Writer, Editor, Storyteller
I’m an experienced writer and editor with a long record of covering how government policy affects real people. The need to shine a light on the inequities faced by so many in our society, especially those from low-income backgrounds and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, remains undimmed.
I have spent the greater part of my 15 years in journalism covering education and youth issues, which (happily for my insatiable curiosity) intersect with pretty much every other system out there. As a staff writer and senior editor at The Hechinger Report, I worked on stories about mental health services in schools, the ways in which school buildings contribute to climate change and the economics of preschool and child care, among many others.
As the health and justice editor at Oregon Public Broadcasting, I supervised three senior reporters covering health, legal affairs and policing.
In the summer of 2024, I said yes to a request to manage The Seattle Times’ Ed Lab team for the summer while they continued the search for a permanent editor based up north. It was a joy and a privilege to work with the Seattle Times team.
I’m now the homelessness and mental health reporter at The Oregonian. I’m relishing the challenge of building an entirely new (to me) beat from the ground up. Look for samples of my favorite work under the writing tab.
My Approach
I usually start digging when something makes me go - “huh, that’s interesting.” I’ve had that reaction to first hearing about roller derby in Houston, Texas and to realizing that the government’s child care reimbursement rates were a driver in keeping quality low. My goal for any story is talk to so many people that I finally do an interview where I’m like, “yep, I knew that.” That’s how I know I’m prepared to write. For me, process is as or more important than product. Here are my guiding principles as a writer and an editor:
ASK EVERYTHING
My reporting superpower is being willing to ask about absolutely anything I don’t understand, no matter how small. Fear of looking dumb does no come into it. Because you know what makes you look dumb? Getting the story wrong.
DON’T BE A JERK
My job is to be a human listening to other humans, the vast majority of whom are trying their best to do life right. I find I get far more information — and nuance — from treating my sources with the respect and kindness I would want to see offered to my own loved ones.
TALK TO EVERYBODY
It never ceases to amaze me how much new information can be gathered in just one conversation. And it doesn’t really matter if the interviewee is a single mom trying to get her kid into the local Head Start or the U.S. Secretary of Education. Everyone has a valuable story to tell.
Check, then check again
I’ve made mistakes. Of course I have. Any journalist who says they haven’t is lying. But I’ve never made the same mistake twice. I’m a rigorous fact checker no matter which side of the editor’s desk I’m sitting on. And I’m always grateful for help from the .