BA, American University; MA Journalism, American University
Bio
Brett Zongker is a communications and media strategist who spent more than a dozen years in journalism. In addition to teaching at AU, Zongker is chief of media relations at the Library of Congress. He leads media campaigns, communications and storytelling about exhibitions, public programs, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the National Book Festival and collections at the national library, and helps coordinate television productions. He also led media strategy and editorial planning at the George Washington University.
Previously, Zongker served as a staff writer and video journalist for The Associated Press, covering the arts, culture, entertainment, nonprofits and breaking news. He has written news and features from the White House, Congress, the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center – and edited breaking news from Washington for regional, national and international audiences. His work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and hundreds of outlets. He produced video packages to accompany stories and reported for AP Radio. Earlier, Zongker covered the D.C. government, wrote for the AP in Baltimore and covered education for The Current Newspapers.
Zongker grew up in Kansas, studied public communication and journalism at AU and was editor-in-chief of The Eagle. He has led student media workshops for The Eagle and for NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists.
