Resume
EXPERIENCE
Online Managing Editor, kpcc.org; Pasadena, Calif. — Aug. 2009-Present
Directed online coverage of two of the station’s first award-winning projects for online — one an investigative project and the second, unfolding coverage of 2009 wildfires.
Online News Editor, dailynews.com; Los Angeles — Oct. 2008-Aug. 2009
Managed breaking news and multimedia. Collaborated with reporters on database and computer-assisted reporting. Trained colleagues in video production and data analysis.
Staff Writer, dailynews.com; Los Angeles — May 2007-Oct. 2008
Led breaking news coverage online during year of record-breaking Web traffic. Managed breaking news coverage of the killing of a Los Angeles police SWAT officer and the 2007 and 2008 Southern California wildfires.
Staff Writer, Los Angeles Daily News — Oct. 1999-May 2007
Broke stories about Russian and Armenian organized crime rings running health care fraud and cargo theft scams. Broke stories about hazing and harassment at the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Reporter, Los Angeles Times; Costa Mesa, Calif. — Aug. 1998-Sept. 1999
Contributed to an award-winning series about a fatal Disneyland ride accident.
Staff Writer, Long Beach Press-Telegram — Aug. 1996-Aug. 1998
Covered cops, general news, wrote features, sports stories and reviews.
EDUCATION
California State University, Fullerton — Bachelor’s degree in communications.
HONORS
Southern California Journalism Awards — 2010
First place in the online news story, feature, series or package category for “Pumps Under Pressure: A story of risk and reliability after Katrina.” Judges Comments: An incredibly thorough and eye-opening piece with numerous links and other online components such as timelines, testing records and reports, and reader feedback. “It left me feeling discouraged about government but inspired by the power of journalism to shed light on such issues. In an age when minute-by-minute celebrity gossip seems to dominate the Internet, it’s heartening to see some members of the media are taking their roles as members of the fourth branch of government.”
Southern California Journalism Awards — 2010
First place in Weblog (Group) category for “Fire Updates.” Judges Comments: SCPR’s aggregation and presentation of maps, photos, video and real-time first-person accounts created tremendous resources for those affected by the disaster.
Digital Leadership Summit for Public Radio Stations — 2009
Participated in a conference sponsored by Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California and National Public Radio for public radio news organizations transforming in the digital age.
Los Angeles Press Club — 2009
Second place in hard news for “Metrolink, freight trains collide: At least 15 killed.”
California Newspaper Publishers Association — 2008
Second place, best website in the state.
Los Angeles Press Club — 2008
Second place in online news, “Coverage of brush fires.”
Knight Digital Media Center Fellow — 2008
Technology training fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.
U.S. State Department Speaker and Specialist Program — 2007
Grant recipient to speak to journalists in Colombia about crime reporting.
U.S. State Department Speaker and Specialist Program — 2006
Grant recipient to speak to journalists in Albania about organized crime reporting.
SKILLS
HTML, Mac, PC, AP style, copy editing, headline writing, search engine optimization, Microsoft Excel and Access, Caspio databases, map mashups, Final Cut Express, Adobe Photoshop, Django, WordPress, Movable Type.
ORGANIZATIONS
Online News Association Conference, San Francisco — 2009
Investigative Reporters and Editors Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference, Indianapolis — 2009
Investigative Reporters and Editors Regional Conference, Las Vegas — 2004
Spoke on a panel, “Organized crime: New angles, new faces,” about my coverage of Russian and Armenian organized crime.
My Flickr Photos
KPCC News- Scientist Watches Glacier Melt Beneath His Feet September 5, 2010Scientists collecting ice cores from Indonesia's Pancak Jaya say they saw the 16,000-foot glacier drop 12 inches in just two weeks. Puncak Jaya is one of the few tropical glaciers remaining in the world, and it's especially vulnerable to climate change. This makes it especially important to researchers. […]
- Indonesians protest Fla. church's Quran-burning day September 5, 2010The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., said it will burn the Islamic holy book to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Religious leaders in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, have appealed to U.S. authorities to stop the event. […]
- Thousands of returning soldiers face a new enemy September 5, 2010The legacy of one of America's longest combat missions will continue to affect the thousands of troops who came home suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. […]
- Water valve failure sends city fire tankers to La Tuna Canyon September 5, 2010City fire tanker trucks were sent to a dry, brushy canyon Saturday in the eastern San Fernando Valley because a water pumping system failed, taking fire hydrants out of action during a wildfire alert. […]
- LA man booked in death of father found in storage September 5, 2010Authorities say a 24-year-old man from Hollywood has been arrested on suspicion of killing his 62-year-old father, whose body was found in a storage facility east of Los Angeles. […]
- Pulitzer-winning cartoonist Paul Conrad dies at 86 September 5, 2010Paul Conrad, the political cartoonist who won three Pulitzer Prizes and used his pencil to poke at politicians for more than 50 years, has died. […]
- Mental stimulation postpones, then speeds dementia September 4, 2010Keeping an active mind helps stave off the development of dementia. But being mentally active might speed up Alzheimer's once it hits, according to new research from Chicago's Rush University Medical Center. […]
- On jobs, U.S. now ranks worse than similar nations September 4, 2010The U.S. unemployment rate surged far higher and has remained higher than in other major industrial countries. It's now at 9.6 percent. The big shift came when American companies cut workers more aggressively than foreign firms in the face of the financial crisis. […]
- Calif.'s first senator served just six months September 4, 2010September 9 is California’s 160th birthday. One of its first senators is a familiar name: John C. Fremont. […]
- Now We Are Alone: Living On Without Our Sons September 4, 2010A year ago, the author and his wife were part of a happy family with a bright future. Then their two sons were killed in a car crash. Now they feel a certain bond with other parents who understand that children die a second time "when no one speaks their name." […]
- Scientist Watches Glacier Melt Beneath His Feet September 5, 2010