Journalism

Independent work

Aug. 2017 – present

Montana-based freelance reporter, data designer and entrepreneur.

Solutions Journalism Network

Project Reporter | Oct. 2017 - Aug. 2018

Served as a Montana-based team member for a national journalism nonprofit working with High Country News magazine and a dozen western Montana publications to produce collaborative feature packages of solutions-focused stories on rural economic development and mental health services. Work included reporting, social media promotion, audience research and helping weekly newspaper editors put on town hall-style engagement events.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle

City Hall Reporter | Nov. 2014 - July 2017

Covered local government and land use planning in one of America’s fastest-growing micropolitan cities.

  • Produced a solutions-minded feature series exploring the implications of population growth and planning policy
  • Work routinely incorporated data techniques for reporting and storytelling

Great Falls Tribune

Police & Courts Reporter | Nov. 2013 - Oct. 2014

Cut my teeth as a cub reporter rewriting police affidavits in Montana’s third-largest city.

  • Covered state and federal court dockets, as well as breaking news
  • Published enterprise work on sex crime prosecutions and child protection reforms

Montana State University Exponent

Editor-in-Chief/Publisher, News Editor, Columnist, Reporter | 2008 - 2013

Led a 50-student staff in producing a weekly paper on a campus without a journalism program. Publication was recognized in 2011 as an Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Finalist.

  • Managed a $100,000 annual budget, including $50,000 in advertising revenue
  • Prevented the publication’s bankruptcy by rebuilding business operations in the aftermath of a $34,000 budget shortfall
  • Developed a publication board to involve media professionals in mentoring and operational oversight, separating the paper’s management from direct supervision by student government

Education

B.S. in Civil Engineering, Montana State University

2008 - 2013 (Bozeman, Montana)

Completed a demanding analytical curriculum as the top graduate in my program.

  • Water resource management/environmental engineering focus
  • Independent research projects in sociology, economics and project management
  • Honors thesis: Engagement Dynamics in MSU Student Organizations

Other Pursuits

Montana State University Engineers Without Borders

Student Project Manager, Board Member, Mentor | 2008 - 2013

Served as a key leader in a student-managed international development program working to provide water and sanitation infrastructure at Kenyan primary schools, contributing to the program’s recognition by the Association of Public Land-grant Universities in 2011 as one of the top campus-based service efforts in the nation.

Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee

Project Associate, Intern | 2011 - 2013

Contributed to an NIH and USEPA-funded community-based research project, looking at health concerns around water quality on the Crow Indian Reservation in Southeast Montana. Duties included fieldwork, lab work, outreach, data management, literature review and grant application development.

Miscellanea

MSU Exponent Publication Board

2015 - Present

Serving on a collegiate publication advisory board, providing strategic level support and oversight for a student-managed business.

Rhodes Scholarship Finalist

2012

Eagle Scout Rank, Boy Scouts of America

2007