Yong Volz is an associate professor of Journalism Studies at the Missouri School of Journalism and currently serves as the head of the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and as the membership chair for the Chinese Communication Association. She was a 2013-14 RJI Fellow at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, under which this Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS) Oral History Project was funded.

Volz’s research centers on journalists and their place in society, culture and history. Her published work addresses social stratification among the elite of U.S. foreign correspondents, gender disparities among Pulitzer Prize winners, the rise of Chinese women journalists in the early twentieth century, pioneers in journalism education and their practices, cultural brokers and Western missionary journalists in China, among other topics. One of her current projects draws on the JAWS oral histories and explores the varied experiences and collective identity of women who made inroads into the traditionally male-dominated field of journalism in the U.S. in the 1960s and the 1970s.

Born in Beijing and raised in Shanghai, Volz received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Renmin University of China. She then received a master’s degree in communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a doctoral degree in mass communication with a minor in history from the University of Minnesota.

Ying Wu is an assistant professor at the Missouri School of Journalism. She has served as a judge for the Society for News Design's The 34th digital design contest and Society for News Design's The 35th Best of News Design contest. Her interest is innovation of visual journalism and the future of information consumption.

Before teaching at the University of Missouri, she worked at the Boston Globe testing news apps for the iPad. Prior to coming to the U.S., Wu worked at The Beijing News, which is the leading daily newspaper in Beijing, China. Wu designed the daily news and feature sections. In 2009, her feature design “Vanishing of the Beijing Alley” won an Award of Excellence in the Society of News Design contest.

Wu was born in Jinzhou, Hubei province, a small town in the middle of China. She received a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. She then received a master’s degree in cultural production from Brandeis University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Youn-Joo Park loves conducting interviews and oral histories because she is passionate about journalism and the celebration of people’s diverse experiences. Thus far in her career, she has worked in radio and print publications, taught journalism and piano, and managed Brushcase Editing editorial services. She obtained her BA in music and politics & government from the University of Puget Sound, studied French and piano in Paris, and earned her MA in journalism from Missouri. As a current Ph.D. candidate at the Missouri School of Journalism, she is specializing in media history and sociology, and is researching foreign correspondents for her dissertation.

Teri Finneman just received her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. She specializes in journalism history with an emphasis on media coverage of U.S. first ladies and women politicians.

Finneman is a North Dakota native who most recently worked as a Capitol correspondent for Forum Communications’ four North Dakota daily newspapers and two TV stations. She was a pioneer of multimedia reporting in North Dakota, often seen juggling a laptop, tripod, and video camera at once. She has worked for 17 newspapers and four TV stations, as well as for ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., during her media career. She also served on the board of directors of the North Dakota Newspaper Association.

Throughout her career, Finneman has received a number of reporting awards, particularly for coverage of social issues and for business reporting. Finneman is primarily known for her coverage of state government.

Finneman received her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. She received her bachelor’s degree in English and Mass Communications with a minor in history from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Katherine Parkinson, of Kansas City, Missouri, attends the University of Missouri where she is a freshman on the Dean’s List in the School of Journalism and the College of Arts and Science. She is an undergraduate research assistant and is currently majoring in journalism and psychology. In her spare time, she contributes to the student publication, The Maneater, where she is a staff writer.

Katherine is a National Merit scholar and attended St. Teresa’s Academy where she was the managing editor of print for her high school news publication, the Dart.

She enjoys reading novels, writing feature pieces and listening to alternative music. She also loves volunteering with children, particularly tutoring inner city kids in reading and writing, and traveling around the world. In the future, she hopes to go into magazine editing or writing.