HISTORY

Founded in 1973, PBMF advocates for Black journalists in several ways. It seeks fair representation of the African American community in the news and an increased presence of journalists of color in newsrooms. PBMF also was designed to create a social network for Black media professionals in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. In the early 1990s, PBMF became an affiliate of the National Association of Black Journalists.

PBMF’s support for Black journalists includes legacy programs such as the Robert L. Vann Media Awards, which recognize excellent media coverage of African American and African diaspora communities, and the Frank Bolden Urban Multimedia Workshop, which prepares young people to enter the media industry. 

MEETINGS

PBMF’s general body meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month quarterly via Zoom. 

Donovan Harrell

Secretary

Donovan Harrell is an award-winning multimedia journalist. He is a communications specialist at The Univ. of Pittsburgh and a freelance journalist. Before his role as a communications specialist, he wrote about Pitt faculty and staff issues for the Univ. Times, a digital publication. He’s also worked as a congressional reporter for McClatchy DC, a digital reporter for McClatchy, and a breaking news reporter for the Tampa Bay Times.

ANTHONY TODD CARLISLE

Parliamentarian

Anthony Todd Carlisle, Ph.D., is a journalist, educator, and author, born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He is married to Amy Alexander, Ph.D., and has two children, Arielle and Amya. He is an associate professor in the Department of Culture, Media, and Performance at California Univ. of Pennsylvania. Carlisle was a reporter for 11 years. He worked for the New Pittsburgh Courier, Daily News, Pittsburgh Business Times, Beaver County Times and Pittsburgh TribuneReview. During those years, he worked in several beat areas: city government, urban affairs, religion, education, transportation, labor and sports as a business. As a reporter, he won several awards, including Robert L. Vann Award for feature writing and investigative reporting and the Keystone State Spotlight Award for first place business story. Carlisle is also a veteran, having served in the United States Army Reserve for 14 years, reaching the rank of captain. He worked as both a supply officer and a military journalist. In 2003, he was deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon his return, he was awarded California Univ. of Pennsylvania’s Presidential Medal for Patriotic Service.