Special Guest

We are excited to have special guests with us tonight...

JASON NEWTON

Parent, Board Member

Jason Newton joined WBAL-TV 11 News in 2013 as co-anchor of WBAL-TV 11 News Today. He is also host of the public affairs show “11 TV Hill”.

Jason is an award-winning reporter whose news travels have taken him around the country covering stories of national interest.

Prior to WBAL, Jason was an anchor and reporter at sister-station WISN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, and WBOC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Salisbury.

In 2017, Jason won an Emmy Award for his coverage of Maryland’s opioid crisis as part of WBAL’s “State of Addiction” coverage. In 2006, he earned an Associated Press award for “Outstanding In-Depth Reporting,” covering the efforts of Maryland firefighters to help clean up and restore order to Slidell, Louisiana, one of the hardest hit communities by Hurricane Katrina.

Jason served on the teaching staff in the broadcast department at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. While there, Jason played in integral role in launching Discover UMES, a university webcast highlighting achievements on campus.

Jason has a degree in broadcast journalism from the Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland-College Park.

DARIUS BARNES

Darius studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the School of American Ballet (SAB) and began his career as a member of the New York City Ballet. He has danced with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet & The Dance Theatre of Harlem. Darius is on the teaching staff and adjudication panel for MOVE(NYC) and is a member of SAB’s Alumni Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.

EZE JACKSON ‘98

As founder, creator and chief visionary of the burgeoning entertainment and media company EPIC FAM (Every Person Is Coming From A Memory), a collective of local talent, Eze is committed to supporting the Baltimore artistic community with a creative support system. As Baltimore Magazine put it, “It’s hard to envision the Baltimore music scene without Eze Jackson.”

RUFUS ROUNDTREE (TWIGS Alum)

Rufus was in the first class of TWIGS in the 80s and graduated from City College. He fronts his own band, Da Bmore Brass Factory, blending the sounds of Baltimore with the music of New Orleans. He has performed with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, as well as, Rebirth Brass Band, Dru Hill, & the Soul Rebels. He collaborated with BSA alum Eze Jackson ‘98 on the 2017 release “Hey Baltimore”.