stakeholders, and student leaders to understand their
priorities and connect them with relevant resources and opportunities.
Membership also allows campuses to participate in a broader community of institutions,
professionals, and partners committed to supporting HBCU journalism and media students.
The model gives our work continuity. Rather than engaging campuses only through individual
events, we can maintain relationships and provide support throughout the academic year.
Executive Leadership
Justin Rushing
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Justin Rushing is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the HBCU Digital Media
Collaborative, where he leads organizational strategy, program development, partnerships,
revenue growth, and efforts to expand access and opportunity for HBCU students and campus
media organizations.
A media executive with more than 15 years of experience, Justin has built
a career spanning nonprofit journalism and philanthropy, local news and media publishing,
digital media, and live entertainment. His experience includes organizational growth and
development, revenue strategy, strategic partnerships, as well as work across streaming media,
rights and clearances, and digital distribution.
Throughout his career, Justin has focused on
building sustainable media organizations, strengthening organizational culture, developing
partnerships that create meaningful opportunities, and connecting institutional and
organizational investment with measurable community impact. Through the HBCU Digital Media
Collaborative, he brings these experiences together to strengthen HBCU media, expand
pathways into the industry, and prepare students to participate in an evolving media landscape.
Board Officers
Our Board of Directors provides governance, strategic oversight, fiduciary stewardship, and leadership as the Collaborative grows its programs, partnerships, and impact.
Kimberly Spencer
Board role
Colorado Media Project
Miranda Perez
Board role
HBCU Founders Initiative
Gary Pierre Pierre
Board role
URL Media/ Haitian Times
Patrick Hendricks
Board role
World Business Chicago
Nate Simpson
Board role
Gates Foundation
Ryan Adams
Board role
Cummins
Marla Jones Newman
Board role
Center for Investigative Reporting: Mother Jones/Reveal
Natalie Piner
Board role
Religious News Service
Advisory Committee
Our Advisory Committee brings together professionals from journalism, media, education,
technology, philanthropy, workforce development, and related fields.
Committee members provide insight, expertise, and professional connections that help
strengthen the Collaborative’s programs and relationships with students, campuses, and
industry partners.
Curtis Symonds
HBCU Go
Justin Madden
The Guardian
Allison Hunter
Scripps Howard Fund
Tierra Smith
Watch Me Win / Wins for Black Girls
Theodore Kim
New York Times
Richard Dyer
WUSA9/TEGNA
Ali Jackson Jolley
IntermediaryED
Nicki Mayo
Nicki Mayo News
Richard Prince
Journal-isms.com
Ben Reininga
POLITICO
Rhema Bland
Organization
Nikki Bethel
Emma Bowen Foundation
Shirley Carswell
Dow Jones News Fund
Akili Franklin
Hearst Television
Our Vision
A Stronger and More Connected HBCU Media Ecosystem
Our vision is to help build a national community of HBCU campus media organizations with
stronger resources, publishing capabilities, professional relationships, and opportunities for
students.
We envision campuses where students can develop practical experience alongside their
academic education, connect with professionals and institutions across the media industry, and
see clearer pathways from college to sustainable careers.
We also envision an industry in which media organizations, funders, educators, and
professionals work more intentionally with HBCUs—not only to recruit talent, but to support the
environments where that talent is developed.
By connecting these communities, the Collaborative seeks to strengthen HBCU campus media
and help more students enter the industry prepared to contribute, lead, and shape its future.
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