Maddie Bender
Executive Producer, The ConversationMaddie Bender is a science, health, and technology journalist. She has contributed print, digital, and audio stories to outlets including The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Scientific American, Smithsonian and VICE.
She provided production assistance on This Is Our Hawaiʻi, HPR's first narrative podcast, and joined The Conversation in 2024.
She holds a master's degree in epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health. When not editing out "uhs" and "ums" in interviews, you can find her baking sourdough and teaching group fitness classes.
Contact her at mbender@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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Today, we're spotlight people and organizations who are coming up with innovative ways to deal with marine debris. -
Nathan Marcy of the nonprofit group Defenders of Wildlife spoke with HPR’s Maddie Bender about the state of the National Wildlife Refuge System. -
Hawaiʻi Senate President Ron Kouchi reacts to Gov. Josh Green's State of the State address; Dean Minakami, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation, shares details on state programs to help first-time homeowners get into the housing market -
Sara Gabrielson from the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization and Kathryn Dressendorfer from the Surfrider Foundation spoke with HPR’s Maddie Bender about a new approach to landscaping on Maui. -
Gov. Josh Green delivers his State of the State address; Oʻahu residents gathered to protest over the weekend in response to the second killing of a U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minnesota -
Actor Dwight Martin and director Ixchel López-Durant spoke with HPR’s Maddie Bender about the play “Dial M for Murder.” -
HPR's Ashley Mizuo says affordability ranks among lawmakers' top priorities heading into the new legislative session; Musician and kumu hula Robert Cazimero discusses the new exhibition "Ke Kilo Lani," which highlights his work as a steward of Hawaiian cultural heritage -
Educational technologist Justin Lai spoke with HPR’s Maddie Bender about the recent incident involving a Hawaiʻi minor receiving inappropriate messages from an AI chatbot. -
HPR heads to the state Capitol for opening day of the 2026 legislative session; State lawmakers plan to put forward measures regulating AI use among kids -
Duke Law School Second Amendment scholar Hayley Lawrence spoke with HPR’s Maddie Bender about the Supreme Court case Wolford v. Lopez, and the implications for Hawaiʻi.
