Virginia

Erick Solorzano

Erick Solorzano is a reporter at Cardinal covering accountability in New River Valley. Prior to joining RFA, Solorzano pursued a career in marketing and communications, serving in key roles for a private corporation and a mission-driven nonprofit. Solorzano’s dream of becoming a journalist began at the University of Georgia, where he graduated in 2020 with a bachelor's of arts from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications. As a first-generation college student, Solorzano discovered his passion for storytelling by becoming a student news contributor for The Red & Black newspaper and a student news reporter for Grady Newsource, the university’s student-run television news program. Although his post-graduate career began in other professional industries, Erick Solorzano never lost sight of what becoming a journalist meant to him and the community he serves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he created The Solo Segment, an independent social media news channel covering important news events in Georgia and the world. Today, he’s proud and grateful to transition from independent journalism into a staff journalist role.

Eleanor Shaw

Eleanor Shaw is an accountability reporter at The Richmonder in Chesterfield County. Before joining Report for America, Shaw was editor-in-chief of James Madison University’s student-run newspaper, The Breeze, for two years. She also covered the Democratic and Republican national conventions on behalf of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. The summer before her senior year, Shaw interned at The Richmonder. In 2026, she graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor's degree in media arts and design with a concentration in journalism.

Trebor Maitin

Trebor Maitin covers the futures beat for Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum. Before joining Report for America, Maitin was a reporter at Centre Daily Times in Pennsylvania, where he wrote about everything from politics to agriculture to ghost towns. An alumnus of Lafayette College, Maitin served as managing editor of the student newspaper, The Lafayette. While in college, he interned with the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents' Association and freelanced for The Morning Call and the Pocono Record, his hometown papers. Maitin also holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia Journalism School.

Cardinal News

Cardinal News is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news site that serves Southwest and Southside Virginia. Our mission is to report the untold stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia, and strengthen the voices of the people in our communities who have been sidelined in the commonwealth’s political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live.

The Richmonder

The Richmonder serves the Richmond, Virginia area by spotlighting the best of the community, and keeping a watchful eye on those in power. We believe in making news that is reflective of the fullness of the city, and is freely accessible to all.

Rappahannock News & Foothills Forum

A traditional print weekly for most of its existence, the Rappahannock News — working in partnership with Foothills Forum, an editorially and functionally independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit — has evolved into a cross-platform local news source that meets its audience wherever it turns for credible community information.

Henrico Citizen

The Henrico Citizen is the independent 19-year-old daily digital hometown news source of Henrico County, Va. – a 330,000-population suburb that surrounds Richmond to the west, north and east and arguably is the true birthplace of the nation. The Citizen’s founder/publisher and managing editor have led the organization since its inception in 2001. Combined, they have nearly 50 years of experience reporting about Henrico – decades more than any other local outlet. They share reporting duties and work with freelance reporters and interns to provide the most thorough coverage of Henrico available.

Anita Li

Anita Li covers education for the Prince William Times. Li's passion for local nonprofit news started when she interned for WLRN, Miami's NPR station. She graduated from Northwestern University, where she reported for The Daily Northwestern. She has also interned at FOX 5 DC. She speaks Mandarin and Spanish, and is always on the hunt for a good tiramisu.

Rose LaForest

Rose LaForest is a video journalist and documentary filmmaker at WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia. She recently earned her master’s degree in broadcast and video journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she produced short documentaries on topics ranging from dementia-related wandering to juvenile incarceration advocacy. While at Medill, LaForest also reported from Argentina, covering shifting cultural attitudes toward women in male-dominated sports. Previously, she interned with Detroit PBS, produced work for their program One Detroit, and served as digital content coordinator for Great Lakes Now. LaForest's career began at Michigan State University, where she studied media and information with minors in documentary production and graphic design. LaForest is passionate about reporting solution-oriented stories, arts and culture, and advancing the conversation around media ethics, as well as exploring new ways to approach storytelling to help audiences better understand how to engage in their communities.

Allie Pitchon

Allie Pitchon covers nonprofit and public institutions for Charlottesville Tomorrow. Pitchon is a half-Argentine and half-American award-winning journalist, born and raised in Buenos Aires. She has worked as a reporter in Argentina, at the Miami Herald, The New York Times, and a local USA TODAY paper in Virginia. Allie has a degree in international relations from Pomona College and a Master of Science from Columbia Journalism School. She specializes in investigating abuses of power in government and the criminal justice system.