Overview
I have more than 20 years of experience working at news organizations where I was the go-to reporter, trusted with high-level projects of national interest. I have a strong track record of working with all kinds of people. I’m a master communicator, even in the most high-pressure environments, and am adept at long-term project management. I know how to tailor the right message and get it in front of the right audience using both traditional and social media.
Education
Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism 2005
Master of Science, Journalism, graduated with honors
Received the Paul Rykoff Coleman scholarship for reporting on health issues, including HIV/AIDS
Western Kentucky University 1998
B.A. in Journalism, December 1998, graduated Summa Cum Laude with an English writing minor
Editor-in-chief of College Heights Herald; managed and directed staff of 50 to produce a twice-weekly, 11,000-circulation college newspaper; won “National Pacemaker Award” during my tenure
Professional Experience
The Courier Journal/USA Today Network
Narrative Editor October 2018 – Present
I am responsible for editing major storytelling projects so that great ambition, superior reporting, and adept data collection are handled with narrative grace. My role is vital to audience engagement and story impact. I take stories from inception and talk reporters through all the work so that each project is framed appropriately and well-organized. I make sure photos, videos, and design are on track, so deadlines are met. I am available as a writing coach to all reporters in the newsroom – including those in Sports, Features, and the Investigative Team – for stories big and small, and I directly oversee a team of four reporters. I am an advocate for great writing, innovation, and experimentation. That means when a reporter dreams up an idea, the answer is “Yes,” and we will figure out how to make it happen. I am a cheerleader for reporters and a champion for great work. I was part of the 2020 CJ team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting. I also occasionally write stories.
The Courier-Journal May 2015 – September 2017
Storytelling Reporter
As a senior reporter on the storytelling team, I wrote long-form narrative stories on high-profile topics that made people think and bright features that connected people to their shared humanity. I co-produced and coached the storytellers who participated in the CJ’s Louisville Storytellers Project. Community members took the stage to tell true stories told live around a particular theme. I coached, edited, and project-managed other reporters’ narrative projects. I also mentored interns each summer.
Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting January 2014 – May 2015
I was a reporter at KyCIR, a bold project that brings more investigative reporting to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The center’s mission is to help seek protection for society’s most vulnerable citizens; to assist in exposing wrongdoing by government officials as well as those in the private sector; to increase the transparency of their actions; and to aid in the search for solutions to the most pressing problems of the day.
The Arizona Republic January 2013 – January 2014
Senior Reporter/Storytelling Team
I was responsible for short- and long-term enterprise for A1. My writing combined narrative, data, and multimedia as I combed public records and persuaded unlikely sources to share their stories.
My major projects included investigative and narrative stories on the Yarnell Hill fire, which killed 19 Granite Mountain hotshots; a double-murder mystery that involved review of more than 1,000 police records; and a narrative story on Honor Flight Arizona.
The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal September 2007 – December 2012
Regional Enterprise/Projects Reporter February 2012 – December 2012
Based out of the newspaper’s Nashville bureau, I focused on investigative and enterprise projects that helped connect the dots on issues of interest to Greater Memphis and the region.
Investigative/Projects Reporter September 2007 - February 2012
As part of a three-person investigative-reporting team, I was responsible for short- and long-term projects on a variety of subjects, including education, crime, politics, and breaking news.
My job included heavy reliance on open records and cultivating reluctant sources in a city notorious for public corruption and crime. My stories combined narrative, numbers, and analysis with the expectation that they would have community impact.
In 2009, I wrote three stories in the newspaper’s signature series called True Crime, which provided an in-depth analysis of how crime affects people in everyday life in a city that has one of the highest crime rates in America. I went undercover with a Memphis police officer who trained at a school modeled after the FBI’s program in Quantico, Va.; I spent weeks reporting about what it’s like to live in the Bluff City’s most violent neighborhood; and, for six months, I followed the efforts of a 16-year-old high school student to escape a life of poverty and crime.
In another investigation, I uncovered numerous instances of uncontrolled spending with regard to taxpayer-funded cell phones provided to school district employees. Beyond monthly service charges, taxpayers picked up the tab for ring tones and screen savers, astrology reports and sex chats. My coverage led to a federal inquiry by the organization that administers federal technology and telecommunications funding.
And I wrote about the controversial termination of a beloved psychologist at the Memphis Veterans Medical Center for her handling of a late-night phone call from an Iraq War veteran. My coverage sparked a local congressman to request a formal inquiry by Gen. Michael J. Kussman, undersecretary for health for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Carl Bernstein July 2005 – June 2007
Research/Editing
I was responsible for research and first-draft editing of “A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton,” published in 2007; and editing articles, including “Senate Hearings on Bush, Now,” published April 17, 2006, on Vanity Fair’s Web site, and “Watergate’s Last Chapter,” published in the October 2005 issue of Vanity Fair.
The Cincinnati Enquirer January 1999 – July 2004
Higher Education Reporter January 2002 – July 2004
I was responsible for daily and enterprise coverage of colleges in Cincinnati, southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. I helped the Enquirer successfully sue University of Cincinnati to open presidential search committee meetings.
General Assignment/Enterprise Reporter July 2001 – January 2002
I covered local homeland security issues related to the War on Terrorism.
I broke the national story on the abuse of the painkiller OxyContin.
I participated in team coverage of the 2001 Cincinnati race riots; followed the city’s efforts to mediate a federal racial-profiling lawsuit; and was part of a team that investigated Cincinnati’s Police Division.
I was the only Enquirer reporter sent to New York City to cover the World Trade Center disaster.
Suburban Government Reporter January 1999 – July 2001
I was responsible for growth and development coverage in Kentucky’s fastest-growing county.
Writing Coach 1998, 2003
Mountain Workshops – For the annual photojournalism workshop held in Kentucky, I worked with several photographers on captions and narratives to go with their photographs published in a book, which I helped edit.
Freelance Work
Carl Bernstein: Edit long-form special projects (June 2007-present)
Kroger: Special project work in Louisville Division’s corporate affairs office (February-April 2018)
Water With Blessings: Social media strategist for international nonprofit (January 2018-December 2018)
Awards
2020, Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting (Staff Award), The Courier Journal
2018, First Place, Public Affairs Writing, Society of Professional Journalists’ Metro Louisville Journalism Awards
2016, Anthony Lewis Media Award
2016, First Place, Feature Writing, Society of Professional Journalists’ Metro Louisville Journalism Awards
2015, First Place, Investigative Reporting, Society of Professional Journalists’ Metro Louisville Journalism Awards, Radio Division
2014, Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News (Team Award), Arizona Republic
2013, Finalist, Narrative Writing/Voice, Gannett Awards of Excellence (quarterly)
2012, First Place, Multimedia, TAPME
2012, First Place, Disaster Coverage, Green Eyeshade
2011, E.W. Scripps Annual Award for Superior Journalism, Enterprise Reporting
2010, National Finalist, The Livingston Award for best U.S. journalists under age 35
2009, Honorable Mention, Casey Medal
2008, First Place, Best Education Reporting, Tennessee Press Association
2003, First Place, Trend Reporting, Society of Professional Journalists, Queen City Chapter
2002, First Place, Best News Writer in Ohio, Associated Press Society of Ohio
2001, First Place, Deadline Reporting, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (team award).
2001, First Place, Story of the Year, The Cincinnati Enquirer.
2000, First Place, Best General News Story, Kentucky Press Association.