Journalism
Podcast Story Editor | Freelance | 2020-2023
Dissident at the Doorstep | Crooked Media | forthcoming 2023
Mobituaries | CBS News, iHeartMedia, & Neon Hum | season 3, 2022-23
Not Past It | Gimlet Media | 23 episodes, 2021-2022
The Food That Built America | The HISTORY Channel & Neon Hum | season 2, 2022
Against The Odds | Wondery | 33 episodes (seasons 2-9), 2021
Unfinished Justice | Asterlight & Neon Hum | 2021
Joie Miami | Asterlight & Neon Hum | 2021
In Vogue: The 1990s | Condé Nast Entertainment | season 1, 2020
Podcast Senior Producer | Freelance | 2023
To-be-announced limited-run series | Crooked Media | forthcoming 2024
Podcast Script Writer | Freelance | 2022
Scamfluencers, Fake Saudi Prince, Parts One and Two | Wondery | 2022
Manage producers, hosts, and writers to guide scripts from outlines and early drafts to finished product
Clarify overall narrative arc and tone for series and individual episodes
Work with hosts and producers to develop voice and structure, help identify the right voices to book, prepare interview questions, and identify good moments of tape
Provide direction on narrative structure, pacing, character development, voice, quality of writing, and editorial standards for accuracy
Write narration, line-edit, and refine audio mixes to meet production deadlines
Work closely with partner brands and clients like Vogue and Asterlight to ensure
editorial consistency between audio products and legacy media organizationsMaintain highest editorial standards across variety of audio show formats and editorial subjects
News Editor | KPCC/LAist/Southern California Public Radio | 2015-2019
Managed a team of audio journalists covering K-12 and higher education, early childhood, housing, homelessness, and the social safety net
Green-lit news spots and features, managed deadlines, oversaw long-term projects, and guided story development
Planned and executed strategy for both daily news and long-term coverage goals
Edited both broadcast scripts and print treatments
Stories I edited were frequently awarded for reporting strength and use of sound
Interim Managing Editor/Deputy Managing Editor | Chalkbeat National | 2015
Maintained editorial quality standards and managed editors at four local bureaus of national non-profit news network
Developed strategy to expand national distribution of stories and created prototypes of new editorial products, including newsletters
Bureau Chief/News Editor | Chalkbeat Colorado | 2013-2015
Developed and executed editorial strategy for Chalkbeat’s Colorado bureau
Managed a team of four reporters and one community engagement manager
Stories I edited won National Awards for Education Reporting for investigative and feature work, as well as numerous local awards, including a Top of the Rockies Society of Professional Journalists prize for best overall news website
Reporter/Producer | Georgia Public Broadcasting | 2011-2013
Reported and produced radio and television feature stories and breaking news about Georgia public education
Reporter | Chalkbeat New York (then GothamSchools) | 2009-2011
Reported, wrote, and edited daily stories about New York City schools
Helped develop voice and tone of new media startup
Our team twice won National Awards for Education Reporting for blogging
Teaching
Story Editor/Coach | New York University American Journalism Online | 2022-2023
Coach graduate-level journalism students through pitching, outlining, scripting, and voicing audio assignments
Lecture on the art of editing for audio storytelling
Misc. Writing
“The Light Catcher In My Kitchen Carries My Brother’s Ashes — And My Mother’s Love” | Apartment Therapy | 2020
Substack: the walz electric newsletter
Education
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism | M.S. in Broadcast Journalism with honors | 2009
Richard J. Blood Award for Excellence in Reporting
The University of Chicago | A.B. in Political Science with honors | 2004
Phi Beta Kappa | Student Marshall (summa cum laude equivalent)
Skills
Digital audio and video shooting, recording and editing: Adobe Creative Cloud, ProTools, Hindenburg, AVID, Final Cut Pro
Print editing: AP Style, Chicago Manual of Style, MLA
WordPress and similar content management systems; basic HTML coding
Research databases including Lexis/Nexis and ProQuest
Advanced spoken and written Mandarin Chinese