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Joe Stabb, Ph.D., APR, ACUE is an assistant professor of practice in the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he teaches courses in public relations and data analytics. He also serves as the Director of the UT Purpose Project. Stabb has worked with clients/companies in a variety of industries to utilize their traditional and digital resources to meet and exceed their revenue goals. He has experience in marketing communications, public relations, fundraising, business management, and leadership development.

Curtis Carden is an award-winning journalist from Tennessee with more than 10 years of experience combined working at television stations and newspapers. He currently serves as the News Content Manager at WBIR in Knoxville, TN.

He previously worked at television stations in Johnson City and Charlotte, NC. He also worked at newspapers in northeast Tennessee, including the Erwin Record & Elizabethton Star.

Jody comes to WUOT with a strong background in public radio, leadership, and fundraising. Her career highlights include managing Blue Ridge Public Radio, a 14-station regional network serving Western North Carolina, South Georgia, South Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee, as well as heading up content at public radio stations in Vermont and Austin. She started her career as a radio and television journalist in Ohio. Her time as a producer, reporter, and station manager has given her the birds-eye view necessary to assess what a station needs to grow its presence, voice, and fundraising efforts.

Though she comes from the north, Jody long ago fell in love with the southeast and Appalachia and all the rich history, culture, and everyday life that happens here.

Abby Ann Ramsey is a senior majoring in journalism and religious studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Beacon, the university’s award-winning student newspaper. Abby Ann is also an editorial assistant with Canopy Atlanta, a community-engaged newsroom in Atlanta, where she works on audience engagement, fact-checking and web design. She is a member of the journalism honors society Kappa Tau Alpha and was named a 2023 White House Correspondents’ Association Scholar. Abby Ann is passionate about telling human-centered stories, prioritizing transparency and building relationships both in and out of the newsroom. In her free time, she loves to walk her dog Maeby, watch movies and listen to Taylor Swift.

Growing up in Southern Ohio and eventually making my way down to East Tennessee, I always had a knack and a desire for telling stories, no matter the subject. I used my love for sports to drive me towards a career of storytelling centered around that.

Throughout my time at UT, I got involved with every student media outlet possible and did freelance work for outlets such as the Knoxville News Sentinel and ESPNU, among others. This led me to being hired by Sports Illustrated in 2019 as their Tennessee Site Publisher during my senior year. After COVID hit, however, I realized my true passion was being on camera, talking to an audience.

This led me to my first TV reporting gig at WYMT in Hazard, KY. I used that experience in a small market to learn self-reliance and fortitude that eventually led me back home to Knoxville. After a break from news, the itch came back, and I found myself back at WATE, where I interned in the spring of 2020. Serving East Tennessee has been a dream come true, and I can't wait to see where the journey takes me.