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 in our society remains undimmed.
I am currently the homelessness and mental health reporter at The Oregonian. I primarily cover policies that affect the health and welfare of the region’s homeless population as well as the issue’s impact on the rest of the city. I also cover the politics surrounding homelessness both locally and nationally. I cover mental health issues primarily as they relate to homelessness, which creates a fairly narrow focus on issues of addiction and serious mental illness. I am also responsible for coverage of the care provided at the Oregon State Hospital.
Before joining The Oregonian, I spent the greater part of my journalism career covering education and youth issues. 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. I also wrote for EdWeek and EdSource.
I have also worked as an editor at Oregon Public Broadcasting and, on an interim basis, at The Seattle Times.
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.