Bringing Your Life Experience to Work – Now and in the Future
Breaking News! Juju Chang will be on a special assignment for ABC news and will present virtually at the conference. She will be joined for the presentation by Milwaukee’s own Joyce Garbaciak, news anchor for WISN-TV, who will participate in-person at the Pfister.
When Juju Chang started out as a young journalist, she would dress in masculine clothing to “look as tough as the guys” and shy away from reporting on the AAPI community for fear of being pigeon-holed. Today, she not only embraces her identities as a woman, mother of three sons, wife, volunteer, Jew by Choice and Asian American — she actively brings her lived experience to her work as an award-winning journalist and network anchor. From co-hosting a prime-time news special on Asian Hate and highly praised coverage of the Atlanta Spa Shootings, to covering gender inequality, immigrant stories and human rights around the world, Juju has elevated her career by whole-heartedly bringing her life experience, identities and passion for social justice to her work.
In this inspiring talk, Juju empowers more women to celebrate their authentic selves, blend their talents with their passions, and bring their invaluable lived experiences to their professional roles as they work today and plan for tomorrow. According to Juju, it’s also a win-win for any organization. Celebrating diversity of experience helps to create more inclusive and innovative workplace cultures that are also more in touch with their communities and customers.
Speaker
Joyce Garbaciak
Joyce Garbaciak serves as co-anchor of WISN 12 News at 6:00.
Joyce has more than 35 years in the Milwaukee television market, and in that time has had one-on-one interviews with President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton and New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
An investigative series she reported led to a change in Wisconsin law regarding the posting of code violations at day-care centers. She is a nine-time Chicago regional Emmy Award winner, and a documentary on bullying that she hosted went on to win national recognition with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2022, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association inducted Joyce into its Hall of Fame – she is only the 12th woman out of 159 people in the Hall. And in October of that same year, the Milwaukee Press Club inducted Joyce into its Media Hall of Fame. She has been part of the Wisconsin Silver Circle since 2012, a lifetime achievement honor bestowed by the Chicago region of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
In early 2005, Joyce left WITI-TV after some 16 years as a primary news anchor and reporter. At one point, she successfully anchored three daily newscasts, including the 10 p.m. report.
She joined WISN in 2006 because the position allowed her to work part-time on fulfilling, meaningful projects and still be more hands-on at home with her family. She resumed full-time at WISN in 2015.
Joyce received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism, graduating with high honors and receiving an RCA/NBC Fellowship to complete her graduate studies. She stays active with her alma mater, serving on Northwestern’s Council of 100, an invitation-only alumnae organization dedicated to mentoring and helping students transition from college to employment.
Prior to coming to Milwaukee, Joyce worked as a reporter and anchor in Nashville and Wausau, and has served as visiting faculty at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think-tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Juju Chang
Emmy Award-Winning Co-Anchor of ABC News’ ‘Nightline’
One of the most prominent Asian Americans in broadcast news, Juju Chang is the Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News ‘Nightline’ and a regular contributor to ‘Good Morning America’ and ’20/20.’ With the rise of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Chang leveraged her platform to become a much-admired champion of social change.
Known for her in-depth personal narratives and long-form storytelling, Chang has won acclaim for stories with underlying themes of civil and women’s rights and social justice. These include her critical examination of the controversial ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy, which she told through the eyes of one pregnant woman and her family living among the 60,000 asylum seekers camped for months along the Rio Grande. Her award-winning report, ‘Trans and Targeted’ on violence against transgender women of color was the latest of a series of stories on the targeting of LGBTQIA+ Americans, including a GLAAD award-winning report on Matthew Shepard’s murder. Internationally, Chang has been a powerful voice on gender-based violence, including a trip through Central Africa on the front lines against Boko Haram and #bringbackourgirls. She also traveled to Honduras for ‘Femicide: The Untold War,’ an eye-opening look at violence against women.
In addition to reporting, Chang has profiled newsmakers like Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg; entertainers such as Tom Hanks, Chris Pratt and Nicki Minaj; and social media moguls Kendall Jenner and Dude Perfect.
An ABC News veteran, Chang joined the network as an entry-level desk assistant in 1987 after graduating with honors from Stanford University. Prior to her current roles at ABC, she was a producer for ‘World News Tonight’, a co-anchor on the overnight show ‘World News Now’ and news anchor for ‘Good Morning America.’ Chang’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Emmys, Gracies, a DuPont, a Murrow and Peabody Awards.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Northern California, Chang is member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a founding board member of the Korean American Community Foundation.
