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Update | Spring/Summer 2026

Got a Minute? Meet NPR’s Elle Mannion

Photography by Noah Willman

Elle Mannion sitting on top of her desk at NPR, smiling into the distance.

Elle Mannion (BBA ’18)

Producer and Tiny Desk Contest Manager, NPR Music
Washington, D.C.

How did you get your start with NPR?

I started as an intern on the events team three days after graduating! The team focused on bringing NPR’s podcasts to life through live events. I quickly started working on our conference for entrepreneurs, which was based on Guy Raz’s podcast and explored how businesses are created and the stories of their founders. 

What is the Tiny Desk Contest?

It’s our nationwide search for the next great undiscovered artist. I help sift through thousands of entries from independent artists across the country. The winner plays a Tiny Desk concert at NPR; then we take them on a national tour, playing nearly a dozen venues featuring local artists at each stop.

What’s your favorite WSB memory?

One of the most fascinating classes I took was a brand strategy course. It got at the psychological aspects of marketing and opened my eyes to new career possibilities. It really made me look at what I was studying, and the ways that I interact with the world, through a different lens. 


Spring/Summer 2026 Update

Managing Editor
Erin Canty Ryan (BA ’07, MS ’09)

Assistant Editor and Writer
Chris Malina

Writer
Haley Boyer (BA ’20)

Art Director and Designer
Shaysa Sidebottom Cook

Design Intern
Cam Erhardt (BFA ’26)

Photographers
Eric Forberger
Kym Fortino
Amanda Nagy
Paul L. Newby II
Drew Anthony Smith
Lexi Webster
Noah Willman

Director of Alumni Relations
Kate Prehn (BS ’09)

Editorial Advisors
Betsy Lundgren (BA ’03, MA ’05)
Sirinda Pairin (BA ’15)

Brand Advisor
Katie Schauer