WRITING

Casey Murray

Casey Murray is a data reporter covering health and criminal justice at The Sacramento Observer, which serves the Black community in Sacramento, California and beyond. Previously, she covered breaking news and helped to develop podcasts at KSHB, an NBC affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri. As a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Murray covered health and did newscasts for KBIA, an NPR affiliate, reported for the Missouri Broadcasters Association, and hosted an entrepreneurship podcast for Missouri Business Alert. She has interned at Politico Europe, where she managed social media platforms and assisted with data projects.

Ellis Juhlin

Ellis Juhlin covers Montana government and the legislative session as the Statehouse reporter for Yellowstone Public Radio. Previously, Juhlin was a science reporter for Utah Public Radio. With a background in natural resources and wildlife management, Juhlin began her journalism career as a graduate student at Utah State University where she realized her passion for science communication and started working with Utah Public Radio to translate complex environmental issues for listeners across the state. She holds a master’s degree in ecology from Utah State University and a bachelor’s from the University of California, San Diego. An avid birder, Juhlin also loves to go hiking with her two rescue dogs.

Isaiah Murtaugh

Isaiah Murtaugh is an education reporter at the Ventura County Star, which is part of the USA Today Network and based in Camarillo, California. As a freelance podcast producer, he created a historical documentary series for Reckon Radio and wrote and produced episodes for “The Whistleblower,” a series from The GroundTruth Project and Boston’s WGBH public radio. Murtaugh has reported audio and print stories on religion and politics, and his work has appeared in The Guardian, USA Today and Religion News Service. He calls Los Angeles home, and holds a master’s degree in specialized journalism from the University of Southern California. A train lover, shoe skeptic and songwriter, Murtaugh has performed Americana music under a stage name.

Joseph Tomlinson

Joe Tomlinson covers the civic sector in Edmond, Oklahoma for NonDoc Media, a nonprofit outlet that reports on Oklahoma news. Prior to joining NonDoc, Tomlinson was a fellow with Gaylord News in Washington, D.C. and reported on the Oklahoma congressional delegation. As a summer intern at NonDoc, he covered Native American politics. Tomlinson earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Oklahoma in 2021.

Lucy Peterson

Lucy Peterson reports on county government for The Mendocino Voice, which covers news across Mendocino County, California. A recent graduate of The University of Kansas, Peterson earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and minored in political science and French. She spent several years reporting for the student paper, The University Daily Kansan, winning local and regional journalism awards, and helped direct coverage that won an Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker Award. In 2021, she was recognized as a White House Correspondents’ Association Scholar for her work at the paper. Peterson has interned at The Kansas City Star, the Dow Jones News Fund, and reported on local businesses in her hometown, Denver, Colorado.

Nikolai Mather

Nikolai Mather reports on social justice for the Athens Banner-Herald in Athens, Georgia. Previously, he was a staff writer at Queen City Nerve, covering local government, social justice and workers’ rights in Charlotte, North Carolina. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2021 as a Levine Scholar at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, where he studied Southern history and political science and was the opinion editor of the student paper. In 2019, Mather was awarded a fellowship through Humanity in Action, an international nonprofit, to study genocide in Berlin, Germany. He has worked in Norway, France and the United Kingdom, but calls Pittsboro, North Carolina home.

Sandra Sadek

Sandra Sadek reports on growth in Fort Worth, Texas and the communities impacted by it for the Fort Worth Report, a nonprofit news organization. Previously, Sadek reported local news for the Community Impact Newspaper in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and was the interim news editor of The Fort Stockton Pioneer newspaper in West Texas. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in international studies from Texas State University, where she reported for the student paper. When she’s not reporting, Sadek enjoys learning languages and training in Taekwondo.

Trisha Ahmed

Trisha Ahmed is a Statehouse reporter in Minnesota for The Associated Press. Ahmed recently completed her master’s degree in journalism at the University of Maryland, where she also worked as an investigative and data reporter at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. She was part of a team that won an award from Investigative Reporters & Editors, along with the Innovator of the Year Award from the News Leaders Association, for uncovering how newspapers contributed to racial terror lynchings in the United States. Ahmed has worked at CNN as a digital production assistant, and before that, she was a field interviewer for poverty and inequality research labs in Maryland and California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Andrea Briseño

Andrea Briseño is an investigative reporter at inewsource, a nonprofit news outlet in San Diego, California. She is fluent in Spanish and covers K-12 education with a focus on Latino families. Previously, Briseño was the equity/underserved communities reporter at The Modesto Bee, where she shed light on communities and issues that had gone underreported in Stanislaus County, California. She also partnered with McClatchy Company staffers from across California to produce Spanish written articles and La Abeja, The Bee’s weekly newsletter centered on topics important to Latinos. A Fresno native, Briseño began her journalism career at The Rampage and The Fresno Bee. She is a graduate of Palomar College community college and San Jose State University.

Chloe Johnson

Chloe Johnson covers the environment for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, and is part of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, a collaborative reporting network across the Basin. Previously, Johnson reported on the environment, climate change and the people adapting to a warmer planet for The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. She started her career at The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and holds a journalism degree from American University. Her work has been recognized by the Scripps Howard Foundation and the Society for Features Journalism, and she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Johnson is always looking for a good excuse to hop on a boat.