The Student Press Law Center is pleased to announce that veteran journalist Steven A. Holmes has been elected as chair of the SPLC Board of Directors, and five leaders in media law, journalism and communications have joined the board.
During this urgent moment when student journalism needs legal support more than ever, these appointments help strengthen SPLC in its work to promote, support and defend the rights of student journalists and the educators who work with them.
In January, the board welcomed attorney Katie Fallow of the Knight First Amendment Institute, Dartmouth College student journalist Charlotte Hampton and CNN journalist Katelyn Polantz. This month, the board welcomed communications expert Amy Summers and Gibson Dunn attorney Katie Townsend.
“These new members bring tremendous backgrounds and experience in law, journalism, public relations and campus life,” Holmes said. “They will help guide SPLC as it takes an even more active role in protecting the rights of student journalists during a time when the First Amendment is under increased attack.”
Katie Fallow is the deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute, where she focuses on threats to free speech and a free press in the digital age, particularly in the area of social media. Fallow was previously a litigation partner at Jenner & Block, LLP and deputy director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission.
Charlotte Hampton is a student at Dartmouth College studying politics and philosophy. She is the editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth, the oldest daily college newspaper in America. She was a co-recipient of the 2024 Reveille Seven Courage in Student Journalism Award for courageously covering campus demonstrations and publicly championing the values of a free press after being wrongly arrested.
Katelyn Polantz is a CNN correspondent covering courts and legal issues based in Washington, D.C. Since 2017, Polantz has been at the forefront of CNN’s coverage of major federal court cases and sensitive Department of Justice and congressional investigations. She previously reported on Washington’s legal community for American Lawyer Magazine and the National Law Journal, and she was a producer at the PBS NewsHour.
Amy Summers founded Pitch Publicity® in 2003, and she has secured billions of earned media impressions for 100+ companies. In 2020, she launched INICIVOX®, a virtual mentorship platform that enhances communication skills. A pioneer in remote work and virtual mentorship, she is also the host of the podcast “Pitch Live with Amy Summers” and the microcast, “The Pitch with Amy Summers” and is based in the heart of New York City.
Katie Townsend is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn, advising clients in the media, entertainment and technology industries. She previously served as the deputy executive director and legal director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, where she oversaw the organization’s legal services portfolio. She was a co-recipient of the 1999 Courage in Student Journalism Award for successfully fighting her school board’s plans to crack down on student press rights.
Steven A. Holmes has served on SPLC’s board since 2020. He spent more than 40 years in journalism, recently retiring as Executive Director of Standards and Practices at CNN. He has also been national domestic policy editor at The Washington Post and reporter and editor at The New York Times where he was part of a team awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for reporting on race relations in America.
Executive Director Gary Green said, “The Student Press Law Center is fortunate to welcome such a deep bench of accomplished experts who are dedicated to supporting its mission at such a pivotal time for student journalism and the organization, as we celebrate its 50th anniversary.”
SPLC’s Board of Directors consists of up to 20 volunteers from across the fields of journalism, education, law, philanthropy and nonprofit management. Board members serve for three-year terms which are renewable for one additional term.
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About the Student Press Law Center
The Student Press Law Center (splc.org) is a nonpartisan nonprofit that promotes, supports and defends the First Amendment and free press rights of student journalists. Operating since 1974, SPLC provides information, training and legal assistance at no charge to high school and college student journalists and the educators who work with them. SPLC also supports the grassroots, student-led New Voices movement, which seeks to protect student press freedom through state laws.