David Andrukonis, Assistant to Judy Woodruff
In addition to being Judy's assistant, David moonlights as a Generation Next staffer. He has a special appreciation for technology after riding two online classes to a May 2006 graduation from UNC-Chapel Hill (political science major, business minor). While at UNC, he wrote for the Daily Tar Heel and the humor magazine, BoUNCe; freelanced for USA WEEKEND; and, his mother claims, turned Capital One's Enterprise Risk Management newsletter into a must-read.

The posters in his room feature Carolina basketball, the Washington Redskins and Cosmo Kramer.

Christopher Buchanan, Field Producer
Christopher Buchanan thinks he has the best job in the world, while others think that doing the same thing -- field producing -- for 25 years suggests he's in a rut. Before BlackBerries, cell phones, laptops … even faxes, it was still possible for him to wander around the world finding interesting stories and setting up film shoots.

His life's goal is to have worked on every continent. The fact that he's only one continent shy -- the Antarctic -- helps to explain his current fascination with penguins.

His work has taken him from Afghanistan to Albania to Australia, just to name the "A" list countries, covering serious subjects (war, famine, injustice) and lighter topics (too frivolous to mention).

The last big "journey" project he did was Robert MacNeil's trip across the country that became the PBS documentary "Do You Speak American?" During more than half a year, he criss-crossed America, speaking to lobster fishermen in Maine, truck drivers in Tennessee, computer voice recognition experts at Microsoft and snowboarders in California.

When he's not traveling, he lives in Arlington, Va., with two teenage kids and a border collie.

Venessa Mendenhall, Researcher/Writer
Venessa Mendenhall knows something about the mobility of this generation. After living in three countries, six cities, and 10 apartments in the past six years, Venessa has returned to her native Washington, D.C. determined to stay in one place (at least for a while).

At Pitzer College in Southern California, Venessa studied religion and politics, earning a double honors degree in Religious Studies and Gender & Feminist Studies. After studying abroad in Italy and Oxford, England, she moved to Portland, Ore. where she co-founded the city's only 24-hour sexual assault crisis intervention program.

Venessa broadened her interests in politics to include comparative international urban development while attaining her master's degree at the University of Chicago.

She managed to hide the fact that she also founded a Washington, D.C. Chihuahua Meetup group until -- to her horror and her coworkers' delight -- the Washington Post broke the story.

Susan Mills, Executive Producer
Susan Mills represents the boomer generation -- still trying to figure out what she wants to do when she grows up. In the meantime, she has had a long, rewarding career in TV journalism, starting at CBS News during the Vietnam War as a researcher.

She has developed and produced award-winning children's news programs, covered the wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua and the Falkland Islands, and witnessed the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines and the revolution which put Cory Aquino in power. Along the way she has produced field interviews with many of the world's leaders from Fidel Castro to Nelson Mandela to U.S. presidents.

Over her career, Susan has garnered four national Emmys, the Columbia Dupont journalism award, a Peabody award, and more than 12 Emmy nominations.

In her free time, she frequents flea markets, gardens, plays golf, travels around the world, and loves to cook dinners and drink good wine with friends.

Jeff Milstein, Senior Producer
A GenNexter at heart, Jeff brings more than 25 years of production experience to the project. He adapted to computers and new technology during his 13 years with "ABC News Nightline"; discovered the Internet while producing magazine pieces for NBC News; and moved on to cell phones and text messaging while developing and overseeing programming as executive producer for WETA television.

By the time he arrived at CNN for a five-year stint as a senior producer, he had officially crossed over from a technically awkward baby boomer to a proficient consumer of technology.

He brings that experience and three Emmys to Generation Next -- the project he helped develop with Judy Woodruff.

Jeff Nelson, Researcher/Writer
Originally from New York City, researcher, writer and GenNexter Jeff Nelson finds himself in his third job in two years.

A 2004 graduate of Williams College with a degree in political science, Jeff began his post-college career as a desk assistant at NBC News in Washington, D.C. After a short stint as a researcher at the Center for Public Integrity, this city boy has now landed himself a corner desk in the Generation Next offices, with a beautiful view of a suburban Virginia parking garage.

Although an avid watcher of "The Daily Show," "Colbert Report," and "The Office," Jeff readily admits that his music and movie tastes leave something to be desired.

While trying to remain "outside the Beltway," he takes an active interest in politics, both national and local. In his free time, he enjoys indulging in all things barbecue and grill-related, Frisbee, fishing, and exploring Washington's different neighborhoods and sites.

Oliver Read, Associate Editor (Online)
Like many members of Generation Next, Oliver refuses to grow up. He's been bouncing from city to city and country to country for the last decade.

However, despite blatant dillydallying, Oliver has acquired useful experience: he earned a master's in journalism from Boston University; worked at WBUR, the NPR Boston affiliate; edited The Mongol Messenger during a stint in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and lived for two years in Berlin, where he co-founded New Berlin Magazine and New Munich Magazine.

On paper, Oliver is all man, but upon meeting him you wouldn't think him older than 20.

Brian Wolly, Editorial Assistant (Online)
Brian graduated in 2005 from Tufts University, where he served proudly as associate editor for the Tufts Daily and opined on trashy television on a weekly basis. He started at the Online NewsHour in September 2005 as the desk assistant for NewsHour Extra.

Even though he tries to be funny, he fears that his life as a humorist peaked at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston when he made Jon Stewart laugh while the comedian was appearing as a guest pundit for NBC News.

He hails from Rockville, Md. -- the center of what his friends refer to as "uber-suburbia" -- and has since cultivated a fine hatred of chain restaurants.

When the weather is nice, Brian enjoys playing ultimate frisbee: it's a sport, deal with it.