New York, New York, United States
I'm a team-builder, creative leader and people person passionate about journalism, international relations, learning foreign languages and all things related to climate change, energy transition and sustainability. As Global Climate and Environmental News Director for The Associated Press, I lead an all-formats, international team focused on some of the most important stories of our time. In this role, I also work with teams across the AP, including leaders of our business and partnerships departments, and lead climate training for and collaborations with other news organizations.
Leading AP's efforts to significantly ramp up all-formats coverage of climate change, biodiversity and energy transition around the world. The role includes: hiring new teammates, both in the U.S. and overseas, leading a staff of more than 25 people, managing a multi-million dollar budget, offering training and guidance to general assignment journalists across the AP who may be new to climate stories, setting overall coverage priorities and developing relationships with foundations that help fund our team.
Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed in a controversial process that deepened political divisions in Brazil and opened the door for the hard right and current President Jair Bolsonaro. This book examines the nearly year-long impeachment saga, a tale of betrayal, bare-knuckled political maneuvering and a young democracy pushed to the limits.
Was editorial and administrative leader of 13-state territory in the Western United States that stretched from Alaska to Arizona, and included Hawaii and California. Worked with editors on the regional desk in Phoenix and staff of all formats across the territory to drive story coverage, set budgeting and staffing priorities. Major stories ranged from devastating wildfires and mega drought to elections and myriad COVID-19 happenings. In 2020, was co-editor of the AP's "Lives Lost" series, which focused on ordinary people around the world who died of COVID-19, and was honored with a Dart Award for trauma reporting. Also chaired the "Best of the States" committee, which judged and awarded the AP's best work in the U.S. each week. In 2021, was overall story owner of U.S. immigration coverage, working closely with beat team leader and team members across the country on major stories ranging from policy changes implemented by Biden administration to thousands of Haitian migrants showing up on Mexico-Texas border.
During a sabbatical from the AP, studied advanced Arabic full-time while also teaching for a study abroad program aimed at giving aspiring foreign correspondents the tools to report from overseas. ARABIC: Every four weeks, did a seven-minute presentation on a topic, followed by 15 minutes of questions. Presentations below. JOURNALISM: Gave lectures on various topics, came up with reporting assignments and helped students develop enterprise ideas and edit stories pitched to major media outlets. Blog post about one assignment: http://bit.ly/1D38TeS
Helped drive, plan coverage of and edit top stories in the Southern United States (and often beyond) across formats, along with managing and coaching staff on the regional desk and throughout territory. On any given day, that meant print editing, curating something for our mobile app, helping to edit video packages or working on interactives, print graphics and animated motion graphics, and then taking overall editorial ownership of the story or project. Also included overseeing large data-driven projects and traveling to the scene of big stories to help with coverage as a reporter, VJ or all-formats manager.
TRADITIONAL VIDEO - Shot, edited, wrote scripts and produced Online Video and AP Television pieces from across the South, Haiti after 2004 revolution and 2010 earthquake, from Chile for trapped miners story in 2010, from Egypt during Arab Spring in 2011 and various pieces from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. MOTION GRAPHICS - Reported, wrote and helped produce many animated video pieces on topics ranging from the Gulf oil spill to 100th anniversary of Titanic sinking. TELEVISION SHOWS - _ "En Serio" - Local television program in DR (in Spanish) that co-hosted and helped produce. _ "Court TV" - Several appearances while in Aruba for story on disappearance of Natalee Holloway. _ "Oregon Matters" - Frequent guest panelist on statewide show on politics.
Oversaw and built large interactives (in both Flash and HTML), print graphics, video, motion graphics and for-mobile interactive pieces in 13-state Southern region. For large projects, often managed small teams with members in various locations. Also served as all-formats coordinator on West Virginia mine explosion, Gulf oil spill and Chile mine collapse, and as VJ in Haiti, Chile and across the South, and reporter for hurricanes, other stories.
While living in Morocco and Chile, free-lanced for several news organizations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, San Mercury News and the Register Guard.
Oversaw small team of reporters covering Hispanic communities in Oregon, wrote and edited articles in Spanish and designed pages in Quark Express.