Award-winning journalist and journalism professor with two decades of experience working in regional, national, and international news outlets, from The Cambodia Daily to The New York Times. Author of nonfiction book The Quiet Zone (2021) and contributor to The Routledge Companion to Business Journalism (2024). M.S. from Columbia Journalism School.
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BOOK
The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence, HarperCollins, 2021
- My narrative nonfiction book explored the role of technology in our lives through my journey into a mysterious Appalachian town where the government outlaws cell service.
- Praise:
- One of USA Today’s “5 books not to miss”
- Washington Post top 10 book of the month
- Amazon “editor’s pick” and book of the month
- The New York Times: “A reminder of the simple pleasure of reconnecting with real people in real life.”
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ACADEMIC WRITING
“The Journalist and the Trader,” The Routledge Companion to Business Journalism, 2024
- Alongside some 50 scholars worldwide, I contributed a chapter on ethics codes, focusing on a pivotal insider-trading scandal at The Wall Street Journal.
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TEACHING EXPERIENCE
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Assistant Professor, Journalism and Public Relations Department June 2025–Present
Providence College, Providence, RI
Visiting Assistant Professor, English Department August 2023–May 2025
- ENG 470: In this new upper-level elective on sports journalism, students read major works of sports writing, attended sporting events, reported stories, and produced long-form articles that involved research, interviews, and several rounds of revising.
- ENG 301: In this new business reporting course, students learned the mechanics of a business article and reported their own stories.
- ENG 101: In this core writing course developed around the theme of “wild,” students learned rhetorical skills through an exploration of “wild” writers, from John Muir to Jon Krakauer.
- Writing Committee member (2024-2025 academic year)
Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Adjunct Lecturer, Communication Department Fall 2022
- COJR 1421 Writing for the Media: this course introduced students to news writing, press releases, and skills such as interviewing, research, and fact-checking.
The King’s College, New York City
Adjunct Lecturer, Program in Journalism August 2019–December 2022
- Media Law and Ethics: this course explored the philosophical underpinnings of the First Amendment and the evolution of U.S. media law.
- Advanced Reporting: this elective explored themes and reporting techniques from Robert Caro’s The Power Broker. Students read the book and visited relevant sites around New York City, speaking with officials and historians to grapple with the controversial projects of master builder Robert Moses. Students also conducted their own deeply researched investigations into an aspect of Moses’s legacy.
Mitchell College, New London, CT
Adjunct Lecturer, Communication Department Spring 2022
Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Adjunct Lecturer, Journalism Department Spring 2009
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JOURNALISM
Appalachia Journal
Deputy Editor January 2025–Present
- Published twice a year since 1876, Appalachia is America’s longest-running journal of mountaineering and conservation. As deputy, I help recruit writers, edit submissions, and shepherd the journal through the stages of publication.
- In this role I also serve as a judge of the Waterman Fund Essay Contest, named in memory of longtime wilderness advocate and outdoors writer Guy Waterman.
Appalachia Journal
Assistant Books Editor May 2019–Present
- I review books on rock climbing, mountaineering, and wilderness issues.
- My features have included accounts of climbing Aconcagua and guiding my mother across the highest peaks of the White Mountains for her 60th birthday during a summer hailstorm.
The New York Times
Contributor 2020–2021
- I reported more than a dozen articles for The New York Times series Those We’ve Lost, profiling people worldwide who died from Covid-19.
Columbia University, New York
Editor April 2018–April 2019
- As editor of Columbia Business School’s thought leadership publication Ideas at Work, I wrote up to six articles a month, produced accompanying video reports, edited faculty essays, and created a monthly newsletter for 70,000 subscribers.
Brazil
Correspondent September 2013–August 2016
- Based primarily in Rio de Janeiro, I contributed to Americas Quarterly, The Christian Science Monitor, Fusion, Mergermarket, The New Yorker, Smithsonian, and Vice News.
- I reported on Brazilian business and economics, environment and development, national politics and foreign relations, and culture and sports events (including the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics).
The Financial Times Group, New York
Staff Reporter June 2011–July 2013
- For the subscription-news service Debtwire, I broke news on mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, and bankruptcies, cultivating sources throughout the investment world.
The Christian Science Monitor, Boston
Staff Writer January 2010–May 2011
- For the world desk, I edited stories by staff and contributors worldwide, oversaw all coverage of Latin America, and contributed daily to the global news blog.
The Cambodia Daily, Phnom Penh
Associate Editor December 2007–March 2008
- I wrote up to five articles a day for Cambodia’s oldest English daily, including reports from a Thai-Cambodia border skirmish and profiles of Khmer Rouge war criminals.
- While in Cambodia, I also contributed to The Economist, the Far Eastern Economic Review, The Christian Science Monitor, GlobalPost, the National, and Reuters. Highlights included an investigation about a kickbacks scheme at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
American Lawyer Media, New York
Legal Reporter January 2007–December 2007
- For VerdictSearch, I wrote up to a dozen reports weekly summarizing cases nationwide.
The Day, New London, CT
Town Reporter June 2005–September 2006
- I covered local politics, education, business, and other community issues in southeastern Connecticut for a weekly edition of this New England Newspaper of the Year.
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PRESENTATIONS
Seton Hall University, 2022: Guest speaker in feature writing course.
The New School, 2022: Guest speaker in writing course.
The Quiet Zone, 2021: Appeared on more than 40 radio and podcast shows to discuss my book, along with many additional in-person talks at bookstores and libraries.
Columbia University, 2018 and 2019: Guest speaker in book writing seminar.
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AWARDS
2022: Pushcart Prize nominee for “Do Cell Phones Belong in the Mountains?” (Appalachia)
2017: Columbia Journalism School grant for an outstanding book-writing student.
2017: First place, Columbia Knight-Bagehot Fellowship Essay Contest.
2007: Second place, Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists, best “in-depth series.
2006: First place, New England Press Association, best “social issues feature story.”
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PERSONAL
- Essay Contest Founder and Judge: Established the annual Quiet Zone Essay Contest at Green Bank Middle School in West Virginia, awarding $1,000 to the best student essays about life in America’s only National Radio Quiet Zone.
- Certifications: Nationally registered Emergency Medical Responder with Bungay Fire Brigade in Woodstock, Connecticut.
- Memberships: Appalachian Mountain Club, through which I maintain the 5,500-foot-high Boott Spur Trail on Mt. Washington as the official trail adopter since 2022.
- Travel: Extensive travel across 35 countries. Notable experiences include bicycling across America and climbing Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere.
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EDUCATION
M.S. in Journalism, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York, 2017
Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism, Columbia University, 2016-2017
B.A. in Philosophy, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI, 2005
Study abroad, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary, 2004
