Robert Pierre, while you wouldn’t guess by looking at him, Robert has been with The Washington Post for two decades. His commitment to making sure the new tools actually bring new voices into the conversation is impressive. And despite the seriousness of his mission, clearly Robert maintains a sense of humor. — Dori

Paul Mitchell, Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism Recruitment and Retention Coordinator. A Maynard grad and Multimedia Editing Program champion, Paul discovered that being a dad to a daughter brings out a whole new protective side after his twin daughter and son were born a couple of years ago. — Dori

George Kelly is the online coordinator for the Bay Area News Group. A member of the soft rock choir and a karaoke enthusiast, George was one of the first I went to when I was trying to figure out this new fangled social media stuff. @allaboutgeorge is a great guide to this day. — Dori

Ron Brown, a management consultant and expert in power, Ron is probably responsible for the success of legions of journalists of color. — Dori

Sasha lives down the street from me. He works on cars and and does odd jobs for the neighbors to eke out a living. He insists on rolling out my garbage cans on garbage night and always has a big smile for me. With the neighborhood changing, I worry that the newcomers won’t appreciate him and one day there won’t be room for Sasha. — Dori

Perry Lang, journalist turned pastor, the executive director of Black Coalition on AIDS, Perry was a witness at my wedding where he also gave a blessing. — Dori

Reggie Stuart, under that smiling face lives a will of steel. No matter the obstacle, he will get things done, and in the course of his career he has helped thousands of young and old journalists. — Dori

Husband, father, Washington Post national editor and Maynard grad, Kevin Merida literally wrote the book on black men. http://books.google.com/books/about/Being_a_black_man.html?id=qj9VmCl4x0IC — Dori

Leon Braswell, Director of Admission and Financial Aid at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. While Leon is deadly serious about his job, he has a wicked wit. I don’t see him often enough, but I know when I do see him it always means big smiles. — Dori

Larry Olmstead, journalist, HR expert and mentor to many, including myself. This husband, father and tennis enthusiast always makes time to teach up and coming young managers. — Dori

Milton Coleman, past ASNE president and current president of the Inter American Press Association, is a friend and a fellow traveler in the fight for diversity — Dori

Doug Mitchell is a teacher, a trainer, a mentor and an innovator. His New U is working to help journalist of color find their footing in this changing industry. — Dori

Mike Frisby. a former Wall Street Journal reporter who now runs his own public relations firm, this married father of two is a gardner, wine enthusiast and generous friend. Best part, he always sends great wine when he thinks you’re in distress. — Dori

My Uncle Edward. He started his professional career as an educator and went on to become a psychologist. My father always explained that his big brother had two PhDs, one for my uncle and one for my dad. — Dori

Haile Girma came into my life when he was our auditor, now he and his wife Marsha are close friends. A husband and father of two, he may be an accountant by profession, but he has the heart and soul of an artist. — Dori