As an award-winning journalist in both Kansas and New York, Mellott covered health, education, economic development and local government. For the last two years, she’s worked with the Johnson County Post, reporting on the community she grew up in. Prior to working with the Post, Mellott worked in central New York. That work, focused particularly on health, earned her two second place awards in state and local contests — the New York Press Association and the Syracuse Press Club. She was also a part of the team that earned first place in the Public Service Division of the Journalists Association of New York Contest. She graduated from Emporia State University’s Communication Program in 2022, where she was also editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Bulletin. After college, Mellott covered statehouse news during an internship with the Kansas Reflector.
Beat: Public education in Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County's success was largely built on the strength of its schools. The county's population boom began in the 1950s as families across the Kansas City area moved here to raise their children in neighborhoods with nationally recognized public schools. The public education reporter keeps tabs on how Johnson County's six public school districts are facing the challenges of changing demographics, aging facilities and state funding disputes.