About our Panelists
Sean Kirst is an award-winning journalist who has been writing in Upstate New York for more than 45 years. A native of Dunkirk, N.Y. (near Buffalo), Kirst worked at Syracuse newspapers for 27 years, most of that time as a columnist for The Post-Standard. He is the recipient of many journalism awards, including the Ernie Pyle Award, given annually to one American journalist for writing about the dreams and struggles of everyday people. Kirst’s The Soul of Central New York, a collection of stories and observations about greater Syracuse published in 2016, became the fastest-selling book in the 76-year history of the Syracuse University Press. He is now a columnist for The Buffalo News and is a Grand Marshal for the 2020 St. Patrick’s Parade.
John Francis McCarthy is a renowned photographer and Tipperary Hill native. McCarthy’s photography of the Finger Lakes spans five decades; he is particularly well known for his stunning landspace photography in the CNY region and Ireland. McCarthy’s photography has been included in juried shows, museums and other venues including Utah’s Bountiful Art Center, the National Press Club, Washington, D.C, LeMoyne College, Schweinfurth Museum, Auburn, Image City, Rochester and to compliment a visit from Irish writer Frank McCourt in Oswego. In March 2020 through April 5, John’s Irish images will be on display in Albany’s Repertory Theater during a production of Frank McCourt’s, “The Irish and How They Got That Way.” He is a Grand Marshal for the 2020 St. Patrick’s Parade.
John Tumino is the founder of In My Father’s Kitchen, a nonprofit that assists people who are homeless through direct street outreach. Since 2011, In My Father’s Kitchen has helped 182 people formerly without homes get into housing. The organization in 2019 launched a new initiative, “Hire Ground,” which is a day labor program that provides people who are homeless with temporary jobs as an alternative to panhandling. Tumino has been named the Syracuse St. Patrick’s Parade Gael of the Year for 2020.
Marnie Eisenstadt has worked as a staff reporter at The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com since 2003, most recently on the public affairs team. Eisenstadt began at the newspaper as a municipal reporter covering suburban and country towns. She’s held several positions since then, but her focus has always been telling the stories of people who are often forgotten. Eisenstadt was raised by two public school teachers in Endicott, N.Y. She graduated from the Roy H. Park School of Journalism at Ithaca College in 1997. She is the recipient of several journalism awards including the 2018 New York State Associated Press Journalist of the Year, New York State Publishers’ Association Award for Best Feature Writing in 2018, 2017 and 2016, and New York State Associated Press First Place Award for Feature Writing in 2016 and 2015. Before coming to Syracuse, Eisenstadt worked at The Daily Gazette in Schenectady, N.Y.