Michelle focuses on results-oriented assessments, formulations, management and evaluation of media development programs in conflict and post-conflict environments, emerging democracies and countries in transition.

CEO, Betz Media Consulting (2004 – present)

• International Center for Journalists (Twenty African countries July 2011 – April 2012) – Program Manager, Reporting Climate Change Adaptation in Africa. Funded by UNDP.
• International Media Support (Sub-Saharan Africa, 2010 – present) – Regional Media Advisor, Africa – Assess, formulate and implement media development interventions in conflict and post-conflict/post-emergency states.
• International Media Support (Sri Lanka, Sudan, Guinea, Togo, Senegal, Gambia, Benin, Great Lakes, Morocco 2006 – 2009) – Assess, formulate and implement media development interventions in conflict and post-conflict/post-emergency states.
• International Center for Journalists (sub-Saharan Africa) – Regional Advisor for Knight International Press Fellowships.
• UNESCO Nairobi Office (2008, 2010-2011) – Developed media assistance strategy and full proposals for Great Lakes region. Conducted assessment of safety situation of journalists and assembled training modules for safety and human rights reporting, ethics and professional practices and management.
• Open Society Institute (DRC  2010)  - External evaluation of Radio Okapi in the DRC.
• Institut Panos Paris (DRC  2010) – External evaluation of IrishAid and DFID-FCI funded media project in the DRC.
• UNESCO – Division of Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace (Paris  – 2009-2010)  - Three month consultancy (P-4) to develop and implement strategies and programs for conflict, post-conflict and post-disaster states.
• International  Development and Research Centre and Carleton University’s Center for Media in Transitional Countries (Rwanda 2009) – Facilitated roundtable for development of research program on radio and ICTs in Africa.   
• IMS/Danida (Benin 2008) – Member of formulation team (responsible for media component) for Danida’s Governance and Rule of Law Programme, 2009-2011. Media component approved for $1.5 million. 
• SIDA/DDC (Great Lakes 2008) – Evaluation of SIDA-funded IPP Media des Grands Lacs Project, 2005-2008.
• Academy for Educational Development (Nigeria, Ghana 2007) – Led several workshops for journalists on covering avian influenza. Adapted training manual for West African context.
• UNESCO (Rwanda 2005 – 2007) – Ongoing training of student and professional journalists and assisted in launch of university radio station (Radio Salus); assisted School of Journalism and Communication with curricular revision. Wrote successful grant application (awarded $50,000) for radio diary project in Rwanda/Burundi.  
• US Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Accra, Lome, Cotonou and Abidjan (2006-2008) – Trained journalists in election reporting and covering HIV/AIDS.
• Health Journalism Partnership (Ghana 2006) – Awarded $10,000 grant for radio diary project for HIV+ women. 
• Population Reference Bureau (Ghana 2006) – Produced and ran workshop for radio talk show hosts.
• International Center for Advancement of Journalism (Nigeria 2006) – Trained journalists in Osun State.
• International Center for Journalists (2006) – Strategic planning report for Sub-Saharan Africa. 
• VOA/IBB (Mali 2005) – Broadcast Management workshop.

Freelance print and radio work

Various outlets including “The Green Planet Monitor” (Africa Correspondent),  CBC Radio, World Vision Radio, The Orlando Sentinel, Florida Today, The Globe and Mail (Toronto). Registered speaker for U.S. State Department’s Africa Regional Services Bureau.

Ateneo de Manila University – Philippines (Fall 2005)  Konrad Adenauer Center for Journalism -

Taught online graduate level course “Writing for Broadcast”.

University of Central Florida – Orlando, FL (1999 – 2005)

Lecturer, Nicholson School of Communication, Division of Radio – Television. Taught primarily electronic journalism courses. Launched and advised award-winning    college radio station. Faculty adviser for RTNDA chapter. Produced weekly television    newsmagazine program.

Knight International Press Fellowship (2005)

Assignment: Morocco (and Algeria). Conducted print and broadcast journalism training and coaching.

Next Generation Radio Training Projects, National Public Radio (2000 – 2005)

Mentor/Trainer – Trained and mentored college students during week long radio news boot camps at diversity journalism conferences.

Knight International Press Fellowship (2003)

Assignment: Rwanda (and Uganda). Conducted broadcast journalism training and coaching.

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN (1998 – 1999)

Instructor, Department of Radio/TV-Photography. Taught variety of communication and journalism courses.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Newsworld, Halifax, Canada (1995 – 1998)

Segment Producer, The CBC Morning News. Produced 1-2 segments daily including research, booking and writing for national morning television show (6 hours live daily). Arranged and produced exclusive Canadian interview with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Produced for the 1995 G7 Summit and co-produced a live 2-day special election road show.

CBC-TV News, Vancouver, Canada (1994)

Researcher. Assisted reporters with research and interviews in local newsroom.

CTV News, Lillehammer Olympics, Norway (1994)                                          

Production Assistant. Assisted the news team (2 reporters, 1 producer) by taking in feeds, conducting interviews, booking guests, doing research for the 1994 Winter Olympics.

CTV News, London, England (1993)

Researcher. Researched both news and feature stories for European bureau of Canadian Television.

CTV Sports, London, England (1993)        

Researcher “The Norwegian Way”.  Researched a series of 16 documentaries that were broadcast nationally during prime-time Olympic broadcasts.

EDUCATION

Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada                                                             

Master of Journalism (Broadcast stream), 1994. Thesis: “A Different Channel: The Role of Television in International Conflict Resolution”.

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada                  

Bachelor of Arts (International Relations), 1990

AWARDS AND HONORS

• Excellence in Journalism Education Fellowship (2002). Radio and Television News Directors Foundation (one of 24 educators selected nationwide). Assignment: KGW-TV, Portland, OR
• Grasty Award for Outstanding Teaching (2002). Nicholson School of Communication, University of Central Florida
• TV Ontario Telefest (1993). Best Editing and 3^rd place for short documentary: “Lord of the Fries”
• Dept. of National Defence Military and Strategic Studies Scholarship (1993). For master’s thesis research. Two awarded annually.
• United Nations Prize (1990) for paper entitled: “The Palestinians, Surrogate Terrorism and the Disintegration of Lebanon: A Holistic Analysis of the Lebanese National Security Problem”.

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP

Selected Publications:

Betz, M. Conflict Sensitive Journalism: Moving Towards a Holistic Framework. International Media Support, Denmark, 2011.

Betz, M.  Manuel des Journalistes Audiovisuels, Nouveaux Horizons (ARS, United States State Dept.), 2011.

Betz, M. Covering Elections in Sudan: A toolkit for trainers. Sudan Media and Elections Consortium, 2010.

Betz, M.  Journalism Training in Sudan: A Move towards Enhanced Cooperation. International  Media Support, Denmark, 2009.

Betz, M. “A Different Channel: The Role of Television in International Conflict Resolution” in Media in Conflict Situations: Roles, Challenges and Responsibility, Fountain Publishers (Distributed by Michigan State University Press), 2006.

Betz, M. “Radio as Peacebuilder: A case study of Radio Okapi in the Democratic Republic     of  Congo”.  Great Lakes Research Journal vol. 1, Dec. 2004, 32-43.

Betz, M. “Chapter 13: The Responsibility Test” in Alan, Jeff, Responsible Journalism: A Practical Guide for Working and Aspiring Journalists, Bonus Books, 2001.

Conference Presentations:

“Radio as Peacebuilder: Theoretical Perspectives, Empirical Reality”. Community Radio as an Instrument of Peace in Guinea-Bissau. Rhode Island College, Providence,  September 2010.

“The Role of Media as Peacebuilder”. International Association of Women in Radio and Television, Nairobi, September 2007.

“Radio as Peacebuilder: A case study of Radio Okapi in the Democratic Republic of Congo”. International Academy of Linguistics, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Cancun, Mexico, November 2004.

“The Mentor-Mentee Relationship: A Co-orientation Perspective of National Public Radio Training Projects.”  Radio-TV Journalism Division at Association for Educators of Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC) Convention, Miami, August 2002.

“Whither Local Public Broadcasting in America? A National Survey of Local Public Broadcasters in America” at Public Service Broadcasting: Beyond 2000 in conjunction with the Banff  Television Festival. Banff, Canada, June 2000

COLUMNS

“Rwanda’s vote: A little bit free, a little bit fair,” Orlando Sentinel, September 1, 2003.

“Testing Democracy and free press,” Florida Today, August 25, 2003.

“Perfect Time for Israelis, Palestinians to make peace,” Orlando Sentinel, October  2001.

“Spiral of Mideast violence like Slinky, falling down stairs”, Orlando Sentinel, October 2000.

Masters Research Project (Unpublished): “A Different Channel: The Role of Television in International Conflict Resolution”, Carleton University, 1994.

PANEL PARTICIPATION (partial list)

AEJMC Annual Convention, Toronto (2004). Panelist: “Meeting Needs to Globalize Curriculum in Science and Health Communications”

Broadcast Educators Association Annual Convention, Las Vegas (2004). Panelist: “African Tales: Teaching Media and Journalism in Africa”.

National College Media Advisers Convention, New Orleans (2001). Panelist: “Radio: The Next Generation”

AEJMC Annual Convention, Washington, DC (2001). Moderator: “International Internships”

AEJMC Annual Convention, Washington, DC (2001).  Moderator: “Convergence in the Curriculum”

AEJMC Annual Convention, Phoenix (2000).  Panelist: “Radio News in the Merger Mania Age”

IRTS Faculty/Industry Seminar, New York (2000). Seminar participant: “Telecommunications Management and Business Strategy”

AEJMC Annual Convention, New Orleans (1999). Panelist: “Academics Who Consult”

TECHNICAL SKILLS AND EXPERTISE

Office/Presentation/Research Software: MS Word, Excel, Power Point

Audio Editing: Protools, Adobe Audition/Cool Edit Pro

Languages: French (advanced), Arabic (conversational), Italian (intermediate), German (conversational)