Cris Villalonga-Vivoni

Cris Villalonga-Vivoni, better known as CV, is the health equity beat reporter for the Record-Journal, based in Meriden, Connecticut. Previously, as a Field Foundation fellow, Villalonga-Vivoni reported for the Windy City Times, a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ newspaper. Hailing from Puerto Rico, Villalonga-Vivoni holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in English from Boston College. When not on the beat, Villalonga-Vivoni can be found caring for horses at a local barn or on the couch cuddling a cat.

Hannah Schoenbaum

Hannah Schoenbaum covers government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on the North Carolina General Assembly and the state’s congressional races. Schoenbaum previously covered Congress for The Hill, a political news site, and the Albany Times Union while a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and was a regular contributor at USA Today. Her in-depth reporting on inequities against Black farmers and urban Native Americans has been cited on the congressional record and helped inform legislation. She has covered election security for the NBC News Vote Watch team, investigated wrongful evictions for The Boston Globe and questioned presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg about corporate influence in politics, live on CNN. An alumna of Boston University, she got her start in state government reporting as the Massachusetts Statehouse reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. She is a proud member of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists.

Jennifer Brookland

Jennifer Brookland reports on child welfare in Michigan for the Detroit Free Press. Prior to joining the Free Press, she reported on military and veterans’ affairs and produced a daily talk show highlighting local and statewide issues for North Carolina Public Radio. She has also spent seven years freelancing. Brookland began her career as a special agent with the U.S. Air Force, where she led felony-level criminal investigations and was deployed to the Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a master’s from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Brookland says that she vaguely remembers enjoying traveling, reading and theater but adds that she spends most of her time now trying to convince her three kids that she’s in charge.

Keely Brewer

Keely Brewer covers the environmental impacts on communities of color for the Daily Memphian, an online publication in Memphis, Tennessee. Brewer is a recent graduate of The University of Alabama, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in news media and served as editor-in-chief of The Crimson White. While there, Brewer launched a campus investigation into COVID-19 reporting tools in partnership with the Poynter Institute. She has covered Tuscaloosa, Alabama as an intern at the Tuscaloosa News, and has reported on the impact of faith-based diabetes programs at the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting.

Mara Cavallaro

Mara Cavallaro reports on health in the Latino community in San Francisco for El Tecolote, a bilingual community newspaper. A recent graduate of Brown University, she holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in ethnic studies and international and public affairs. Cavallaro was the managing editor of The College Hill Independent, southern New England's largest alt-weekly paper, run by students from Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design. She was also an editor for Somos Latinx Literary Magazine, a biannual student publication. Cavallaro has performed with the Mezcla Latin Dance Troupe, and also speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Raegan Miller

Raegan Miller covers communities—Alaska Native, Asian American and rural—in southeast Alaska for KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska. Previously, she was a reporter for the Ketchikan Daily News, covering the pandemic, the arts, education issues and business. Her stories on a tourism-driven road improvement project, a homegrown filmmaker's festival debut, and a hydroponic farm startup have appeared in publications around the U.S. and in Canada. Born and raised in Alaska, Miller studied at the University of Alaska Southeast. Her work has been featured in Tidal Echoes, the university’s literary and arts journal, and in "A Tether to This World,” a collection of essays, stories and poems.

Scott Carroll

Scott Carroll covers reparations, social justice, homelessness and related issues for the Asheville Watchdog, a nonprofit news organization based in Asheville, North Carolina. Prior to this, he worked at The News-Review in Roseburg, Oregon, where he was projects editor and reported on business and local government. He won nine awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association in 2021, including being named the best writer in the state. Carroll spent 17 years at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Florida, as a reporter and then an editor. He has a bachelor’s degree in American studies from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in mass communication from the University of Florida.

Zshekinah Collier

Zshekinah Collier reports on education and the environment in Baltimore, Maryland for WYPR, a public radio station serving the metro area. Previously, she was a producer for “Disrupted,” a weekly talk show on Connecticut Public Radio. In 2021, as a member of the Ida B. Wells Society’s inaugural summer internship program, Collier joined USA Today’s investigative team and contributed to coverage of the Capitol riots, and the Title IX investigation. Collier earned her bachelor’s degree at American University, where she was co-editor-in-chief of The Blackprint, a student-run publication covering issues affecting students of color, news and pop culture. After graduating, Collier was a freelancer covering local events in her hometown, New Haven, Connecticut

Bobby Brier

Bobby Brier covers mental health issues, especially issues affecting rural New Jerseyans, for NJ Spotlight News, a nonprofit news organization. Previously, Brier reported for New Mexico In Depth, covering the housing crisis across New Mexico and tracking bills in the state Legislature aimed at addressing the problem. His stories on the economic impact of a new professional soccer stadium in Albuquerque, and the financial contributions of land developers to political action committees in the lead- up to the city’s mayoral election earned an award for political news coverage from the Society of Professional Journalists. Hailing from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Brier has reported on arts and culture for The Scranton Times-Tribune. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.

Crystal Niebla

Crystal Niebla is an investigative reporter focused on infrastructure and government accountability for inewsource, a nonprofit newsroom in San Diego. A second-year Report for America corps member, Niebla was a multimedia journalist at the Long Beach Post in Long Beach, California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in sociology from The California State University, Long Beach, where she was the news editor of the student paper. Niebla grew up in South Los Angeles and realized early on that despite growing up in poverty, she could use fearless journalism to influence positive change in society.