I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.
When I was 8, my third grade teacher chose me as editor of the class newspaper. What a thrill to be picked over the other kids! Our first big story was about a day in the life of our class hamster. Then and there, I fell in love with journalism.
Since then, I've worked at six newspapers, including what was then the largest one in the nation, USA Today. I've won a handful of writing and editing awards. And here's a fun fact: I've both started and stopped the presses!
I taught college journalism classes and wrote a children's book. And now, as KFF Health News' Newsletter Editor, I make it easier for people to get their daily dose of health news in the aftermath of the biggest crisis of our generation.
My greatest joy is knowing that I have contributed to history. Long after I'm gone, my work will remain archived somewhere, part of a time capsule of life in the 20th and 21st centuries. It's a thrill that's hard to explain ...
... except maybe to a third grader.
I am the Newsletter Editor at KFF Health News, part of KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation). Each day,
I create the Morning Briefing and California Healthline Daily Edition. You won't find a more comprehensive digest of the day's top health news anywhere else online or in print. It's a must-read.
Click here to read the
KFF Health News Morning Briefing.
I was a newspaper copy editor from 1994 to 2020. (For all you fact-checkers out there, that's 26 years.) I worked for the six newspapers listed at right.
I have won numerous awards for headline writing and fact checking.
While at The Roanoke Times, I won first place in headline writing from the Virginia Press Association. I also won the prestigious Landmark Award for company-wide excellence.
I have written thousands of headlines in my career. To see some of my favorites, click on the newspaper logos at right.
Remember Sassy magazine? When I was 15, I submitted a story for one of their monthly fiction-writing contests. They responded with a nice letter saying they enjoyed my story, but it was "too mature" for their readers. My mom, ever so proud, framed my rejection letter. The experience lit a fire in me.
As a teenager, I looked for every opportunity to be creative. I entered contests at the city library, published a youth newsletter for my church, and almost won a radio jingle contest. I joined my high school newspaper and then my college newspaper. I won a few awards and scholarships along the way.
After I became a copy editor, I grabbed the opportunity to write whenever I could. At USA Today, I penned several "Voices" columns. My last name has changed, but my outlook on life hasn't. To read them, click any story.
In 2014, I published a 24-page children's book as an ode to my Dad, who is a retired "tool man."
It is illustrated by the talented graphic artist Aaron Porter.
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I've crossed paths with some incredible journalists in my career, but these two Pulitzer Prize winners are my favorites.
I worked a few desks away from Mike Luckovich at the AJC. His signature is on an old-school black-and-white composing proof.
Newspapers will
always matter!
That's my
headline!
Photo credits: JFK by Frank Hurley/New York Daily News; Nixon by Everett Collection Historical/Alamy Stock Photo; Clinton by Maria Mercedes Galuppo; Mickey Mouse by CollectorsPrints.com; Castro by Bettmann/Corbis; Bush by Austin American-Statesman; Jackson by Getty Images; JFK dead by Carl Mydans/LIFE; Moonshot by Hugh Van Es/AP; Trump by Evan Vucci/AP; Chris Leak by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images; Beatles by Mirrorpix / Bridgeman Images; Homer Simpson screenshot from Fox.
use an iPad or desktop computer.
