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). KFF Health News is a national, nonprofit newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues.
Each weekday, I create the Morning Briefing — a free digest of the top health headlines. Our newsletter readership is more than 100,000 and growing.
The news ticker of the KFF offices in Washington, D.C., features each day's Morning Briefing headlines. If you're in the area, check it out! It's just a block from the White House.
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 was a finalist in 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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Credit: YouTube; Dog Eat Dog Films; Fellowship Adventure Group
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!
She's reading 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.
