Journalism Fellowships in Child and Family Policy

Class of 2005-06 | 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2002-03 | 2001-02 | 2000

35 journalists win fellowships
to study child and family policy

COLLEGE PARK, Md., April 27, 2005 – Thirty-five journalists from across the nation have been selected for the 2005 class of Journalism Fellowships in Child and Family Policy. The professional development program, based at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, aims to deepen journalists’ and the public’s understanding of how social policies and programs affect young lives.

Competitive fellowships provide in-depth training and stipends of up to $7,500 to enhance coverage of early education, children of immigrants, and measures of child and family health and well-being. Select fellows receive funding to pursue independent projects. All fellows come to the Washington, D.C., area for intensive four-day conferences in both fall and winter. The program is supported by the Foundation for Child Development.

2005 JOURNALISM FELLOWS IN CHILD AND FAMILY POLICY

Seminar plus project fellows
Kathryn Baron, morning anchor/education reporter, KQED-FM, San Francisco
*Sarah Carr, education reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
*Joel Dresang, labor and economics reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Maggie Jackson, freelance writer and work-family columnist, Boston Globe
Alexandra Starr, freelance writer, New York
Michelle Trudeau, science correspondent, National Public Radio
*These two fellows share funding and support for one project

Seminar fellows
Erin E. Andersen, families, kids and schools reporter, Lincoln Journal Star
Marilyn Brown, education reporter, The Tampa Tribune
Carolyn Davis, editorial writer, Philadelphia Inquirer
Tracy Dell’Angela, education reporter, Chicago Tribune
Lydia L. Denworth, freelance writer, New York
Arlene Edmonds, freelance writer, Philadelphia
Dierdre Fernandez, education reporter, The Virginian-Pilot
Kristin Finan, reporter, Houston Chronicle
Liz Gonzalez, education reporter, Telemundo WNJU-Channel 47, New York
Ginnie Graham, social services reporter, Tulsa World
Lisa Guernsey, freelance writer, Alexandria, Va.
Bridget Gutierrez, education reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Erin Holmes, staff writer, Arlington (Ill.) Daily Herald
Sylvia Jones, producer, WGN-TV, Chicago
Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, New York correspondent, Polish Daily News
Elaine Korry, social policy reporter, National Public Radio
Pamela Kruger, freelancer, Millburn, N.Y.
Lisa Leff, San Francisco bureau reporter, The Associated Press
Michelle M. Martinez, social services reporter, Austin American-Statesman
Theresa Mask, education reporter, Detroit Free Press
Teresa Méndez, education reporter, The Christian Science Monitor
Lindsay Peterson, staff writer, The Tampa Tribune
Melinda Rogers, education reporter, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
LaReeca Rucker, reporter, Madison County Herald (Ridgeland, Miss.)
Michaela Saunders, reporter, Omaha World-Herald
Toya Lynn Stewart, education reporter, The Dallas Morning News
Romy Varghese, reporter, The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
Sarah Vos, metro / enterprise reporter, Lexington Herald-Leader
Jocelyn Wiener, staff writer, The Sacramento Bee

All fellows will gather Sept. 28-Oct. 1 and Dec. 4-7 for briefings with policy experts and practitioners; elated field trips; and professional development.

With this new class comes a shift in leadership. Cathy Trost, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and the founding director of the Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families, succeeds Carol Guensburg as director. Guensburg, who launched the program in March 2000 after 20 years of reporting and editing, primarily for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, serves as senior associate through May. She’ll work with the program in a limited capacity during conferences.

2004 Journalism Fellows in Child and Family Policy. From left, Paul Raeburn, Anne Marie Chaker, Brandy McDonnell, Megan O’Matz, Deborah Davis, Wendy Davis, Monica Mendoza, Pueng Vongs, Mike Chalmers, Viviana Villalon, Scott Finn, Samantha Stainburn, Mary Van de Kamp Nohl, Tracie McMillan, Richard Whitmire, Stephanie Hemphill, Meredith Hines-Dochterman, Helen Cordes and Encarnacion Pyle.

Class of 2004-05 | Top

Mike Chalmers, reporter, The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.
Anne Marie Chaker, reporter, The Wall Street Journal, New York, N.Y.
Helen Cordes, freelance journalist, Georgetown, Texas
Deborah Davis, health and social issues reporter, Santa Fe New Mexican
Wendy Davis, senior editor, Trusts & Estates, Primedia Business Magazines
and Media, New York, N.Y.
Scott M. Finn, reporter, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette
Stephanie Hemphill, reporter and producer, Minnesota Public Radio, Duluth
Meredith Hines-Dochterman, reporter, St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press
Brandy McDonnell, staff writer, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City
Tracie McMillan, managing editor, City Limits, New York, N.Y.
Monica Mendoza, education reporter, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix
Mary Van de Kamp Nohl, senior editor, Milwaukee Magazine
Megan O’Matz, reporter, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale
Encarnacion Pyle, social services reporter, The Columbus Dispatch
Paul Raeburn, freelance journalist, New York, N.Y.
Samantha Stainburn, freelance journalist, New York, N.Y.
Pueng Vongs, reporter and editor, Pacific News Service, San Francisco
Viviana P. Villalon, reporter and editor, Hoy, New York, N.Y.
Richard Whitmire, editorial writer, USA Today, McLean, Va.

2003 Journalism Fellows in Child and Family Policy. Front row, from left: Brooke Foster, John Higgins, Katie Burford and Michele Marchetti. Second row: Lee Rood, Gary Susswein, Laura Lang, Eric Frazier, Brooke Adams, Linda Campbell, Jane Elizabeth, Laura Diamond, Maja Beckstrom, Matthew Franck, Charlene Koski, Sarah Hughes and Cherie Diez. Third row: Stephanie Hanes, Maggie Jones, Cara Nissman, Erin Walsh, Elizabeth DeVita, Cynthia Ingle, Katy Reckdahl, Vanessa Bush and Noel Cisneros.

Class of 2003-04 | Top

Brooke Adams, family reporter, The Salt Lake Tribune
Maja Beckstrom, families reporter, St. Paul Pioneer Press
Katie Burford, youth and families reporter, Albuquerque Journal
Vanessa Bush, senior editor, parenting and features, Essence Magazine
Linda P. Campbell, editorial writer and columnist, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Noel Susan Cisneros, reporter, KRON-TV in San Francisco
Elizabeth DeVita, freelance science and health writer, New York
Laura Diamond, children's issues writer, The Florida Times-Union
Cherie Diez, photographer, St. Petersburg Times
Jane Elizabeth, education editor/writer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Brooke Lea Foster, staff writer, Washingtonian magazine
Matthew Franck, child/youth reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Eric Frazier, family beat, The Charlotte Observer
Stephanie Hanes, courts reporter, The (Baltimore) Sun
John Higgins, children’s issues reporter, Akron Beacon Journal
Sarah E. Hughes, reporter-producer, WAMU-FM in Washington, D.C.
Cynthia Ingle, freelance journalist, Washington, D.C.
Maggie Jones, freelance journalist, West Hollywood, Calif.
Charlene Koski, health and social issues reporter, Yakima Herald-Republic
Laura Lang, freelance journalist, Silver Spring, Md.
Michele Marchetti, freelance journalist, New York
Cara Nissman, teen reporter, Boston Herald
Katy Reckdahl, freelance journalist, New Orleans
Lee Rood, reporter, Des Moines Register
Gary Susswein, state reporter, Austin American-Statesman
Erin Walsh, education reporter, (Oceanside) North County Times in California

The 2002 Fellows in Child and Family Policy met in September in Washington, D.C. Front row, from left: Nell Bernstein, Monica Brady-Myerov, Lisa Gutierrez, Colleen O'Dea, Aria Seligmann, Sharon Lerner, Natalie Gardner and Bill Guida. Second row: Louise Diamond, Heather O'Neill, Kim Pleticha, Kristen De Deyn Kirk, Jean Reid Norman and Annette Fuentes. Rear: Jeremy Caplan, Lou Rom, Sarah Glover, Joseph Dits, Eric Eyre and Bill Graves. Missing: Christopher Schwarzen and Rochelle Sharpe.

The fellows listed below bear one of two designations based on the funding source for their studies: FCD, for the Foundation for Child Development, or Packard Future of Children, for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Class of 2002-03 | Top

Nell Bernstein (FCD), freelance journalist, Berkeley, Calif.
Monica Brady-Myerov (FCD), senior reporter, WBUR-FM, Boston
Jeremy Caplan (Packard), senior associate editor,
Yahoo! Internet Life, New York
Louise Diamond (Packard), independent filmmaker, New York
Joseph Dits (Packard), reporter, South Bend (Ind.) Tribune
Eric Eyre (FCD), education writer, Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette
Annette Fuentes (FCD), freelance journalist, Kerhonkson, N.Y.
Natalie Gardner (Packard), special publications editor, Arkansas
Business Publishing Group
Sarah Glover (FCD), photographer, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Bill Guida (FCD), reporter, Kenosha (Wis.) News
Bill Graves (Packard), education writer, The (Portland) Oregonian
Lisa Gutierrez (FCD), feature reporter, The Kansas City Star
Kristen De Deyn Kirk (FCD), senior editor, Port Folio Weekly, Virginia Beach
Jean Reid Norman (Packard), assistant metro editor, Las Vegas Sun
Sharon Lerner (Packard), health reporter, Village Voice, New York, N.Y.
Colleen O'Dea (FCD), reporter, Daily Record, Parsippany, N.J.
Heather O'Neill (FCD), associate editor, Living in Stamford (Conn.) magazine
Kim Pleticha (FCD), freelance journalist, Austin, Texas
Louis Rom (Packard), political editor, The Times of Acadiana, Lafayette, La.
Christopher Schwarzen (FCD), reporter, The Seattle Times
Aria Seligmann (FCD), associate editor, Eugene (Ore.) Weekly
Rochelle Sharpe (Packard), freelance journalist, Brookline, Mass.

Class of 2001-02 | Top

Lisa Applegate (Packard), reporter, The Roanoke Times
Michael Bonfigli (FCD), photojournalist, Silver Spring, Md.
Pat Caverly (FCD), publisher, the Native Monthly Reader
Kiley Cruse (Packard), photojournalist, Omaha World-Herald
Kathryn Eastburn (FCD), editor, The Colorado Springs Independent
Daniel Forbes (FCD), freelance reporter, Astoria, N.Y.
Margaret M. Fox (FCD), health and science correspondent,
Reuters Washington bureau
Mary C. Hickey (FCD), special projects editor, Parents magazine, New York
Donna Ladd (Packard), freelance reporter, Jackson, Miss.
Leah Latimer (Packard), reporter and producer, BET.com
Tod Lending (FCD), documentary filmmaker, Chicago
David Marcus (FCD), reporter, U.S. News & World Report, Washington
Jonathan Martin (FCD), social issues reporter, The Spokesman-Review
Virginia Martin (FCD), health editor and assistant state editor, The
Birmingham (Ala.) News
Jim Morrison (Packard), freelance reporter, Norfolk, Va.
Analisa Nazareno (FCD), reporter, San Antonio Express-News
Tanya Ott (Packard), freelance reporter, Orlando, Fla.
Mary Annette Pember (FCD), freelance photojournalist, Cincinnati
Carlos Sadovi (Packard), reporter, Chicago Sun-Times
Ovetta Sampson (Packard), reporter, The Gazette of Colorado Springs
Marian Uhlman (Packard), health care reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Rebecca Voelker (Packard), contributing editor, Journal of the American
Medical Association, Chicago
Rob Waters (Packard), freelance reporter and editor, Berkeley, Calif.
Mitchell Zuckoff (FCD), special projects writer, The Boston Globe

Class of 2000 | Top

Stacy Hawkins Adams (Packard), reporter, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Sue Ellen Christian (FCD), reporter, Chicago Tribune
Pat Etheridge (Packard), reporter, CNN
Linda Lantor Fandel (FCD), deputy editorial-page editor, The
Des Moines Register
Jean Hopfensperger (FCD), reporter, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Sue Horton (FCD), executive editor, LA Weekly
Sarah Karp (Packard), writer, The Chicago Reporter
Kristen King (FCD), education reporter, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate
Jennifer Rose Marino (FCD), education reporter, Savannah Morning News
Dawn Miller (FCD), staff writer, The Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette
Mary K. Reinhart (FCD), reporter, Arizona's East Valley Tribune/
Scottsdale Tribune
Barbara White Stack (FCD), reporter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ruth Teichroeb (FCD), social issues reporter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer