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Thursday, March 18, 2010

Our Staff

Julian AguilarReporter

jaguilar@texastribune.org
214-718-3332

Julian Aguilar covered the 81st legislative session for the Rio Grande Guardian. Previously, he reported from the border for the Laredo Morning Times. A native of El Paso, he has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in journalism from the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at the University of North Texas. Articles by Julian Aguilar

Niran BabalolaSoftware Engineer

nbabalola@texastribune.org
512-716-8699

Niran Babalola wrote web applications for the Austin American-Statesman before joining the Tribune. He has also written software at Yahoo and Apple. A native of Sugar Land, he studied computer science at Stanford University. Articles by Niran Babalola

Bob DaemmrichContributing Photographer

bobphoto@texastribune.org
512-716-8600

Bob Daemmrich started covering Texas politics back when Rick Perry was still a Democrat, and remains a vital member of the Capital press corps 25 years later. Following staff photographer jobs at the Bryan Eagle and Austin American-Statesman, he opened his own studio in 1985. He has since photographed campaigns, elections, inaugurals, legislative sessions and other Texas and national news for a variety of clients, both editorial and commercial. A native of Stoughton, Wisconsin, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tanya ErlachDirector of Events

terlach@texastribune.org
512-716-8626

Tanya Erlach spent the past eight years as the senior talent manager at The New Yorker, where she programmed and produced a variety of public events, including the annual New Yorker Festival. Previously, she held editorial positions at Nylon, Interview, and Spin. Originally from California, she holds a degree in international business from San Diego State University and a graduate degree in publishing from New York University.

Maggie GilburgDevelopment Associate

mgilburg@texastribune.org
512-716-8686

Maggie Gilburg worked as a freelance grant writer and fundraising consultant for local nonprofits since 2007, helping to raise money for operations, programming, and capital projects in the Austin area. Prior to that, she held development positions in major gifts and membership at the Austin Museum of Art. Gilburg moved to Austin in 2002 after living in Hong Kong for four years with her family. She served as assistant to president Arthur R. Taylor at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, Pennsylvania) for five years, earning the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Service in 1998. Gilburg previously held development positions at the Allentown Art Museum and the Los Angeles Arts Council. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Gilburg has a bachelor’s degree in English from Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota), as well as master’s degrees in arts administration and business administration from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas).

Brandi GrissomReporter

bgrissom@texastribune.org
512-716-8618

Brandi Grissom joined the Tribune after four years at the El Paso Times, where she has been a one-woman Capitol bureau during the last two legislative sessions. Grissom won the Associated Press Managing Editors 1st place award in 2007 for using the Freedom of Information Act to report stories on a variety of government programs and entities, and the ACLU of Texas named her legislative reporter of the year in 2007 for her reporting about immigration issues. She previously worked for the Alliance Times-Herald, the Taylor Daily Press, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and the Associated Press, and was managing editor at the Daily Texan. A native of Alliance, Nebraska, she has a degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin. Articles by Brandi Grissom

Reeve HamiltonReporter

rhamilton@texastribune.org
512-716-8623

Reeve Hamilton has interned at both The Nation and The Texas Observer, for which he covered the 2009 legislative session. Most recently, he has been a desk assistant at The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. A Houston native, he has a B.A. in English from Vanderbilt University. Articles by Reeve Hamilton

Jim Henson

j.henson@austin.utexas.edu

Jim Henson directs the Texas Politics project and teaches in the Department of Government at The University of Texas at Austin, where he also received a Ph.D. He helped design public interest multimedia for the Benton Foundation in Washington D.C. in the late 1990’s, and has written about politics in both general interest and academic publications. He is also Associate Director of the College of Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services unit at UT-Austin, where he has helped produce several award winning instructional media projects. In 2008, he and Daron Shaw established the first statewide, publicly available Internet survey of public opinion in Texas using matched random sampling. He lives in Austin, where he also serves as a member of the City of Austin Ethics Review Commission. Articles by Jim Henson

Elise HuReporter

ehu@texastribune.org
512-716-8616

Elise Hu is a political reporter who focuses on multimedia projects at the Tribune. She previously worked as the state political reporter for Austin's ABC affiliate, KVUE-TV, from 2006 to 2009. She was recognized by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters three years in a row for her beat reporting on state politics and was named by the Austin Chronicle as "The Best TV Reporter Who Can Write". Before arriving in Austin, Elise held reporting positions at television stations in Waco, Greenville, SC and Columbia, MO. She's an evangelist for social media and multimedia journalism -- her "Political Junkie" blog was listed as one of WashingtonPost.com's top Texas political blogs. A native of Plano, she has a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri. You can reach Elise by emailing her at ehu@texastribune.org. Articles by Elise Hu

Higinio MaycotteDirector of Technology

hmaycotte@texastribune.org
512-716-8614

Higinio Maycotte led a highly energized group of developers in building the Tribune site from scratch, working closely with the creators of our custom content management system and the design firm that conceived our clean, classic look. His many years as a technology visionary ensured he was up to the task. Born in Mexico and educated at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied electrical, computer, and biomedical engineering, Maycotte co- founded several cutting-edge companies, including FineTooth (now Mumboe), FlightLock, Universal Computing, and RateGenius; he was also a founding partner in the boutique venture capital firm Agile Ventures. His greatest strengths -- identifying trends for products and services, setting and executing the architecture and roadmap for their development, defining and maintaining an intellectual property strategy, and representing and positioning the organization in social media -- made him an indispensable asset to the Trib's launch team.

Ben PhilpottContributing Reporter

bphilpott@texastribune.org
512-232-5418

Ben Philpott is a senior reporter for KUT-FM, Austin's National Public Radio affiliate. Ben has been covering state politics and dozens of other topics for the station since 2002, during which time he's been recognized for outstanding radio journalism by the Radio and Television News Directors Association, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, the Houston Press Club, and the Texas AP Broadcasters. Before moving to Texas, he worked in public radio in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and at several television stations in Alabama and Tennessee. Born in New York City and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ben graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in broadcast journalism. Articles by Ben Philpott

Ross RamseyManaging Editor

rramsey@texastribune.org
512-716-8611

Ross Ramsey is managing editor of the Texas Tribune, and continues as editor of Texas Weekly, the premier newsletter on government and politics in the Lone Star State, a role he's had since September 1998. TW was a print-only journal when he took the reins in 1998; he switched it to a subscription-based, Internet-only journal by the end of 2004 without a significant loss in subscribers. As Texas Weekly's primary writer for nearly 11 years, he turned out roughly two million words in more than 500 editions of the Weekly, added a blog, a regular digest of the best in Texas political blogs, an online library of resources and documents and items of interest to insiders, and a daily news clipping service that links to stories from papers across Texas. Before joining Texas Weekly in September 1998, Ramsey was Associate Deputy Comptroller for Policy with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, also working as the agency's Director of Communications. Prior to that 28-month stint in government, Ramsey spent 17 years in journalism, reporting for the Houston Chronicle from its Austin bureau and for the Dallas Times Herald, first on the business desk in Dallas and later as the paper's Austin Bureau Chief. Prior to that, as a Dallas-based freelance business writer, he wrote for regional and national magazines and newspapers. Ramsey got his start in journalism in broadcasting, working for almost seven years covering news for radio stations in Denton and Dallas. Articles by Ross Ramsey

Emily RamshawReporter

eramshaw@texastribune.org
512-716-8619

Emily Ramshaw investigates state agencies and covers social services for the Tribune. Previously, she spent six years reporting for The Dallas Morning News, first in Dallas, then in Austin. In April 2009 she was named Star Reporter of the Year by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors and the Headliners Foundation of Texas. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Ramshaw received her B.A. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Articles by Emily Ramshaw

Abby RapoportReporter

arapoport@texastribune.org
512-716-8617

Abby Rapoport served as a writing fellow at the Economic Policy Institute, in Washington, D.C. before coming to Austin. She covered the 2009 legislative session for TEXAS MONTHLY under the tutelage of Paul Burka, the magazine's senior executive. Previously, she blogged for Glamour Magazine and interned at Lapham’s Quarterly. A Williamsburg, Virginia native, she has a degree in history from Grinnell College. Articles by Abby Rapoport

Daron Shaw

dshaw@austin.utexas.edu

Daron Shaw is a professor in the Government Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He has polled in mayoral, congressional, gubernatorial, and presidential elections. Shaw has written two books and numerous articles on public opinion, voting behavior, and election campaigns. Articles by Daron Shaw

Michael SherrodPublisher

msherrod@texastribune.org
512-716-8632

Michael Sherrod has been in the online world since 1985 when he helped manage a video-text news service for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He is co-founder and director of Black Dove Press, LLC, a media think tank devoted to developing new media business models. In his career Sherrod founded or co-founded five companies, including DigitalCity.com, as well as served in senior management roles at AMR Information Services, AOL, Ancestry.com, and most recently as President & CEO of Examiner.com. Sherrod is Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Kinsey Institute, the world’s leading research institutes for sex, gender and reproduction. He also serves as board member and advisor to a number of online organizations and is an author and frequent speaker on online cultural and media issues. Sherrod holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame where he studied in the interdisciplinary Great Books Seminar Program and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Morgan SmithReporter

msmith@texastribune.org
512-716-8620

Morgan Smith was an editorial intern and columnist at Slate, in Washington D.C., before moving to Austin to enter law school at the University of Texas in 2008. (She has put her degree on hold to join the Tribune's staff.) A native of San Antonio, she has a B.A. in English from Wellesley College. Articles by Morgan Smith

Evan SmithEditor-in-chief, CEO

esmith@texastribune.org
512-716-8610

Evan Smith is the CEO and Editor in Chief of The Texas Tribune. He spent nearly 18 years at TEXAS MONTHLY, stepping down in August 2009 as the magazine's president and editor in chief. Previously he served as editor for more than eight years—only the third person to hold that title. On his watch, TEXAS MONTHLY was nominated for sixteen National Magazine Awards, the magazine industry's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, and twice was awarded the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. A New York native, Smith has a bachelor's degree in public policy from Hamilton College (Clinton, New York) and a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). He previously held editorial positions at a number of national magazines; most recently at The New Republic, where he was deputy editor. He hosts a weekly interview program, TEXAS MONTHLY TALKS, that has aired on PBS stations all across Texas since 2003, and he is an occasional guest on numerous TV and radio shows. Smith sits on the boards of the Austin Film Society, Trinity Episcopal School, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and the Headliners Club. He is also the founding co-chair of the Texas Film Hall of Fame. In 2005, in recognition of his contributions to Austin and Texas, Smith was named Austinite of the Year Under 40 by the Young Men's Business League and Young Women's Business League. In 2006, he was inducted into the Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement. Articles by Evan Smith

Matt StilesReporter

mstiles@texastribune.org
512-436-0312

Matt Stiles writes about government and politics with a focus on computer-assisted reporting. Previously, he was a government reporter at the Houston Chronicle. While there, he won the newspaper's Jesse Award for service journalism and beat reporting and was its reporter of the year in 2007. Before joining the Chronicle's staff, Stiles worked as a reporter for nearly four years at The Dallas Morning News. A native of Tallahassee, Florida, he has a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington. Articles by Matt Stiles

Brandon TaylorLead Developer

btaylordesign@gmail.com
512-716-8624

Brandon Taylor brings 13 years of web development experience to the Tribune. He was most recently a senior developer for Avenue A | Razorfish, working on web sites for Southwest Airlines, Microsoft, AT&T, Dell, Nokia, Amway, and Mattress Firm. He began his career as a print designer with Wal-Mart, in Bentonville, Arkansas, and has been an art director and creative director at small to mid-size agencies, including Ackerman-McQueen, Brothers & Company, and Striegel and Associates in Oklahoma. He is the recipient of seven Addy Awards and three Citations from the Oklahoma Advertising Council for design and has been twice published in American Corporate Identity. A native of Tulsa, Brandon graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Oklahoma State University Tech.

Brian ThevenotReporter

bthevenot@texastribune.org
512-716-8622

Brian Thevenot spent a dozen years at The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, most recently as special projects editor. As part of a team that covered the worst of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, Thevenot contributed multiple bylines to two winning entries for Pulitzer Prizes, in breaking news and public service. His Katrina reporting also won the Mongerson Prize for Investigative Reporting on the News, from Northwestern University, and the Medal of Valor from the National Association of Minority Media Executives. In 2009, an eight-part series Thevenot edited, chronicling the investigation into an all-too-routine murder of a New Orleans teenager, was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in local reporting. In 2005, just before Katrina, Thevenot spent a month reporting on Louisiana soldiers in Baghdad, Iraq and produced a three-part deadline narrative about squad of soldiers hit by a deadly roadside bomb, which was a finalist for Livingston Award. In 2003, Thevenot won a National Headliner Award for education reporting for his 2002 five-part narrative tracking an eigth-grader's struggle to pass Louisiana's high-stakes standardized test. Before joining the Times-Picayune, Thevenot worked as a suburban reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Oklahoma City, Thevenot has a degree in journalism from The University of Missouri-Columbia. Articles by Brian Thevenot

John ThorntonChairman

jthornton@texastribune.org

John Thornton has been a software and media investor at Austin Ventures (AV) since 1990, and was the managing partner of the firm from 2005 to 2008. AV is the largest non-coastal venture capital firm in the U.S., with $4 billion under management. Prior to joining AV, John was with McKinsey & Co., where he served clients in the U.S. and Europe. He was a co-founder of the Austin Entrepreneur's Foundation; a former trustee of Ballet Austin, where he co-chaired a successful capital campaign; a former trustee of the Austin Museum of Art, where he chaired strategic planning; and a former trustee of Trinity University. John currently serves on the advisory boards of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas and the New American Foundation. He graduated first in his class from Trinity University, and received an MBA from Stanford.

Jacob VillanuevaArt Director / Multimedia Designer

jvillanueva@texastribune.org
512-716-8625

Jacob Villanueva is the art director and multimedia designer at The Tribune. He was most recently the interactive director and media producer for the Austin-based multi-platform media company Super!Alright! He has previously been creative director for Youth InterACTIVE, lead graphic designer and new media specialist for CoComm Creative, and art director for Feedback magazine. He has also been freelance designer of print, web, video, and interactive work for Digital Purity. A native of San Benito, he has a B.F.A. in studio art from the University of Texas at Austin.