Resume
Special skills: Final Cut, Soundslides, Access, Excel, learning new stuff, cultivating sources, coaching kiddos, following my nose, doing my homework, finding the right word (not the fanciest word), and telling true stories.
Work History
Arts and Humanities editor at the News Bureau for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign January 2011-present
Duties: Crafting press releases highlighting events and achievements for a variety of departments; handling requests from the media.
Research Assistant to Prof. Brant Houston, Knight Foundation Chair for Investigative Reporting, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign August 2009-May 2010
Duties: Assisted in the development and updating of website for Global Investigative Journalism Network (globalinvestigativejournalism.org); inventoried and prepared 50 years of files of the Fund for Investigative Reporting for archiving.
Illinois Times - Staff writer / columnist, September 2002-July 2009
Duties: Writing cover stories, news stories, and a regular column.
Other contributions: Some feature photography, coaching and editing developing writers, helping plan special issues, recruiting contributors.
Illinois Press Assn. 2009 1st place Enterprise/Feature; Honorable Mention Column
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies 2008: 2nd place Feature Story
Illinois Press Assn. 2008: 1st place Business Reporting; 1st place Feature Writing; 2nd place Government Beat Reporting
Illinois Press Assn. 2007: 1st place Feature Writing
Illinois Knight Chair for Excellence in Investigative/Enterprise Reporting non-daily category 2005
Illinois Press Assn. 2005: 1st place Column
Black Tigers (Viet Nam Veterans Special Forces) Achievement Award 2005
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies 2005: Honorable Mention for Column
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies 2004: 1st place Feature Story
ACLU (Springfield chapter) Truth and Justice Award 2003
Michael M. Daniel, P.C. - Investigator / researcher 1993-2002
Duties included: Collecting and organizing a variety of data sets (census figures, crime statistics, home mortgage lending, code enforcement violations, and blood lead levels) into spreadsheets, databases, charts, graphs, or maps to be presented in major class action civil rights cases in federal court; interviewing plaintiffs and witnesses, creating voir dire questionnaires; editing legal pleadings.
Dallas Family Magazine - Frequent contributor, 1996-1998
Parenting Publications of America Award for Best Feature Story 1998
Dallas Observer (New Times, now Village Voice Media) - Staff writer, 1991-1993
Dallas Press Katie Award 1992 for Best Newspaper Feature Story (large circulation)
Anchorage Daily News - Staff writer, 1988-1991
C.B. Blethen Memorial Award 1991: Distinguished Reporting of Consumer Affairs (five-state competition)
SPJ Pacific Northwest 1990: 3rd place consumer reporting
Hired as a lifestyles writer, pioneered a boundary-busting beat covering child care, reporting for the metro desk to cover the months-long city assembly debate concerning overhaul of municipal childcare regulations, and single-handedly producing an award-winning five-part series on the childcare industry.
Dallas Morning News - Regular contributor, Sunday Magazine 1985-1988
Dallas Press Club Katie Award 1988: finalist for Best Magazine News Story
Texas APME 1987: 1st place short features
Dallas Press Club Katie Award 1986: 1st place for Best Magazine Feature Story
Dallas Observer - About Town columnist, 1984-1986
Education
BA in journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas
MS in journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
References available upon request