Renowned Illinois journalism alumni return to campus for panel discussion on 2026 midterm elections

This event is free and open to the public and is presented by the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media at the University of Illinois College of Media. 

Attendees can join this event in person at the Spurlock Museum in Urbana or register to join via Zoom.

Hear from renowned journalism alumni including:

• Dan Balz (BS ’68, MS ’72), recently retired chief correspondent at The Washington Post who continues to write about politics and government
• Mario Parker (MS ’06), managing editor of U.S. economy and government at Bloomberg News
• Elaine Quijano (BS ’95), former CBS News and CNN anchor and correspondent
• Jasmine Wright (BS ’14), White House correspondent at The Washington Sun

The conversation will be led by Colleen King, director of the Frank Center and clinical associate professor of journalism. 

About the Panelists

Dan Balz

Dan Balz (BS ’68, MS ’72, journalism) recently retired as chief correspondent at The Washington Post, where he covered national politics, the presidency, and Congress, and continues to contribute occasional coverage of politics and government. He was a regular panelist on PBS’s Washington Week, as well as a frequent guest on the Sunday morning talk shows and other public affairs programs. Balz was the inaugural recipient of the College of Media Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021. 

Mario Parker

Mario Parker (MS ’06, journalism) is managing editor for the economy and government at Bloomberg News in Washington, where he oversees coverage of the White House, Congress, domestic policy and elections. He was previously White House and politics editor for Bloomberg. Before becoming an editor, he was a White House correspondent during the Trump and Biden administrations.

Elaine Quijano

Elaine Quijano (BS ’95, journalism) is a former CBS News and CNN anchor and correspondent with two decades of experience covering stories from the White House to war zones. During the 2016 presidential campaign, she led CBS News’ political coverage on the network’s streaming channel and was selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to moderate the 2016 vice presidential debate.

Jasmine Wright

Jasmine Wright (BS ’14, journalism) is a White House correspondent and reporter at The Washington Sun, where she co-authors itsmorning newsletter. She regularly appears on CNN, MSNOW, CBS, and CSPAN to offer political analysis on the news of the day. Wright previously worked at CNN, where she covered the White House, and was a reporter-producer at PBS Newshour, where she covered politics.

For more information, please contact Colleen King at cck@illinois.edu.