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Fellows
Kristi Arellano is a business reporter for The Denver (CO) Post, which recently launched a weekly real estate section. Denver is consistently ranked as one of the top cities for the gap between incomes and home prices leading some experts to predict Denver is in a housing bubble. Arellano has also written for the Denver Business Journal and the Pueblo (CO) Chieftain. She was a finalist for the Damon Runyon Journalism Award and was a Dow Jones Newspaper Fund intern. She has a Bachelor's from the University of Denver in journalism studies.
Heather Boerner has led the Santa Cruz (CA) Sentinel's housing coverage team for two years. She writes a weekly column in which she provides helpful resources to readers living in one of the top six least affordable housing markets. Previously, she wrote for Snowball.com, covering education and politics for young women and reported local politics for The (Palm Springs, CA) Desert Sun and health policy for the New York Blade. The Casey Journalism Center selected Boerner for a fellowship on low-income working families. Her awards include one from the New Jersey Press Association and a nomination from the California State Press Association. She is a graduate from the Columbia University School of Journalism and has a B.A. in women's studies from University of California, Santa Cruz.
Rhea Edmonds reports for the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, IN, where residents have benefited from living in an affordable area and record breaking new construction. In contrast, a grassroots advocacy group has called the city of Fort Wayne one of the worst predatory lending offenders. She was the arts and entertainment reporter for the Chillicothe (OH) Gazette before joining the Journal Gazette five years ago. Before graduating from Howard University with a B.A. in journalism, Edmonds interned for the Knight-Ridder Washington Bureau, Kids Today and the Community News.
Ron Feemster is a freelance journalist who has spent months covering the Chicago Housing Authority's plan to demolish 53 high rise public housing building and replace them with new mixed-income housing. He also is covering how the City of New York intends to build more affordable housing during its current fiscal crisis. Feemster's work has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, the New York Post, the Village Voice and on National Public Radio. Previously, he worked in Germany as teacher and translator. Feemster is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and recently received a Davidson Fellowship and a Metcalf Environmental Reporting Fellowship. He earned a M.S. from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, a M.A. in history and philosophy of science from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated from St. Olaf College, MN.
Chuck Frederick writes for the Duluth (MN) News Tribune covering real estate in a city with one of the oldest housing stocks in the nation and where 800 new housing units are needed in the next decade yet only 58 a year are built. He has been with the Duluth News Tribune for over 10 years and also worked for the Daily Journal in International Falls, MN. Frederick is the author of "Duluth: The City and The People" and was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper at Winona State University.
Macario Juarez Jr. is the real estate reporter for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, whose climate makes it a haven for the homeless. Residents are concerned about the gentrification of the downtown area and the ambitious plan to convert one million acres into a habitat for endangered plants and animals might further stress housing affordability in the area. Juarez previously covered business and the police for the Albuquerque (NM) Tribune and was a sports writer for the Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News. He earned a B.A. from New Mexico State University and was named a Chips Quinn Scholar by the Freedom Forum.
Steven Kerch directs editorial coverage on real estate and mortgages at CBS MarketWatch. He writes a weekly column and contributes real estate and personal finance topics on WBBM-AM. For many years, he worked at the Chicago Tribune, eventually becoming its real estate group editor. Kerch has won many awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors including one for Best Web Site and Best Column he received a special recognition award from the Easter Seal Society for his articles on the Americans with Disabilities Act. He has served as an officer and board member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors. He has a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Philip Langdon has written for more than 20 years on architecture, planning and urban design for the Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, the American Enterprise and many others. Currently, he is the senior editor of the New Urban News and writes regular commentaries for the Hartford (CT) Courant. He has authored six books including "A Better Place to Live: Reshaping the American Suburb" and "Orange Roofs, Golden Arches: The Architecture of American Chain Restaurants." His previous fellowships include the Knight Program in Community Building, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the National Endowment of the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. Langdon studied design as a National Endowment for the Humanities Professional Journalism Fellow after receiving a M.A. in history from Utah State University and a B.A. from Allegheny College.
Victoria Manley is the lead reporter on housing, real estate, growth and development for the Monterey (CA) Herald. Monterey County contains some of the most overcrowded living conditions in California and the hosing stock ranges from farm labor camps to ranches to mansions on Pebble Beach. She previously was a reporter for the Californian covering Salinas and the Register-Pajaronian covering Watsonville, CA. She has won awards from the USC Journalism Alumni Association and the USC School of Journalism and was a Western Knight Center Fellow in 2001. She received her Bachelor's in print journalism from the University of Southern California and was editor-in-chief of the Daily Trojan.
Bettye Wells Miller covers growth and water issues for the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, CA. The Inland Empire, where Riverside is located, continues to have explosive population growth fueled by refugee families from Los Angeles and Orange counties seeking affordable housing which leads to longer and longer commutes. As the need for more housing grows, long term residents who moved there decades ago, fight to keep their large lots and slower pace of life. Miller also worked for the online Worldwide Newsroom, the San Bernardino (CA) County Sun and owned the Inland Press Service. She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 and has won numerous reporting awards from Gannett. She earned a M.A. in liberal studies from the University of Redlands and a B.A. in journalism, magna cum laude, from the University of Southern California.
Hang Nguyen writes about commercial and residential real estate for the Orange County (CA) Register which is home to some of the highest housing prices in the country. Yet the people who work in the tourist area surrounding Disneyland and the growing immigrant community are faced with rising rents and substandard housing. Nguyen was a reporter for the Morning Call in Allentown, PA and worked for the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News and the Cincinnati Enquirer. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor's in print journalism.
David Pendered is a veteran reporter for the Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution and was recently assigned to cover residential development. The Journal-Constitution has nine reporters working on real estate, transportation and environmental issues concerning Atlanta where the local government has pledged to provide in-town housing for teachers, police officers and other public workers. Pendered earned a degree in English and political science from North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Olivera Perkins currently reports on the impact of redevelopment efforts on Cleveland, Ohio's housing for the Plain Dealer. Cleveland has attracted suburbanites back to the city with rehabilitated housing and incentives yet some longtime residents are not are pleased and foreclosure rates remain high. Perkins won a statewide award from the Cleveland Press Club and is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Association of Black Journalists. She has a Master's from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a Bachelor's from New York University in politics and journalism.
Elizabeth Rhodes is the residential real estate reporter for the Seattle (WA) Times. She writes a weekly column explaining the complex factors unique to Seattle, where housing prices skyrocketed during the high tech boom yet continue to rise even after the area was hit hard by the recession. She previously worked for the Miami Herald, the Charlotte Observer and the Rome (Italy) Daily American and has won awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Rhodes attended the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.
William Roberts is the editorial page editor at the Durango (CO) Herald, where good paying jobs in the gas industry conflict with residents attracted to the area in search of recreation and beautiful scenery. The increase in tourism attracts workers from Mexico and nearby reservations to the low-paying service industry jobs but continuing drought and the accompanying fire hazard affects the more affordable areas of the county. Roberts was a previous Knight Center for Specialized Journalism Fellow at the University of Maryland and has won numerous awards from the Colorado Press Association including ones for Best Editorial Writing. He majored in history and economics at California State University, Long Beach.
Chuanpis Santilukka left the practice of law to become a reporter and now is the Government and Area Cities reporter for the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota. Recently, five area cities have agreed to make 15 percent of all new developments affordable and how effective this agreement will be has yet to be determined. Santilukka was an associate at Winthrop & Weinstine, specializing in employment law before attending the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, where she wrote articles for the Tennessean in Nashville, TN. She attended the University of Michigan and received a J.D. from the law school and a B.A. in Asian studies. She was named a Dean's Scholar from the law school and was a James B. Angell Scholar, the University's highest honors award.
Rosemary Shinohara is the urban affairs reporter for the Anchorage (AK) Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper. Anchorage grew quickly after the discovery of oil and only recently has adopted a comprehensive residential and commercial development plan. Previously, she covered education and wrote editorials for the Daily News and was an editor for All Things Considered at National Public Radio. Shinohara has won numerous regional and state awards and was one of several story editors on a Pulitzer Prize winning series of articles on Alaska's village people.
T.J. Sullivan is senior staff writer for the Ventura County (CA) Star, and covers the results of strict growth control laws passed to prevent Ventura County from succumbing to the unchecked growth of the San Fernando Valley, turning its farmlands and open spaces into sprawling neighborhoods. The result is a severe housing shortage in an area where the number of people living in poverty has increased by double digits. Sullivan was a writing instructor at the University of California, Los Angeles and was a reporter at the Albuquerque (NM) Tribune, the Santa Fe New Mexican and the Wood River Journal in Hailey, ID. He has won awards from the Society of Professional journalists, the American Association of Sunday & Feature Editors, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Associated Press News executive Council. He is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists and obtained a B.A. in editorial journalism from the University of Kentucky, College of Communications.
Kimberly Trone is the urban affairs reporter for the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, CA which is changing from an enclave for the retired elite to become a more mixed community including an increasing number of working poor. Previously she spent many years as a freelance writer for newspapers, magazines and seven-time Emmy winning broadcaster Alex Drier. She was named Desert Sun Reporter of the Year in 2001 and won a Gannett Well Done Award for a series on NAFTA.
Mary Umberger has worked at the Chicago Tribune for many years, most recently as a real estate reporter and columnist for the Tribune's three real estate sections. Her stories also appear in the main news and business sections and she will soon be making real estate radio reports on WBBM. She previously headed the features copy desk, was editor of the daily features section, the home section and others, all with the Tribune. Umberger won the Best Column award and other awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors. She earned a Bachelor's in journalism from Ohio State University.
Mary Lynne Vellinga is a reporter for the Sacramento (CA) Bee, most recently covering regional growth and urban affairs such as whether California's fixation on single family suburban homes is sustainable. Sacramento has generally been thought of as a less expensive alternative to the Bay Area but it is still expensive compared to the national median price. She had covered state elections, legislature and agencies for the Bee and was a reporter at the Patriot-Ledger in Quincy, MA and the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, NY. Vellinga has a M.S. from the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University and a B.A. in English from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.
Heather Vogell covers South Carolina for the Charlotte Observer, focusing on Rock Hill, where less than two miles from city hall, people live in shacks without indoor plumbing or running water even after years of trying to improve living conditions. While homeownership is rising, so are foreclosures and recently, a local councilman was indicted for federal bank fraud for allegedly mortgaging houses for three times their worth. She was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and the Day in New London, CT. Vogell was a Casey Journalism Center Fellow in 2002 and won many awards in Connecticut. She has a M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. in government from Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
Lori Anne Weisberg is a veteran reporter at the San Diego (CA) Union-Tribune writing about urban affairs, growth and land use in an area expecting one million new residents over the next two decades. San Diego is already listed as one of the top ten least affordable housing markets in the nation and the housing shortage show no signs of abating. She has also covered city and county government for the Union-Tribune and worked for the Orange County Register and the Vista (CA) Press. Her real estate writing has won awards from The San Diego Press Club, the National Association of Real Estate Editors and the Society of Professional Journalists. Weisberg graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in communication.
Rachel Wilner is the assistant business editor in charge of real estate coverage at the San Jose (CA) Mercury News including responsibility for the Saturday real estate section. The scarcity of land in the Silicon Valley is always an issue as is the growing Latino and Asian communities. Wilner was the assistant sports editor and the copy editor at the Mercury News and also worked as an editor for the Los Angeles Daily News and for the Davis (CA) Enterprise. She was editor-in-chief of the California Aggie, the college newspaper for the University of California, Davis.
Nancy Yoshihara was recently named deputy editor for the Los Angeles Times real estate section. More so than in other communities, in Los Angeles, real estate is destiny and can define one's access to a quality education, transportation and decent jobs. Also at the Times, Yoshihara had been the deputy editor for the Southern California Living section, fashion editor, editorial writer and reporter. She is a co-founder of the Asian American Journalists Association, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, was a Jefferson Fellow and a U.S. Japan Press Institute Fellow. She earned a M.A. in journalism and a B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Kelly Zito covers the housing market in the Bay Area, one of the most expensive and volatile markets in the country, for the San Francisco (CA) Chronicle. Her stories include the dangers of housing development on former military bases and how the search for affordable housing is pushing buyers eastward into the Central Valley. Previously, she covered business and technology for the Chronicle, for the Marin Independent Journal in Marin County, CA and for the Ithaca (NY) Journal. Zito was a Jefferson Fellow and received her B.S. in Communications from Cornell University.
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What fellows have to say about past seminars:
"Thanks so much for this opportunity. It really demystified much of online journalism for us and gave me a very useful hands on experience in the tools of the trade. Well done."
- Tom Mallory, San Diego Union Tribune |
