Panel Session IV:  The Story Tellers

Lauren Stockmon Brown, Podcast Host and PhD Candidate

Lauren (she/her) is pursuing a PhD in Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies in the English and Comparative Literature Department of Columbia University. Her area of specialization includes 19th century African and African American culture, performance studies, political theater, oral history, and body politics. Prior to joining the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), she was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Senegal 2021-2022 and graduated from New York University in 2020. She is passionate about storytelling and youth activism. As an artist and academic, her creative interests create space to unpack the difficulties of beauty and aesthetics for people of all colors, shapes, and sizes. With her podcast, My Colorful Nana, she has committed to steering her creative research in Africana Studies towards uncovering a clearer intersection between the Arts, Education & Development in a way that feels global, flexible, communal & accessible. For more information, visit www.mycolorfulnana.com

Jenn Gamabatese, Award-winning Film, Television and Theatre Actor

Jenn most recently originated the role of “Miranda Hillard” in Mrs. Doubtfire on Broadway. Prior to that, she played “Principal Rosalie Mullins” in "School of Rock" and also originated the roles of “Jane" in Disney’s Tarzan, “Natalie" in "All Shook Up" (Outer Critics Circle nomination), and “Marie” in "Is He Dead?”. Her other Broadway experiences include: Hairspray, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Footloose. She traveled across America by bubble as “Glinda” in Wicked, and captured hearts in Chicago as both "Maria" in The Sound of Music, and “Carrie Pipperidge" in Carousel for The Lyric Opera. She also played Carrie for Goodspeed Musicals, earning her second Connecticut Critics Circle award. The first came from her portrayal of "Annie Oakley" in Annie Get Your Gun, also at Goodspeed. Her favorite Off-Broadway shows include Fiorello! and Stairway to Paradise for City Center’s Encores!, and The School for Lies with Classic Stage Company. Jenn has performed in concert with world class orchestras such as The Atlanta Symphony and at incredible places like The Grand Teton Music Festival. You may also have seen her guest starring on TV shows like Law & Order: SVU. She is married to Curtis Cregan and they have two wonderful daughters. For more information, visit www.jenngambatese.com

Gail Carson Levine, American Author of Young Adult Books and Writer’s Advice

Gail grew up in Washington Heights, NY, overlooking the majestic Hudson River Palisades. Her first memory of writing stories and poems was third grade. Later, she attended City College of New York, majoring in Philosophy (which she now believes was a useless major for a writer!) After college, she worked in jobs relating to welfare and started writing for children. She dabbled in script writing and illustrating, eventually enrolling in classes, joining critique groups and The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She collected rejection letters for nine years until an editor wanted the manuscript for her spin on the traditional Cinderella story with a misfit heroine, Ella Enchanted. The result? A Newbery Honor and a film adaptation that allowed her to write full-time. Since then, Gail has published over twenty novels, princess and fairy tales, picture books, and three books on the craft of writing, based on her blog of writers advice. For more information, visit www.gailcarsonlevine.com

Debbie Rafferty Oswald, Historical Fiction Writer

Debbie is a local women’s historical fiction author who published the first two books in her series on Amazon. Her love of local history began when she moved from Mahopac to Brewster in 1991. She began writing short stories about women in Putnam County for The Nimham Times, a Putnam County magazine, in 1998. Deborah’s most recent work is titled Liber- ation Twins. In 2019 she received the Putnam County Day Local Author Award, has been interviewed on local cable television programs, local newspapers, and visits local schools about her work. In 2021, Deborah signed with Roan & Weatherford Publishing and she is currently writing women’s historical fiction. Writing is her dream second career, as she retired from teaching fifth grade in North Salem (for twenty-two years!) She holds a doctorate degree in education from Walden University and is currently a volunteer researcher at the Putnam Historian’s Office. She lives in Brewster with her husband, her youngest daughter, her Boston terrier, and her rescue dog.

Nancy Montgomery, Putnam County Legislator & Advocate

Breaking news -- Nancy is not who you think she is! When asked, she defines her role in public service by what she’s not, “I am not a career politician, an insider, or a policy wonk. I am not an attorney, and I did not study political science.” Always eager to network and advocate, Nancy entered local government with a desire to help her community, give a hand up to working moms and single moms like herself, whose concerns are valid, whose experiences should be recognized and learned from, and whose voices matter. She advocates for environmental protection and climate change preparedness, transparency, ethics and good government, public safety, and the future of New York State. Once upon a time, Nancy attended Purchase College “to be surrounded by art and music and dance…” and obtained a BA in literature and writing. Beyond the bard, she has experience as an EMT, has been a member of the Philipstown Am- bulance Corps Board, the Philipstown Depot Theatre Board, and the NYS DEC Fish and Wildlife Board. She’s a widowed mom of three amazing men, Finn, Jack, and Hudson. For more information visit https://putnamcountyny.com/legislature

Tara Rosenblum, Award-winning Lead & Investigative Reporter, News12 

Tara started out her journalism career working jobs/internships at CNN's White House unit and CBS News during the 2000 presidential elections. Prior to that, her earliest job as a student was being a travel writer for the Miami Herald. In New York, she spent 14 years as an anchor/reporter with News 12 before kicking off the station's first investigative unit in 2017. She has won more than 200 industry awards, with over 25 Emmy wins and 105 Emmy nominations to date. Tara’s news coverage includes breaking, political and investigative stories. She has covered the Virginia Tech Massacre, Hurricane Katrina, numerous presidential races, high-profile criminal cases and the 9/11 health crisis. Her in-depth coverage on the heroin and synthetic marijuana outbreak led to numerous honors from organizations in the Hudson Valley. She currently hosts the Team 12 Investigates, Turn to Tara. For more information visit her @tararosenblum

Kara Mattsen, Historian Moderator, Putnam History Museum

Kara is the Education and Public Programming Manager for the Putnam History Museum in Cold Spring, New York. She has utilized object-based learning to provide education at various art and history museums, including the Beloit Historical Society, Logan Museum of Anthropology, and Dia: Beacon. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Beloit College, where she also minored in museum studies and English. Outside of work, she can be found trying new crafts and tending to her pet snail. For more information, visit putnamhistorymuseum.org