Rhema Bland is the director of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting at the UNC School of Journalism and Media. She was hired as the Society’s first, permanent director in October 2020. She holds a B.A. in journalism and sociology from the University of Connecticut and a M.S. in broadcast journalism from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
Prior to her post at UNC-Chapel Hill, Bland served as director of the student media program at East Carolina University, overseeing a professional staff of advisers and business support as well as a student staff across multiple news publications, a radio station, and a marketing division. She also served as the first full-time adviser for the student media program at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida where she developed the first student media production studio on campus. Before spending the last five years supporting journalism in higher education, Bland spent more than seven years working as a journalist across multiple media platforms. She has reported and produced for the Florida Times-Union, NPR-affiliate WJCT, the Pensacola News Journal, the New York Daily News and CBS.
Christine Lee joined the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting in January 2021 as the program coordinator. In her role, she oversees workshops, events and program operational logistics.
Prior to joining the school, she worked in a number of education sectors in North Carolina including positions at NC State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Meredith College and the Research Triangle Foundation. She received her B.S. in psychology from Appalachian State University and her M.Ed. in higher education administration from North Carolina State University.
Taylin Cain joined the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting as the first program intern in fall 2021, where she works closely with the program coordinator and director on daily operations of the Society from data management to marketing efforts.
Taylin is a junior majoring in media and journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. Along with being an intern, she has continued to focus on the advancement of the Black community as an active executive team member of the Black Student Movement. Before transferring to UNC, she attended Elon University, where she was an executive member of the Black Student Union.
