Columbia Missourian (December 2003 to August 2010)
Until September 2010, when I move across the street to the Reynolds Journalism Institute, I have the pleasure of serving as design editor for the Missourian, which is the morning newspaper for the city of Columbia. It's run by faculty and staffed by students enrolled at the Missouri School of Journalism. Basically, my duties are those of design editors everywhere (planning, art direction, deadline work, prototyping), with one small change — my staff turns over every 12 to 16 weeks and is always inexperienced. When it is my semester to teach the news design class, I see those same students in the classroom, where I focus on visual storytelling, conceptual design and contributing to the journalism.
In my first six and a half years at the Missourian, I prototyped and launched a weekend magazine-style newspaper. I raised the level of visual sophistication of the newspaper in general. I supervised the conversion of the newsroom from PCs to Macs, and from Quark to InDesign, acting as the newsroom’s primary contact with software companies. I also ran head-first into the world of digital media. Most recently, I helped create a groundbreaking Web site for the Missourian, working with developers to design a user experience that is unlike any existing site. The Missourian’s new site will launch in 2010.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune (1998-2003)
The Herald-Tribune is a New York Times Regional Newspaper Group publication that produced five zoned editions a day and jumped on the convergence train quickly. When I arrived there in 1998, the paper had already launched a 24-hour cable news channel in the newsroom. While at the Herald-Tribune, I served as assistant news design editor, features designer, kids page section editor, business news editor and copy editor.
Wichita Eagle (1996-1998)
The Eagle was a Knight-Ridder publication at the time I was there. I was a member of the presentation team, and I worked my way through just about every section while I was there. I was one of the principal front-page designers and also redesigned the Family section.
The Paper (Summer 1996)
As a reporting intern, I was one of three staff writers at a weekly in Juneau, Alaska, that emphasized in-depth news reporting. It couldn't survive in a town of 30,000 unfortunately, but that newsroom provided me with as enriching a reporting experience as any 22 year old could hope for.
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel (Summer 1995)
I was a copy editing intern on the features desk.
The Oklahoma Daily (1994-1996)
I was fortunate to discover my love of journalism while working for a campus newspaper that operated under high standards and was recognized as one of the best nationally. During my time there The Daily was also named the second-best Oklahoma newspaper with a circulation greater than 9,000 (college and professional papers included). I rose through the ranks from copy editor and copy desk chief to reporter to managing editor and editor in chief. The most I ever learned quickly about journalism was during the one-week period following the Oklahoma City bombing, which we covered as a local story while I was managing editor.