About
Our Staff
About The Texas Tribune | Staff | Board of Directors | Contact | Send a Confidential Tip | Ethics | Republish Our Work | Jobs | Awards | Corrections | Strategic Plan | Downloads | Documents
-
Mia Abbe
Events Associate
Mia Abbe is the events associate. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in corporate communications and government. Previously, Mia worked as the program coordinator for The Patman Center for Civic and Political Engagement and as the marketing and communications fellow for The Texas Tribune. She is based in Austin and on a mission to find the best Italian food in the city. More by Mia Abbe
-
Matt Adams
Director of Audience Growth and Engagement
Matt Adams is the director of audience growth and engagement at The Texas Tribune. Before joining the Tribune in June 2023, he was the supervising editor for the audience team at NPR, where he focused on reaching new audiences and finding more ways for a radio company to do more things on the internet. Prior to NPR, he was a senior producer at National Geographic, leading the team that ran Nat Geo’s online photo community that hosted over 1 million members. He helped lead the redesign of the platform and produced the Best in the World photo assignment where one community member’s photo was featured on the cover of Traveler magazine. Matt earned a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from Point Park University and a master’s degree in visual communications and multimedia production from Ohio University. He’s based in Austin, but Pittsburgh will forever be home. More by Matt Adams
-
Sarah Adler Hartman
Chief Executive Officer
Sarah Adler Hartman is the Chief Executive Officer. She stepped into the role of the Tribune’s third CEO in December 2025, continuing the organization’s legacy of visionary leadership. A native Texan and longtime Tribune fan, Adler Hartman brings a deep commitment to strengthening civic trust at a moment when communities across the state face increasingly complex challenges. Before leading the Tribune, Adler Hartman was Head of Product, Subscriber Experiences at The New York Times, where she focused on engaging and retaining subscribers for the news subscription business, leading product development and innovation. Adler Hartman began her career as an entrepreneur, founding the food media company Spoon University before selling it to Scripps Networks Interactive.
She holds a bachelor of science in journalism and religious studies from Northwestern University, lives in Austin with her husband and two sons, and serves on the Board of Visitors for the McDonald Observatory. More by Sarah Adler Hartman -
Jasmine Aguilera
Audience and Collaboration Strategist
Jasmine is the audience and collaboration strategist for the ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigative unit. Prior, she was a senior health equity reporter and editor at El Tímpano, a nonprofit newsroom in the Bay Area covering the region’s Latino and Mayan immigrants through deep community engagement. She was also a StoryReach U.S. fellow with the Pulitzer Center, focusing on audience engagement and reporting. Previously, Jasmine covered Congress and immigration for TIME Magazine. She has also worked as a social video producer for NowThis and Brut. Her work has been featured in KFF Health News, Univision, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and more. She is based in El Paso. More by Jasmine Aguilera
-
Alice Ainslie
Director of Human Resources
Alice Ainslie is the director of human resources. Before joining the Tribune, Alice was a people partner at Indeed, coaching a team of 60 senior leaders in engineering, spanning Europe and the Americas. Before Indeed, Alice built the human resources department at McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality to scale and meet the needs of 900 employees across multiple states. Raised in the Hudson Valley in New York, Alice attended the University of Vermont where she received her bachelor’s degree in European history and was an editor of the history review. More by Alice Ainslie
-
Rebekah Allen
Managing Editor for Enterprise and Politics
Rebekah Allen is the managing editor of enterprise and politics. Before joining The Texas Tribune in 2019, she was a state government reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Previously, she was an investigative reporter and Capitol reporter for The Times Picayune/The Advocate in Louisiana and an education reporter at the Pensacola News Journal in Florida. Rebekah proudly hails from the New Orleans suburbs and is a graduate of Louisiana State University. More by Rebekah Allen
-
Ellie Ashby
Religion News Service Fellow
Ellie Ashby is an Austin-based reporting fellow with the Texas Tribune and Religion News Service. A 2024 graduate of Harvard College, she wrote for The Harvard Crimson as a member of the editorial board, primarily covering religion on campus, and also served as an associate editor of the columns section. Ellie also holds a master of theological studies degree from Harvard Divinity School, where her studies focused on American religious history and American evangelicalism. She is originally from Houston. More by Ellie Ashby
-
Rob Avila
Technical Director
Rob Avila is the Technical Director for The Texas Tribune. He was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas and has been living in Austin since 2009. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin. Rob specializes in live event production, audio, video, lighting, post-production, and virtual events. Rob has over a decade of production experience with a constant drive to master his craft, learning new skillsets and researching the latest production technology/applications. Outside of work, he enjoys creating music, programming light shows, and creating abstract projection visuals. More by Rob Avila
-
Eva-Marie Ayala
Education Editor
Eva-Marie Ayala is a veteran journalist who’s covered Texas education for more than two decades. She began her career at her hometown newspaper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram before joining The Dallas Morning News. As a reporter, she sat with children trying to learn after a deadly explosion in West damaged their school; listened to a teacher in Spring comfort students while her husband inspected what was left of their home after Hurricane Harvey; and examined how state and local policy impacted classrooms. As an editor, Eva oversaw award-winning coverage of Texas’ teacher certification challenges, of lawmakers’ moves impact students and of schools’ challenges to keep kids safe. She previously was assistant managing editor of the Fort Worth Report where she coordinated reporting on Tarrant County’s growth and the state’s takeover of local districts. She joined The Tribune as education editor in spring of 2026 and is based in Fort Worth. Eva is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and currently serves as president of the national Education Writers Association. Her claims to fame are being a Super Tia, clumsy hiker and data nerd. More by Eva-Marie Ayala
-
Carrie Bair-Norwood
Chief Development and Growth Officer
Carrie Bair-Norwood is at the forefront of advancing the Tribune’s mission, enhancing our revenue streams and strengthening relationships with our stakeholders. Carrie has more than 25 years of experience leveraging strategic fundraising and marketing initiatives to advance the missions of non-profits. She joined the Tribune in 2024 after working as the chief development officer for Project Sanctuary, a Colorado-based nonprofit that serves military families facing hardships. Carrie has spent the bulk of her career supporting the work of the YMCA, including as senior vice president of development for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, vice president of marketing & development for the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, vice president of development for the YMCA of Boulder Valley, and associate executive director of the YMCA of Greater Houston. Carrie and her family live in the Hill Country north of San Antonio. More by Carrie Bair-Norwood
-
Molly Barnby
Administrative Assistant
Molly Barnby is the administrative assistant for the Tribune’s development team, supporting thoughtful stewardship, fundraising operations, and internal systems. Before joining the Tribune in 2025, she worked at Thinkery, Austin’s children’s museum, where she engaged children and families across Central Texas in visitor experience and development operations. A College Station native, Molly holds a degree in agricultural communications and journalism from Texas A&M University. She lives in Austin with her dog, Toph, and enjoys puzzles, cooking, and reading – she’s always open to a good book recommendation. More by Molly Barnby
-
Morgan Bennett
Staff Accountant
Morgan Bennett is the Texas Tribune’s accounts receivable specialist, organizing the Tribune’s revenue streams and providing general operational support. They are a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where they became interested in nonprofit operations through their work with various student and community organizations. Before joining the Tribune in 2019, they previously worked at their hometown newspaper, the Colorado County Citizen. More by Morgan Bennett
-
Gabby Birenbaum
Washington Correspondent
Gabby Birenbaum is the Washington Correspondent for the Texas Tribune. She covers the Texas congressional delegation and the impact of federal policy on Texas. Gabby previously covered Washington for The Nevada Independent, where she wrote the weekly D.C. Download newsletter and covered the 2024 presidential election and competitive Senate race. Prior to The Nevada Independent, Gabby worked at The Washington Monthly and Vox. Gabby graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and political science. She is a native of Arlington, Virginia and is based in Washington, DC. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, watching movies and being a long-suffering fan of DC sports teams. Her work is supported by a partnership with Report for America. More by Gabby Birenbaum
-
Melissa Brooks
Advertising Operations Specialist
Melissa Brooks manages advertising operations at The Texas Tribune. Before joining the Tribune in the fall of 2024, she worked as a software engineer and taught software development to students all over the world online. More by Melissa Brooks
-
Jayme Lozano Carver
Panhandle and South Plains Regional reporter
Jayme Lozano Carver is the Tribune’s first Lubbock-based reporter, covering the South Plains and Panhandle through a partnership with Report for America. Jayme previously worked for Texas Tech Public Media, Lubbock’s NPR station, where she spearheaded “Rural Healthcare: The Other Texas Drought,” a series for PBS’ “Frontline” on rural hospital closures in Texas. She also covered a broad range of topics for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, including climate change, agriculture, entertainment and health care. Born in Levelland, Jayme is a native of the South Plains area and studied at South Plains College and Texas Tech University. She loves to talk about her cats, horror movies and pro wrestling. More by Jayme Lozano Carver
-
Kaiden Chandler
Product Fellow
Kaiden Chandler is a product fellow at The Texas Tribune. A strong believer in the importance of local news, he works at the intersection of design, technology and journalism to connect audiences with the information they need. Before joining the Tribune, he worked in design and product roles at the Ithaca Times, an alt-weekly in upstate New York, and the Connecticut Examiner, a digital news organization covering local news across Connecticut. Kaiden is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication strategy and design at Ithaca College, where he was design editor of The Ithacan, the campus’ student-run newspaper. During the summer, he will be based in his hometown of Mystic, Connecticut. Outside of work, he enjoys distance running and diving into a good book. More by Kaiden Chandler
-
Julie Chang
Health and Human Services Editor
Julie Chang is an award-winning journalist overseeing coverage of the most pressing health policy impacts on Texans. She started her career at the Beaumont Enterprise and continued at the Austin American-Statesman, where she spent eight years. Her beats have included crime, education, social services and investigations. Prior to joining the Texas Tribune, Julie served as the managing editor of County magazine, a publication of the Texas Association of Counties. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. Born and raised in Houston, Julie can speak Mandarin. More by Julie Chang
-
Chuck Lindell
News Editor
Chuck Lindell oversees the Tribune’s general assignment reporters. Previously an interim politics and education editor for the Tribune, Chuck spent 33 years at the Austin American-Statesman, where he reported on politics and legal issues and spent four years as the paper’s correspondent in Washington, DC. Chuck has also worked for the Dallas Morning News, Mesa Tribune, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Arizona Republic and Milwaukee Sentinel. He is based in Austin. More by Chuck Lindell
-
Lexi Churchill
Research Reporter, ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigative unit
Lexi Churchill is a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative. Before joining ProPublica, Lexi interned at CNBC, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Columbia Daily Tribune and KCUR 89.3, Kansas City’s NPR affiliate. Her reporting on the University of Missouri’s Title IX appeals process won the GateHouse Public Service Award for 2018. Lexi graduated from Mizzou in 2019 with a degree in investigative convergence journalism. More by Lexi Churchill
-
Paul Cobler
Economy and Industry Reporter
Paul Cobler is the Tribune’s economy and industry reporter, covering the socioeconomic and political forces that impact Texans’ pocketbooks and upward mobility. Before joining the Tribune, he was a politics reporter for the Houston Landing and covered Baton Rouge City Hall for The Advocate in Louisiana. Paul grew up in Victoria, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. His reporting has appeared in news publications across the state, including the Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman and the Houston Chronicle. He is based in Austin. More by Paul Cobler
-
Vianna Davila
Reporter, ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigative unit
Vianna Davila is a reporter with the ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigative unit. Previously, she was the editor of The Seattle Times’ Project Homeless initiative, which examines the causes and effects of homelessness in the Seattle region. She began with the project in 2017 as a reporter, before becoming editor in 2019. Her work with the team was recognized by the Solutions Journalism Network as some of the best solutions reporting of 2018. She previously reported for the San Antonio Express-News, where over 13 years she produced stories on city politics, regional transportation and criminal justice. Her six-part project “The Next Million” explored gentrification, affordable housing, changing demographics and other urban issues in San Antonio, winning the Best of the West 2017 Journalism Contest for online presentation. She graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in English and master’s of journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, with a specialty in documentary film. Her master’s thesis film, “In His Blood,” about the lives of overnight television news videographers, was named the best documentary short at the 2009 San Antonio Film Festival. She has previously taught journalism at the University of Washington, Texas State University and Texas A&M University-San Antonio. She is a San Antonio native and a 10th-generation Texan. She is based in Austin. (Photo: Bettina Hansen, The Seattle Times) More by Vianna Davila
-
Colleen DeGuzman
General Assignment Reporter
Colleen DeGuzman is a general assignments reporter. In addition to covering a broad range of topics, she focuses on immigration developments in the state. Before joining the newsroom, Colleen was an enterprise reporter at Houston Public Media, Houston’s NPR station. She’s also reported for KFF Health News, the Austin-American Statesman, and The Monitor in McAllen. Colleen was previously a reporting fellow at the Texas Tribune, an intern at The Today Show, and NPR NextGen Radio mentee. Colleen, who studied mass communication at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, was born on one end of the border (El Paso) and proudly raised on the other (the Rio Grande Valley). She is based in Houston. More by Colleen DeGuzman
-
Sneha Dey
Reporter, Pathways from Education to Employment
Sneha Dey is an education reporter for The Texas Tribune, working in partnership with Open Campus. She covers pathways from education to employment and the accessibility of postsecondary education in Texas, with an eye on college readiness, community colleges and career and technical training. Prior to joining the Tribune, she had stints at NPR’s Education Desk and Chalkbeat. Sneha is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She grew up in New York and is based in Austin. Read Articles by Sneha Dey More by Sneha Dey
-
Renzo Downey
The Blast Writer
Renzo Downey is the lead writer of The Blast, The Texas Tribune’s premium politics newsletter. Prior to joining the Tribune in February 2023, he worked as a state government and politics reporter and a newsletter editor for Florida Politics. He was previously an intern on the state desk at the Austin American-Statesman. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Renzo received his bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Northwestern University. More by Renzo Downey
-
Laura Duclos
Audience Producer
Laura Duclos joined the Tribune in 2024 as an audience producer specializing in video. She writes the Monday edition of The Brief, the Tribune’s daily newsletter. Laura began her journalism career as a photojournalist for a Lubbock TV station after graduating from Texas Tech University. She then earned a master’s from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, where she worked for NBC News and French-based Brut. Media after graduating. Laura became the first multimedia producer at the Houston Chronicle in 2020 and worked with the Poynter Institute’s media literacy program, MediaWise, as an audience editor and creative director. Her goals are to encourage young Texans to stay current with the news and participate in democracy. In her free time, Laura enjoys playing and writing music, hanging out with her dog and rock climbing. More by Laura Duclos
-
Jaden Edison
Public Education Reporter
Jaden Edison is the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where he previously worked as a reporting fellow in summer 2022. Before returning to the Tribune full time, he served as the justice reporter for The Connecticut Mirror, another nonprofit newsroom covering government, politics and public policy. He also interned at Poynter, a nonprofit media institute. Jaden has a master’s degree from the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, where he was editor-in-chief of the The University Star, the campus’ student-run newspaper. More by Jaden Edison
-
Chris Essig
Editor, Data Visuals
Chris Essig is the data visuals editor at The Texas Tribune. Based in Austin, he leads a team of developers who build charts, maintain public databases and analyze data to help reporters hold elected officials accountable. Chris has been a newsroom developer for 10 years and has worked in several local newsrooms. As a native of the Midwest, Chris received his journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University and spent six years in Iowa working at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids and at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Waterloo. More by Chris Essig
-
Matt Ewalt
Senior Director of Events and Live Journalism
Matt Ewalt joined The Texas Tribune as senior director of events and live journalism in March 2023. He previously worked at Chautauqua Institution in Western New York in various roles, including vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education and editor of The Chautauquan Daily. Serving alongside the Tribune’s events team, Matt is responsible for the strategic vision and execution of the Tribune’s live journalism, which includes The Texas Tribune Festival and year-round events across Texas aimed at fostering civic engagement and democratic participation. He lives in Austin. More by Matt Ewalt
-
Joshua Fechter
Urban Affairs Reporter
Joshua Fechter is the Dallas-based urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, covering policy — including housing affordability, housing and property taxes, evictions, policing and transportation — and politics in Texas’ major metropolitan areas. Before joining the Tribune in August 2021, Joshua covered City Hall for the San Antonio Express-News. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. More by Joshua Fechter
-
Alex Ford
Developer/Designer
Alex Ford is a designer/developer on the data visual team based in Austin. Previously, she was an interactive designer at NBC News Digital and NBC Local. A Baltimore native, she is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas-Austin. More by Alex Ford
-
Brandon Formby
Managing Editor for News and State Affairs
Brandon Formby works with The Texas Tribune’s beat editors and reporters to bring Texans the news, analysis and explanatory journalism they need to put pressing issues into perspective. Previously, as an editor on the news desk, he helped steer coverage of legislative sessions, natural disasters, prolonged power outages, mass shootings and the coronavirus pandemic. As a reporter, he covered urban affairs. Before joining the Tribune in 2016, he reported on transportation, politics and local government for The Dallas Morning News. Brandon grew up in Plano and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Tech University. He is based in Austin. More by Brandon Formby
-
Emily Foxhall
Climate Reporter
Emily Foxhall is The Texas Tribune’s climate reporter. She joined the Tribune as an energy reporter in December 2022, focused on the state’s transition to green energy and the reliability of the power grid. She completed a year-long Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May 2025. Emily is based in Houston, where she grew up. After a stint as a Tribune student intern in 2012, she began her career at the Los Angeles Times and its community papers. She later worked at the Houston Chronicle where her environmental reporting uncovered the effects of climate change and pollution on the region. She won several Texas Managing Editors awards and was part of the 2017 team that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Emily graduated from Yale University in 2013, where she studied English and was a Yale Journalism Scholar. More by Emily Foxhall
-
Berenice Garcia
Rio Grande Valley Reporter
Berenice Garcia is a regional reporter covering the Rio Grande Valley. She works at the Tribune as a corps members with Report for America. She previously covered local government, crime, healthcare and general assignments for The Monitor in McAllen where she was born. Though she’s spent the majority of her life in the Valley, she traveled east to attend New York University where she studied journalism and politics. While there, she interned at the New York Daily News, the Daily Beast and NBC News. When she’s not working, she enjoys fighting for her life at the gym. Berenice is based in McAllen. More by Berenice Garcia
-
Nic Garcia
Deputy Managing Editor for Regional and Local News
Nic Garcia works with teams of editors and reporters who live across the state to tell the story of Texas and their local communities from city halls, classrooms and farm-to-market roads. He is a proud Colorado native who fell in love with Texas. Born in Pueblo, he studied journalism at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Nic began his professional journalism career in Denver. He was a reporter and editor at Chalkbeat, The Denver Post and The Dallas Morning News. Before joining The Texas Tribune, he was the politics editor at The Des Moines Register in Iowa. In 2022, Nic founded the Tribune’s regions team. More by Nic Garcia
-
Eddie Gaspar
Photo Editor
Eddie Gaspar is a photo editor at The Texas Tribune. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Eddie was previously a photography fellow at the Tribune, a photo editor at The Daily Texan and a multimedia intern at KUT/KUTX. They are a native Spanish speaker from the Rio Grande Valley and currently based in Austin. More by Eddie Gaspar
-
Genevieve Genest
Development Director
Genevieve Genest joined The Texas Tribune in 2024 as the development director. She brings over seven years of nonprofit development experience to her role helping guide the Tribune’s fundraising processes, strategies and initiatives. She was born and raised in Houston and has lived in Austin since 2022. Genevieve has a bachelor’s degree in geoscience from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Houston. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, baking and spending time in the great outdoors. More by Genevieve Genest
-
Taylor Goldenstein
Enterprise and Investigative Reporter
Taylor Goldenstein is an enterprise and investigative reporter for The Texas Tribune. Taylor previously covered state politics for the Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers from 2019 and 2026. She hails from the suburbs of Chicago but has been a Texan for nearly a decade, having first cut her teeth at the Austin American-Statesman in 2016 where she covered local politics. Taylor graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2014, she was selected to be a visiting fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Taylor’s grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Latin America, providing a foundation in Spanish that she has strengthened through more than a decade of formal study and an undergraduate minor in the language. She is based in Austin. More by Taylor Goldenstein
-
Aiden Gonzalez
Photography Fellow
Aiden Gonzalez is a photography fellow based in Austin. Aiden was born in Irving and is a recent graduate of the University of North Texas who majored in photojournalism and minored in photography. While at UNT, Aiden served as photo editor for the North Texas Daily, the student newspaper, for five semesters. He also worked as the digital editor for two semesters and has had over 300 photos published. Aiden was also a part of Hatch Visuals, a student-led photo agency at UNT. He started as a volunteer photographer, then technical director, head photographer and eventually managing editor. He also served as vice president for the university’s National Press Photographer Association chapter. More by Aiden Gonzalez
-
Clarissa Gonzalez
Festival Director
Clarissa Gonzalez is the festival director at the Texas Tribune. Based in Austin, she brings more than a decade of large-scale event leadership to the role. Before joining the Tribune, she served as senior conference and events manager at Freeman and director of events at Rooster Teeth Productions. Clarissa specializes in cross-functional collaboration, budget oversight, and post-event analysis — with experience managing global productions from concept through closeout. She holds a BA in business management from the University of Texas at San Antonio. More by Clarissa Gonzalez
-
Giselle Greenwood
Interim Regions Editor
Giselle Rodriguez Greenwood is the interim regions editor, overseeing reporters based in Houston, Lubbock, Lufkin, McAllen and Odessa. She was previously lead editor at the Houston Landing, a nonprofit newsroom, and prior to that, served as editor-in-chief at the Houston Business Journal, where she was the first Latina editor at the newspaper’s almost 40-year history. Giselle is a proud alumna of the University of Texas at Austin, where she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Aside from her 20-year career in journalism, she’s also a certified fitness and cardio kickboxing instructor, and enjoys tackling the occasional hike up 14,000-foot mountains. The daughter of Colombian and Cuban immigrants, Giselle was born in New York City, but grew up in Houston, where she’s based today. More by Giselle Greenwood
-
Kayla Guo
Politics Reporter
Kayla Guo covers state politics and government. Before joining the Tribune, she covered Congress for The New York Times as a reporting fellow based in Washington, D.C. Kayla has also covered transportation policy for Politico and local news for The Raleigh News & Observer, and she was a part-time digital producer for The Boston Globe. She graduated from Brown University, where she studied public policy and served as editor-in-chief and president of the independent student newspaper. She was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She is based in Austin. More by Kayla Guo
-
Samanta Habashy
Washington Reporting Fellow
Sam Habashy is a Washington, D.C.-based reporting fellow covering Texas’ delegation from Capitol Hill. Sam is from Dallas and is a recent graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and international relations. She served as the founder of Northwestern’s Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists’ Association Chapter, edited for The Daily Northwestern and wrote for the Indianapolis Star, STAT News, Medill News Service, and Dallas’ Advocate Magazine. More by Samanta Habashy
-
Dave Harmon
Environment, Energy, And Immigration Editor
Dave Harmon joined the Tribune in 2017 after spending 18 years at the Austin American-Statesman as a reporter, assistant metro editor and member of the investigative team. A Kalamazoo, Michigan, native, Dave moved to Texas with his family in 1981 and went to high school in Katy. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a journalism degree, he started his reporting career in the Rio Grande Valley at The (McAllen) Monitor, covering health care and the environment on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border. Dave lives in Austin, is a proud Longhorns fan and taught journalism at his alma mater as an adjunct instructor for more than a decade. He’s proficient in Spanish and travels frequently to Mexico. More by Dave Harmon
-
Sean Hennigan
Marketing and Communications Manager
Sean Hennigan started with the Tribune in early 2023 as a copywriter. He previously worked as communications director for Texas Impact, where he developed a love for the state and the public policy process, and as communications specialist with Abilene Christian University, where he fostered engagement between alumni and the university through impactful storytelling. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and religious studies from Centenary College of Louisiana and a master’s degree in media studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Born and raised in north Louisiana, Sean and his family live and work in Abilene. More by Sean Hennigan
-
Emily Hood
Data Product Manager
Emily Hood is the data product manager, where she helps make sure the organization is accessing and understanding analytics to learn more about Texans. Before joining the Tribune in 2025, she worked for the Minnesota Star Tribune, where she helped launch new data points and infrastructure to help the newsroom understand more about their audience. Emily grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in audience journalism and computer science. More by Emily Hood
-
Pu Ying Huang
Director of Photography
Pu Ying Huang leads The Texas Tribune’s photo team and is based in central Texas. Pu started working for the Tribune as a freelancer in 2017, chronicling Hurricane Harvey’s catastrophic flooding in Houston. Soon after, Pu moved to Bogotá, Colombia, where she honed her Spanish and created a moving body of work on the plight of migrants who have fled the decadelong economic and political crisis in Venezuela. During the tumultuous year of 2020, Pu photographed an encampment of asylum-seekers in Matamoros, Mexico, and protests in Houston that followed the murder of George Floyd. Her work has appeared in many outlets, including Reuters, Al Jazeera English, VICE, ProPublica, NBC News and NPR. More by Pu Ying Huang
-
Jess Huff
East Texas Reporter
Jess Huff joined the Tribune in 2023 and is based in Lufkin, Texas. She grew up in Utah and has also lived in Arizona and the Netherlands. Her latest adventure brought her to East Texas where she worked for The Lufkin Daily News, leading the publication to numerous awards for investigative reporting in the region. Jess attended Northern Arizona University on a debate scholarship and fell in love with the journalism program after a course on alternative storytelling devices. Her work has been published in the Arizona Daily Sun, The Associated Press, The Lufkin Daily News, Capital & Main and a number of local outlets across Texas. More by Jess Huff
-
Emily Iazzetti
Membership Manager
Emily Iazzetti joined The Texas Tribune at the end of 2023 and oversees the membership program. Emily lived in Waco for many years, where she was a lecturer in the journalism, public relations and new media department at Baylor University and a morning news anchor on KWTX-TV. She graduated from the University of Missouri where she majored in broadcast journalism and she earned a master’s degree in information systems from Baylor University. Emily is a native Texan and long-time reader of the Tribune. She and her family now call Austin home. More by Emily Iazzetti
-
Keishonda Johnson
Membership Coordinator
Keishonda Johnson is the Membership Coordinator. Based in North Texas she worked in print journalism before moving into human-centric marketing, where she supported engagement, retention and connection. Outside of work, Keishonda is a mama, movement seeker and avid reader. She is also passionate about community building. More by Keishonda Johnson
-
John Jordan
Deputy Director of Photography
John Jordan is the deputy director of photography, part of the team that ensures our stories are graced with arresting visuals. Based in Austin, John grew up in South America and has managed to hang on to some Spanish. A lifelong musician, John switched careers at the age of 50, working for the Austin bureau of The Dallas Morning News for four years before joining the Tribune in early 2012. More by John Jordan
-
Dan Keemahill
Data Reporter
Dan Keemahill gathers and analyzes data on health outcomes and access in Texas. A native of Sacramento, Dan is a graduate of Northwestern University and started his journalism career as a contributor to the Tribune’s schools and government salaries explorers. He previously covered public education for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative unit and worked with datasets related to immigrant detention centers, elections and the COVID-19 pandemic at USA Today. More by Dan Keemahill
-
Yasmeen Khalifa
Newsletter Writer
Yasmeen Khalifa , originally from Egypt, grew up in the Piney Woods of East Texas and is now based in Houston. Previously, Yasmeen worked for the Houston Chronicle as an audience producer, the Washington Post as an audience intern, and the Texas Tribune as an audience engagement fellow. Yasmeen is passionate about audience-centered journalism, which she believes can highlight the issues and stories of underrepresented and misunderstood communities. In her free time, you’ll find her rescuing cats, swimming or kayaking in just about any body of water, or roadtripping. More by Yasmeen Khalifa
-
Ryan Kim
Product Manager
Ryan Kim is the product manager, responsible for guiding organizational priorities, processes and cross-team collaborations. Before joining the Tribune in 2024, he oversaw growth and lifecycle strategy at Foreign Policy, where he grew the magazine’s subscription products and led engagement and acquisition campaigns. Ryan has a diverse news and media background, including work as a local news consultant and internships at CalMatters, Foreign Affairs and Madison Square Garden. A New York City native, Ryan holds a master’s degree in media innovation and content strategy and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Northwestern University. More by Ryan Kim
-
Eleanor Klibanoff
Law and Politics Reporter
Eleanor Klibanoff is the law and politics reporter, based in Austin, where she covers the the Texas Legislature, the Office of the Attorney General, state and federal courts and politics writ large. She also co-hosts the weekly politics podcast, TribCast. Eleanor previously spent three years as the Tribune’s women’s health reporter, covering abortion, maternal health and LGBTQ issues. Before coming to Texas, Eleanor worked for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, where she reported, hosted and produced the Peabody-nominated podcast, “Dig.” Eleanor was born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlanta, and attended The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. More by Eleanor Klibanoff
-
Lomi Kriel
Enterprise and Investigative Reporter
Lomi Kriel is a statewide investigative reporter for The Texas Tribune. Previously, she was a founding member of the Tribune’s investigative unit with ProPublica, joining the initiative in 2020 before leaving for the Tribune in November 2025. Before joining ProPublica, Kriel reported on immigration for the Houston Chronicle, often focused on the Texas border. Months before Trump’s first administration announced its family separation policy, Kriel uncovered it in 2017. Kriel is a two-time Pulitzer finalist, in 2018 as part of the Houston Chronicle’s Hurricane Harvey coverage, and in 2024 for the Tribune’s reporting with ProPublica and FRONTLINE PBS on the Uvalde school shooting. She is a George Polk Award winner, National Magazine Award winner, Edward R. Murrow winner, and Emmy nominee, among other accolades. Kriel, who was born and raised in South Africa, immigrated to the United States in 1998. She has worked as a Central American correspondent for Thomson Reuters and a criminal justice reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, among other publications. Kriel is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University and speaks Afrikaans and Spanish. More by Lomi Kriel
-
Terri Langford
Health and Human Services Reporter
Terri Langford is the Tribune’s health services reporter based in Austin. Langford is a veteran journalist, having worked at the Florida Times Union, The Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, WNYC, Honolulu Civil Beat and Texas Standard/KUT. Langford has a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin. She has covered various city and state agencies, criminal justice and health and human services for the Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, The Associated Press, WNYC and Texas Standard at KUT. More by Terri Langford
-
Juliana Lightsey
Audience Engagement Fellow
Juliana Lightsey is an audience engagement fellow based in Austin. She is a recent graduate of Rice University, where she studied English, political science and social policy, and was managing editor of the student newspaper, The Rice Thresher. Juliana previously worked as a Dow Jones News Fund audience engagement intern for the Houston Chronicle, a trending news fellow for the Barbed Wire and a digital journalism intern for KPRC-2 Houston. More by Juliana Lightsey
-
Katlyn Ma
Reporting Fellow
Katlyn Ma is a general assignment reporting fellow based in Austin. A graduate of the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University, she has worked at the Financial Times and MS NOW (formerly MSNBC). Katlyn grew up in Brooklyn and speaks Cantonese. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting and listening to podcasts. More by Katlyn Ma
-
Alejandra Martinez
Environment Reporter
Alejandra Martinez is a Fort Worth-based environmental reporter. She’s covered the impacts of petrochemical facilities on Black and brown communities, including investigating a chemical fire at an industrial complex and how the state’s air monitoring system has failed Latino communities. Her work on climate change includes exploring the health effects of extreme heat and how extended droughts affect water resources. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, Alejandra was an accountability reporter at KERA, where she began as a Report for America Corps Member and then covered Dallas City Hall. She also has worked as an associate producer at WLRN in South Florida. A Houston native, Alejandra studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and speaks fluent Spanish. More by Alejandra Martinez
-
Natalie Martinez
Social Media Editor
Natalie Martinez is the social media editor at The Texas Tribune. Previously, she researched and reported on misinformation campaigns on social media and tech platforms for Media Matters for America and MoveOn. Natalie graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2017 with a B.A. in American Culture Studies and Film & Media Studies. More by Natalie Martinez
-
María Méndez
Service and Engagement Reporter
María Méndez works on efforts to better connect with Texans and writes explainers and guides. She strives to answer Texans’ questions about politics and public policy and to help them find resources. Previously, she reported on public education at the Austin American-Statesman, border and business issues at Texas Public Radio and politics and breaking news at The Dallas Morning News. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, interned at The Texas Tribune as an engagement fellow and worked for The Daily Texan, UT’s student newspaper. She was born in Mexico, grew up in Austin and speaks Spanish. She is based in Austin. More by María Méndez
-
Itzel Mazariego
Graphic Design Fellow
Itzel Mazariego is a graphic design fellow based in Houston and a recent graduate of the University of Houston, where she studied art and advertising. Throughout her time there, she interned for the university’s athletics department in graphic design, and was creative director for her university’s advertising team in the National Student Advertising Competition, placing second in their district. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, printmaking and hanging out with her dog, Max. Itzel is fluent in Spanish. More by Itzel Mazariego
-
-
Nneoma Mgboji
Marketing & Communications Fellow
Nneoma Mgboji is a marketing and communications fellow based in Austin. Nneoma is a rising senior at the University of North Texas, pursuing a public relations degree in the Mayborn School of Journalism. She volunteers for her school’s on-campus television station, North Texas Television, where she serves as entertainment media coordinator for the late-night talk show, Late Night at North Texas. Previously, Nneoma was a marketing coordinator for UNT’s programming board, University Program Council, and was a media intern at the annual Fort Worth-based festival Mayfest. In her free time, she loves watching movies and messing around on Canva. More by Nneoma Mgboji
-
Sophia Nabours
Video Engagement Fellow
Sophia Nabours is a video engagement fellow currently based in Austin. Originally from North Little Rock, Arkansas, she is entering her final year at the University of Arkansas, where she studies multimedia journalism and criminology. Sophia serves as editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, The Arkansas Traveler, where she leads coverage focused on digitally translating crucial storytelling for a student audience. She previously worked as a data journalism fellow for The Marshall Project, reporting on the local effects of Department of Justice grant cuts. Outside the newsroom, Sophia enjoys playing the drums, collecting magazines and city exploring. More by Sophia Nabours
-
Sophia Navarro
Marketing and Media Associate
As the marketing and media associate, Sophia Navarro helps connect audiences with the Tribune’s journalism and events. Before joining the Tribune full time in 2025, she worked as a contractor and served as an engagement fellow in 2023. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism and has also interned at Texas Monthly. Sophia was born and raised in El Paso and speaks Spanish. Outside of work, she enjoys practicing yoga, getting lost in a good book and exploring the best coffee spots. More by Sophia Navarro
-
Hien An Ngo
Data Visuals Fellow
Hien An Ngo is a data visuals fellow at The Texas Tribune. Before joining the Tribune, she interned in data reporting roles at CNN and NBCU Local. Most recently, she covered money in politics for OpenSecrets News. Hien An graduated from George Washington University, where she studied data science and political science, and she remains based in Washington, D.C. Born in Paris, France, she grew up in Chicago and speaks Vietnamese. More by Hien An Ngo
-
Alex Nguyen
General Assignment Reporter
Alex Nguyen is a general assignment reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Before joining the newsroom in 2025, she was a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She previously was a reporting fellow for the Tribune and a reporting intern at Bloomberg News. A graduate of Columbia University’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Alex was raised mostly in Vancouver, Canada, and she has reported for various regional and national outlets there. She speaks Vietnamese and conversational Spanish and will be based in Austin. More by Alex Nguyen
-
Carlos Nogueras Ramos
Permian Basin Reporter
Carlos Nogueras Ramos is a regional reporter based in Odessa. Carlos joined The Texas Tribune in 2023 as a corps member with Report for America. Carlos tells the stories of Texas from the vast energy-rich Permian Basin region. Before the Tribune, Carlos spent time in Philadelphia writing about local politics, including the city’s 100th mayoral election. A Spanish speaker, Carlos was one of the few Latino reporters on the campaign trail, covering the most expensive primary election to date in Philly. He is a proud Puerto Rico native, born and raised in Cayey. He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and the University of Puerto Rico. More by Carlos Nogueras Ramos
-
Robert Nusbaum
VP of Sales
Robert Nusbaum serves as vice president of sales and leads our efforts in securing sponsorships, underwriting events, corporate partnerships and building innovative advertising opportunities. Before joining the Tribune in January 2025, Robert built an extensive career in sales leadership, holding key roles at Cox Enterprises, Texas Monthly and the Austin American-Statesman. He has also served as publisher for the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Most recently, he was vice president of sales at the Austin Business Journal, part of the American City Business Journals network. More by Robert Nusbaum
-
Alfredo Palacios
Graphic Designer
Alfredo Palacios is a graphic designer at The Texas Tribune. He works closely with the events and festival teams to produce their visual assets. Prior to joining our design team, he was the content marketing and design intern at AQUILA Commercial. Alfredo graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos with a degree in communication design. Outside of work, Alfredo enjoys photography and painting. More by Alfredo Palacios
-
Monique Parker
People Operations Specialist
Monique Parker is a DEI and talent strategy leader with deep experience driving inclusive growth across top tech companies. Her work focuses on advancing representation, building equitable systems, and aligning people strategy with business impact. An Austin transplant from Tacoma, Washington, Monique has proudly called Austin home for the past 10 years. Outside of work, she’s a lover of great food, thriving plants and live music. She is deeply passionate about public policy and the role it plays in shaping more equitable communities. Monique is a graduate of the LBJ Executive Master of Public Leadership program at the University of Texas at Austin and a proud mother of two daughters. She balances leadership, curiosity and community wherever she goes. More by Monique Parker
-
Perla Trevizo
Reporter, ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigative unit
Perla Trevizo is a Mexican-American reporter born in Ciudad Juárez and raised across the border in El Paso, Texas, where she began her journalism career. Trevizo spent more than 10 years covering immigration and border issues in Tennessee and Arizona before joining the Houston Chronicle as an environmental reporter. She has written from nearly a dozen countries, from African refugee camps to remote Guatemalan villages, with the goal of broadening readers’ understanding of the global issues that impact the local communities where she has worked. Her work has earned her national and state awards including the Dori J. Maynard Award for Diversity in Journalism, French-American Foundation Immigration Journalism Award, and a national Edward R. Murrow for a story done in collaboration with Arizona Public Media. She was also honored as the 2019 Arizona Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Newspaper Association. She is based in El Paso. More by Perla Trevizo
-
Jessica Priest
Higher Education Reporter
Jessica Priest covers higher education, working in partnership with Open Campus. She joined the Tribune in 2022 as an engagement reporter in the ProPublica/Texas Tribune joint investigative unit, contributing to a series that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the explanatory reporting category. Prior to the Tribune, Jessica worked for the Fort Worth Report, USA Today, the Victoria Advocate and the Temple Daily Telegram, reporting on topics that included criminal justice, the environment and local government. Her work has often made an impact. The state’s highest criminal court granted a death row inmate a new trial after she detailed a prosecutor’s conflicts of interest. After she exposed questionable hirings and payments at a port and later a water district in another part of the state, both public entities underwent reforms. Jessica was born in Houston and graduated from Sam Houston State University. More by Jessica Priest
-
Kerri Qunell
Director of Marketing & Communications
Kerri Qunell joined the Tribune in spring of 2023 as the director of marketing and communications, leading the mar-com team to amplify the Tribune’s brand, products, journalism and events. As a marketing communications leader with extensive experience in brand building, organizational leadership, strategy and civic engagement, she’s served on and led teams in broadcast media, non-profit and education companies. A lifelong Central Texan, Kerri earned a journalism degree at Texas State University and master’s in organizational leadership and ethics at St. Edward’s University. More by Kerri Qunell
-
Rob Reid
Education Data Developer
Rob Reid is the Tribune’s education data developer. He started in 2024 after completing Columbia University’s Lede Program for Data Journalism. He previously supported the investigative reporting program at Northwestern University’s Medill School as a data consultant and contributing reporter and also completed a data journalism internship at the Jacksonville Tributary in Florida. A strong believer in the importance of community, he developed case management databases with Healthy Families America for over two decades before entering the journalism field. Rob grew up in southeastern Massachusetts, raised by parents who grumbled about the declining quality of local papers but read them anyway. First attending an otherwise-excellent public school that slashed its school newspaper, he then completed an undergraduate engineering degree at Cornell University. He is based in Austin. More by Rob Reid
-
Cherisse Robison
Chief Financial Officer
Cherisse Robison serves as chief financial officer. She oversees financial strategy, human resources, and operations, supporting the Tribune’s long-term sustainability and growth. She joined the Tribune in 2026 after a career focused on strengthening nonprofit organizations across Texas. Previously, Cherisse was chief financial officer at Girl Scouts of Central Texas and Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, where she led financial planning and operations and helped guide long-term organizational sustainability. A native Texan, Cherisse earned her degrees from Texas A&M University and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. More by Cherisse Robison
-
Ayden Runnels
Afternoon/Evening Reporter
Ayden Runnels is the afternoon/evening reporter. Previously, they were a breaking news reporter for the Las Vegas Sun. A graduate of the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas, Ayden was a Dallas Press Club Foundation reporting fellow at the Tribune in 2023. They were born in the Houston suburb of Clear Lake and speak English and Arabic. They served as editor-in-chief of the North Texas Daily, UNT’s student-run newspaper, and have worked on freelance projects for Newsweek. More by Ayden Runnels
-
Sandra Santos
Afternoon/Evening News Editor
Sandra Santos joined the Tribune as afternoon/evening news editor in 2024. Before joining the Tribune, she worked at various news publications, including as an editor at the San Antonio Express-News, the Austin American-Statesman as an editor and a news designer and at the Houston Chronicle (twice) as a Chron.com night editor, copy messenger and copy desk intern. Sandra graduated from the University of Houston as a journalism major. More by Sandra Santos
-
Alejandro Santos Cid
Reporting Fellow
Alejandro Santos Cid is a Spanish reporter whose work combines narrative journalism with coverage of the social impact of violence, organized crime, human rights violations, migration and countercultural movements. From 2021 to 2025, he worked in the newsroom of El País in Mexico City. He won the Mexican National Journalism Award in 2023 and was a finalist for the Gabriel García Márquez (Gabo) Award in 2025, among other recognitions. His byline has also appeared in international publications such as Internazionale, Le Figaro, Courrier International, Wired, Divergentes, El Salto and HuffPost. He holds a degree in social and cultural anthropology from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a master’s degree in journalism from UAM-El País. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in bilingual journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He is based in Austin for the summer. He was born and raised in La Cabrera, a town in the mountains north of Madrid. More by Alejandro Santos Cid
-
Jasper Scherer
Politics Editor
Jasper Scherer is the politics editor for The Texas Tribune. He oversees a team of reporters in Austin and Washington who lead the newsroom’s coverage of campaigns and elections, watchdog Texas’ top officials, and translate what the state’s political and legislative developments mean for Texans. Jasper previously reported on politics for the Tribune, which he joined after stints covering politics and government at the state and local levels for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. A native of San Francisco, Jasper graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in journalism and political science in 2017, the same year he began covering Texas politics. He is based in Austin. More by Jasper Scherer
-
Jeremy Schwartz
Reporter, ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigative unit
Jeremy Schwartz has been an investigative reporter in Texas for nearly a decade, covering issues including voting rights and border security for the Austin American-Statesman and USA Today Network. His work has resulted in the overhaul of Texas’ inspection process for farmworker housing, sparked Congressional investigations of a failed Department of Veterans Affairs research program and uncovered misleading border arrest and drug seizure statistics maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Schwartz won the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Latino Issues award for his 2017 investigation into the political underrepresentation of Latinos in Texas cities and counties, and the Headliners Foundation of Texas Reporter of the Year award, among other honors. He previously served as Cox Newspapers’ Latin America correspondent in Mexico City from 2005 to 2009, and before that, he covered the U.S. Border Patrol and immigration at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. He is based in Austin. More by Jeremy Schwartz
-
Alejandro Serrano
Politics Reporter
Alejandro Serrano writes about Texas politics and government, with a focus on immigration and education issues. Since joining the Tribune, he has helped investigate the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, lived for half a year in Eagle Pass during a temporary assignment covering immigration and documented a variety of major occurrences in the state from Houston, where he used to live. He previously covered education for the Houston Chronicle and breaking news for the San Francisco Chronicle. The Long Island, New York, native received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University. He is based in Austin and speaks fluent Spanish. More by Alejandro Serrano
-
Max Shindeldecker
Grants Writer
Max Shindeldecker is a grants officer who helps secure and manage funding to support the Tribune’s mission. Originally from Wimberley, Max earned his degree from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Before joining the Tribune, he spent six years in public education, serving schools across the state, including those in Gonzales, Alpine and Austin. Max lives in Austin, where he enjoys reading, hiking and hanging out with his cat Stevie. More by Max Shindeldecker
-
Stephen Simpson
Mental Health Reporter
Stephen Simpson is the mental health reporter, based in Austin, where he covers behavioral health in schools, treatment in the judicial system, substance abuse and the state mental health system, among other topics. He previously worked in his home state of Arkansas as a politics reporter, where he covered the state’s Supreme Court, House of Representatives and correctional system for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Stephen’s earliest career experiences include reporting and copy editing at The Jonesboro Sun and The Pine Bluff Commercial. He earned a degree in online and print journalism with a minor in filmmaking from the University of Central Arkansas. More by Stephen Simpson
-
Chris Svoboda
Audio Visual Engineer
Chris Svoboda is the audio/visual engineer at The Texas Tribune. After receiving a BFA in Animation & Illustration from SUNY Fredonia in 2009, Chris worked as freelance visual artist/film maker in the Buffalo, NY area till 2015. There he worked on projects ranging from commercial graphic design, web design, and poster art, to short films, music videos, and interactive video installations. In early 2015 he was offered work out west in New Mexico in the independent film industry. After relocating he worked on short films and feature length films with a focus on camera department and post production. In mid-2016 Chris relocated to Austin, where he worked his way up the ranks in the live audio-visual industry. For six years he worked as a lead video technician and technical director for live corporate events. Chris also likes to record music and create visual art like drawing, painting, and video art. When he’s not doing any of these things, you might find him out on a hike around Austin with his Catahoula Leopard Dog, Enzo. More by Chris Svoboda
-
Zahira Torres
Senior Editor, ProPublica/Texas Tribune Investigative Unit
Zahira Torres is the editor for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative unit, a first-of-its-kind collaboration to publish investigative reporting for and about Texas.
Prior to joining the unit, Torres was a senior editor with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network where she worked with reporters in local and regional newsrooms on investigative projects.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Torres was the first Latina and second woman to serve as the newspaper’s editor in its more than 100-year history.
While at the El Paso Times, Torres also served as enterprise editor for the USA Today Network’s Texas/New Mexico newspapers. She was part of a team that developed and edited “The Wall: Untold Stories, Unintended Consequences,” which won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.
Torres began her career at the Times as a news clerk while attending the University of Texas at El Paso. She later became the Austin bureau chief for the newspaper. During that time, she worked to uncover a cheating scheme at the El Paso Independent School District — the city’s largest — that denied many El Paso children the right to a proper education.
She later became an education reporter for the Denver Post and Los Angeles Times before returning to her Texas roots. She is based in El Paso. More by Zahira Torres -
Uriel J. García
Immigration Reporter
Uriel J. García is an immigration reporter based in El Paso. Before joining the Tribune in 2021, he worked at the Arizona Republic where he covered police violence and immigration enforcement. He started his journalism career at the Santa Fe New Mexican where he covered the city’s immigrant community and criminal justice issues. Originally from Mexico and a native Spanish speaker, Uriel grew up in Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University. More by Uriel J. García
-
Sean Vanderaa
AI Product Engineer
Sean Vanderaa is an AI product engineer based in Sacramento, California. With internal tools that help the Tribune operate more efficiently and audience-facing products that make information more accessible, his goal is to leverage AI to better inform Texans. Previously, he worked as the AI product manager at Gigafact, building products to help local newsrooms fight misinformation and rebuild trust in news. He graduated in 2024 from the University of California, Davis, where he studied computational cognitive science and helped establish the AI Student Collective, a now-national consortium of student organizations focused on AI literacy and education. Outside of the Trib, Sean enjoys hiking and backpacking, and is slowly getting to know the local bears of the Sierra Nevada. More by Sean Vanderaa
-
Matthew Watkins
Editor in Chief
Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. Matthew is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended public schools and graduated from Texas A&M University. He’s spent nearly two decades in Texas journalism, and previously worked at The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and The Dallas Morning News. Matthew joined the Tribune in 2015 has held various roles, including higher education reporter, breaking news editor and politics editor. As a managing editor, Matthew has guided the Tribune’s award-winning journalism and other reporting of statewide significance, including coverage of elections and legislative sessions to major breaking news and ambitious storytelling about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas-Mexico border, the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, the impeachment of Texas attorney general and battles over public education. He lives in Austin with his wife, Susan, and their two children. More by Matthew Watkins
