ABOUT US
We Are ...
NONPARTISAN
ONC shows all viewpoints. In a world of agenda-driven news, our commitment to truth, fairness, balance, good manners and good ideas – wherever they come from – is what sets us apart. No food fights here!
SOLUTION - FOCUSED
ONC’s focus is on problem-solving, not finger-pointing. We make a difference by hosting open-minded conversations that encourage collaboration instead of conflict.
POWERED BY YOUTH
Our organization is driven by a community of over 800 student interns and volunteers, gently guided by experienced professionals who want to give a boost to America’s future leaders.
ONC’s STORY
Our National Conversation (or ONC, for short) began in February of 2020 when CEO Jeff Hall placed an advertisement on an intern bulletin board.
He was seeking a handful of students interested in building a new, nonpartisan news outlet that summer. Hall, a former VP at the Los Angeles Times, had had it with hyper-partisan media.
By mid-March, just a few weeks later, COVID-19 had shut down the world. Students everywhere had lost summer internships and jobs. Spring and summer classes were canceled.
Because ONC was willing to host this internship remotely, Hall suddenly found himself drowning in applications.
Hall immediately signed up 92 interns to help build OUR NATIONAL CONVERSATION in the summer of 2020.
Overnight, ONC had become full-blown organization, run virtually by students all across America.
The students organized themselves into teams – content, video production, social media, admin, HR, podcasting, tech and more.
Together they wrote a book (“Let’s Fix America”), built a website and started hosting podcasts.
Our policy students wrote well-researched opinion pieces and policy proposals that took into account points of view from across the political spectrum.
ONC’s goal is to become a sane alternative to all the anger and toxic partisanship that exists in America today.
Our motto: “Let’s get America talking again.” Our focus is on problem-solving, not finger-pointing.
At ONC, we prove daily that individuals with different philosophies really can get along and work out their differences.
There have been a lot of ups and downs along the way, but we have persisted. In 2024, we organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
In 2025, we seek to raise money so we can begin paying our students a stipend, build a stronger tech operation and market OUR NATIONAL CONVERSATION.
ONC BY THE NUMBERS
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TEAM
Sam Taylor
Chief Operating Officer
Sam Taylor is a prospective law student and recent graduate from Brigham Young University, where he majored in Political Science. As the former Managing Editor, he oversaw the written content produced and edited by ONC members. He now oversees organization-wide operations.
Connor Chung
Director of Policy Content and Strategy
Connor holds a Bachelor’s Degree Russian Studies from the University of Calgary and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Global Affairs at the university of Oklahoma. Connor enjoys long distance running and spending time outdoors on a nice day.
Tania Ruedas Ortiz
Director of Community
Tania holds Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science and Speech Communication from the University of La Verne and is currently pursuing a Public Policy graduate degree at the University of California, Riverside. Tania enjoys traveling to new cities and countries, reading science-fiction novels, and spending time with family.
Jason Lloyd
Director of Marketing
Jason Lloyd is a graduate of Gavilan College, where he earned two Associate degrees in Water Resources Management and Graphic Design. In Fall 2023, he joined ONC as a graphic design intern. Today, Jason oversees the organization’s Marketing Department.
Mitali Purohit
Director of Technology
Mitali Purohit holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Cal State LA. She leads ONC’s tech department, managing development and infrastructure. With expertise in full-stack development, she excels in building scalable systems and mentoring teams.
Alexander Zweck
Director of Human Resources
Alexander Zweck is a 20 year old student pursuing his masters in industrial/organizational psychology at Florida Southern College with a B.S. in psychology. He started with ONC in May 2024 as a Human Resources intern and is now the Director of Human Resources.
Paulius Razukevicius
Deputy Director of Policy Content
Paulius Razukevicius, a graduate of Boston University with a B.A. in International Relations with a specialization in Foreign Policy & Security. He started with ONC in the Fall 2024 and now helps manage the day-to-day of written content production.
Raymond Hernandez
Graphic Design Team Co-Lead
Raymond Hernandez, a graduate from California Polytechnic State University with a B.A. in Visual Communication Design. Raymond joined ONC in Fall 2023 as a graphic design intern. He now leads the team.
Yalin Zhu
PR Team Lead
Yalin Zhu is a graduate from Johns Hopkins University with a Master’s degree in Digital Communication. Yalin started with ONC in September 2024, where she oversees outreach and public relations.
Ryan Fabre
Social Media Team Lead
Ryan Fabre is a graduate from Chapman University with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Holocaust History. He started with ONC in Summer 2024, where he know oversees social media strategy and posting.
Alexandria Ochoa-Guzman
Nonprofit Fundraising Team Lead
Alexandria Ochoa-Guzman, a graduate from Arizona State University with a B.A. in Communications, has worked for several nonprofits throughout Southern California before joining ONC in Spring 2024 as a grant writing intern. She now oversees ONC’s fundraising campaigns.
Brianna White
Graphic Design Team Co-Lead
Brianna White is a Fine Arts graduate from Maryville College and the co-lead of the Graphic Design team at ONC. She helps bring designs to life for ONC's various departments and oversees the distribution of projects to interns.
Jeff Hall
Editor & CEO
Jeff Hall is a newspaper guy going way back (Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, Brentwood News). Like many, he is concerned about how nasty and partisan everything has become. He started OUR NATIONAL CONVERSATION in an attempt to get America talking again.
Sam Taylor
Chief Operating Officer and VP of the Board
Sam Taylor is a prospective law student and recent graduate from Brigham Young University, where he majored in Political Science. As the former Managing Editor, he oversaw the written content produced and edited by ONC members. He now oversees organization-wide operations.
Cindy Brown
Chief Financial Officer
Cindy Brown has served in advisory and administrative roles at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, Kloss College Consultants, and TheLatest.com. She currently facilitates administration and financial record-keeping at ONC.
David Hill
Board Member
David Hill has served in content strategy, editorial, and managerial roles in numerous educational and professional training organizations, such as John Wiley and Sons Inc, Udacity, and Singularity University. He currently advises ONC on strategy and data-backed impact analysis.
Dr. Lanette Trowery
Board Member
Dr. Lanette Trowery has worked extensively in data analysis, STEM education, and K-12 curriculum development. She currently advises ONC on its civic education material and content strategy.
Ruben Navarrette
Board Member
Ruben Navarrette is a nationally syndicated, Pulitzer-nominated columnist whose work can be found in the Washington Post, USA Today, Fox News, Daily Beast, and other publications. He is the most widely read Latino columnist in America. He also hosts a popular podcast: Ruben in the Center. He gives ONC writers and content producers feedback on their material.
Perry Brimijoin
Board Member
Perry Brimijoin has over a decade of experience in nonprofit consulting and fundraising. She currently works on fundraising with Campbell & Company, where she has overseen fundraising efforts for NPR. She advises ONC on fundraising.
Justin DeMaris
Board Member
Justin DeMaris is a digital media technologist with extensive experience in software engineering and management. He currently works in consumer engineering at Merriam-Webster and is a Co-Founder and Board Member at Flexpress. He advises ONC on technology.
Deaven Rector
Board Member
Deaven Rector is an ONC alum and currently works as an associate attorney at F3 Law in California. His emphasis is labor and employment law. He leverages his legal expertise and his past experience with ONC to advise on ONC’s community building and internship programming efforts.
Keith Newman
Mentor
Keith Newman is a seasoned marketing and media executive who has run and worked at several media and tech companies. Today he is a GTM consultant and advisor specializing in developing unique growth tactics at the GTM Firm. He also hosts THE LOOK BACK, a podcast where he interviews Silicon Valley’s greatest founders, funders and influencers. Keith has provided guidance and mentorship to ONC’s marketing department.
Brian Thomas
Mentor
Brian Thomas is a hematologist, medical oncologist, and healthcare policy advocate who completed his residency at the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He has served on a variety of medical committees and boards while leading efforts to expand physician productivity and quality metrics in cancer care. He advises on public policy and civic engagement at Our National Conversation.