I’m a dynamic journalist who is passionate about connecting people to information they need, especially by shaping the right stories to directly serve a community’s needs.

I currently work as Growth and Community Editor for Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization focused on covering voting access and election administration. I am also the founding engagement editor for the burgeoning newsroom. Votebeat is four years old and is still growing its audience.

Connect with me:

My primary focus at Votebeat is on audience development strategy. I run experiments with search engine optimization and social media as well as managing distribution channels like Apple News and NewsBreak. I edit the newsroom’s local newsletters, give advice and tips for article headlines, and provide other audience-focused support to the newsroom’s reporters and editors. I also run callouts and surveys to gather audience feedback and questions and engage with our dedicated readers.

In my previous role, I worked as the Audience Editor for Enterprise and Innovation at The Philadelphia Inquirer. I specialized in strategies for meeting its audience where they are online — everywhere outside of inquirer.com. This included audience listening and creating feedback loops with readers and the newsroom whenever I can. I also had a hand in managing the Inquirer’s social media accounts day to day while working to meaningfully connect with readers.

Before moving to Philadelphia, I worked as a Digital Producer for Digital Producer for The Arizona Republic. On a daily basis, I copy edited and produced stories before publication. I ensured each article was optimized for search and social media distribution, including its headline, associated assets and body copy. I also kept an eye on audience trends and pitched story ideas based on search data and social media activity.

And before that, I worked as a freelance journalist. I mostly wrote for Geist Media’s suite of sites, including The Liberty Project, PayPath, TrueSelf, The Journiest and TopDust. I covered topics including politics, finance, lifestyle and travel. Before this, I served as Associate Editor for The Liberty Project.

In 2015, the Dallas Bar Association awarded me the Philbin Award for Excellence in Legal Reporting for a report on campus sexual assault.

As online editor and later as Editor-In-Chief for The Daily Campus — SMU’s student-run newspaper —  I emphasized a digital-first mindset in the newsroom. I implemented SEO in our headlines and hyperlinks in our story bodies. I worked to produce and publish relevant content to keep our website updated consistently throughout the week. I also trained two peers in basic HTML concepts. I also worked with SMU-TV executive producers to incorporate more multimedia content in our coverage. As a result of this work, online advertising revenue increased 65%. By the time I graduated, our student news operation had shifted from a print focus to a digital-first mindset. This experience has proven to be invaluable in my career as a professional digital journalist.

I graduated from Southern Methodist University in December 2015. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and political science. I minored in law and legal reasoning. In 2017, I earned a Paralegal Graduate Certificate from Rice University. The program provides fundamentals in legal writing and analysis as well as foundations of tort and contract law.