News & Commentary written by Kendall Ciesemier

Kendall Ciesemier (@kendallciese) is the Host of At Liberty and the Senior Executive Producer of Multimedia at the ACLU.

Previously, Kendall worked as a producer and reporter for The New York Times’ Opinion section and Mic, a digital media company. Most notably at Mic, Kendall’s interview with Alice Marie Johnson, a woman serving a life without parole sentence for a first-time nonviolent drug offense, inspired Kim Kardashian West to get involved in Johnson’s case. Kardashian West then successfully lobbied President Trump to grant Johnson clemency and Kendall produced a series of reported pieces alongside the effort, catapulting the story to make international headlines and result in real-world impact.

Kendall has appeared on The Oprah Show with President Clinton, the TODAY Show, and CBS This Morning. She’s was named the 2014 Glamour Magazine College Woman of the Year, a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine, a Zeitgeist Young Mind by Google, and one of Youth Service America’s “Top 25 Most Powerful and Influential Young People.”

Kendall is a graduate of Georgetown University.