Our interns, fellows and staff produce critical work while working at Wisconsin Watch. After they leave our offices on the University of Madison-Wisconsin campus, they move on to jobs in journalism and other fields, where they put the skills they learned at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism to use by holding the powerful to account, creating innovative ways of engaging with the public and sustaining high-quality journalism, and strengthening our society. That work, which will continue for decades after their work with us has been completed, may provide the Center’s greatest legacy. We’re thrilled to watch the story of our former interns, fellows, and staff members unfold.
If you’re a student interested in an internship or fellowship at the Center, learn more here.
See our current staff members, fellows and interns here.
Former staff and contributors
Vanessa Swales
Investigative Reporter, 2020-2021
Vanessa Swales joined the Center in 2020. She is a multilingual British-American-Iranian reporter who previously was a reporting fellow at the New York Times, and worked for NBC Investigations, Reveal, Diario SUR and SUR in English. Swales is a graduate of the Spanish-language journalism program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.
Where she is now: Milwaukee Local Government and Politifact Reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Enjoyiana Nurudin
Production assistant, investigative podcast
Enjoyiana Nururdin joined the Center in 2019 as a reporting intern, and was promoted in 2020 to production assistant on the Center’s investigative podcast. Nururdin began her journalism career in middle school, working for the nonprofit Simpson Street Free Press. She has interned for the Cap Times, WORT Radio and The Weekend Today Show at NBC in New York City and is a graduate of UW-Madison.
Where she is now: Researcher for CBS News
Howard Hardee
election integrity reporter
Howard Hardee was the election integrity reporter at Wisconsin Watch and a local fellow with the international journalism nonprofit First Draft News. Previously he was a reporter at the Wisconsin State Journal, and has written extensively about government, natural disasters and forest health.
Where he is now: Freelance reporter based in Madison, Wis.
Nora Eckert
Votebeat project reporter, OCT. 2020-JAN. 2021
Nora Eckert was a reporter for Wisconsin Watch’s Votebeat project — a pop-up nonprofit newsroom covering local election administration and voting in six states, created by Chalkbeat.
Where she is now: Reporter at the Rochester Post Bulletin.
Anya van Wagtendonk
Votebeat project reporter, OCt. 2020-Jan. 2021
Anya van Wagtendonk was a reporter with Wisconsin Watch’s Votebeat collaboration — a pop-up nonprofit newsroom covering local election administration and voting in six states, created by Chalkbeat.
Where she is now: Freelance reporter based in Milwaukee.
Sharon McGowan
Votebeat project editor, OCT. 2020-JAN. 2021
Sharon McGowan was the editor for Wisconsin Watch’s Votebeat collaboration — a pop-up nonprofit newsroom covering local election administration and voting in six states, created by Chalkbeat.
Where she is now: Amplify Collaborations Leader at the Institute for Nonprofit News.
Matt Whitney
engagement manager
Matt Whitney joined the Center in 2019 as a public engagement and marketing intern. He was promoted to engagement manager in 2020.
Where he is now: Graduate from UW-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication seeking marketing, communications and engagement position in the nonprofit sector.
Jimmy Gutierrez
Engagement manager, News414
Jimmy Gutierrez helped address the information needs of Milwaukee residents and generate news coverage that addressed their concerns through the News414 initiative.
Where he is now: John S. Knight Journalism community impact fellow helping to fill Milwaukee information needs.
Jeff Roman
Project Manager, News414
Jeff Roman is an organizer, consultant and community strategist serving diverse groups of Milwaukee residents, and was a project manager for the News414 initiative.
Where he is now: Executive Director of the Milwaukee County Office on African American Affairs
Katie Scheidt
public engagement and marketing assistant, 2018
Where she is now: Business analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and working towards a Master’s degree in computer information systems at Northwestern University.
Mia Sato
public engagement and marketing assistant, 2017
Where she is now: Audience engagement editor at The Markup. Former engagement editor at Better Government Association, a nonpartisan watchdog in Chicago.
Louisa Lincoln
public engagement and marketing assistant, 2017
Where she is now: Development Specialist at PRX in Minneapolis. Former Sponsorship Marketing Intern at NPR.
Mara Jezior
public engagement and marketing Assistant, 2015-2016
Where she is now: Membership and development coordinator at the Institute for Nonprofit News.
Former fellows
Bram Sable-Smith
WPR Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow, 2019-2021
Bram Sable-Smith joined the Center in 2019. Previously he reported at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and for Side Effects Public Media. He has contributed stories to NPR, APM’s Marketplace and Kaiser Health News. His reporting has received two national and one regional Edward R. Murrow awards, and two national Sigma Delta Chi awards.
Where he is now: Reporter for Kaiser Health News
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
REYNOLDS JOURNALISM INSTITUTE INNOVATION STUDENT FELLOW, 2021
Alviz-Gransee joined the Center in May 2021. She previously worked at Vice Reports as a social media correspondent and Startland News as a reporting intern.
Where she is now: A senior at the University of Missouri, pursuing degrees in journalism and political science.
Allison Dikanovic
ENGAGEMENT REPORTING FELLOW, 2020
Allison Dikanovic reported for the News414 initiative, a collaboration between Wisconsin Watch, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and Outlier media.
Where she is now: Dikanovic is pursuing a master’s in social journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Sarah Whites-Koditschek
Wisconsin Public Radio Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow, 2019
Sarah Whites-Koditschek was the third WPR Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow. Previously she worked as a Little Rock-based reporter covering healthcare, education, and politics for Arkansas Public Media.
Where she is now: Investigative reporter for Alabama Media Group.
Alisa Ivanitskaya
multimedia fellow, 2019
Alisa Ivanitskaya worked the Center while she was a Fulbright master’s degree candidate at the University of Arizona.
Where she is now: Journalist based in Moscow, Russia.
Grigor Atanesian
reporting fellow, 2018
Grigor Atanesian was an Edmund S. Muskie fellow at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. He is a former editor and deputy editor-in-chief of Esquire Russia.
Where he is now: Journalist at BBC News Russian Service
Belle Lin
reporting fellow, 2018
Belle Lin was an investigative reporting fellow from the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia Journalism School.
Where she is now: Senior tech reporter at Business Insider.
Mukhtar Ibrahim
investigative reporting fellow from Columbia University, 2017
Mukhtar Ibrahim was an investigative reporting fellow from the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia Journalism School.
Where he is now: Executive Editor @SahanJournal, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrant communities.
Katherine Proctor
reporting fellow, 2017
Katherine Proctor was an investigative reporting fellow from the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia Journalism School.
Where she is now: Writer and reporter for Continuing Education for the Bar-California.
Alexandra Hall
Wisconsin Public Radio Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow, 2017
Hall joined the Center in January 2017 as the second Wisconsin Public Radio Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow. Hall focused on creating investigative stories that were broadcast on WPR and distributed by the Center. She speaks fluent Spanish and English.
Where she is now: Central Valley reporter at KQED public radio in Fresno, California.
Bridgit Bowden
Wisconsin Public Radio Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow, 2016
Bowden joined the Center in 2016 as the first Wisconsin Public Radio Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow.
Where she is now: Project reporter, Wisconsin Public Radio.
Former interns
Abigail Steinberg
Public engagement and Marketing Intern, 2021
Steinberg joined the Center in January 2021. She previously worked as the opinion editor for The Badger Herald, and interned with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, Madison Public Library Foundation, Planet Propaganda, and the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Where she is now: Communications and Policy intern for the House Democratic staff in the Illinois legislature.
Rachel Henderson
KNIGHT NONPROFIT NEWS INTERN, 2021
Rachel Henderson joined the Center in June 2021. She has over six years of broadcast experience and is a member of the University of Missouri’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and currently serves as the Assistant General Manager of Mizzou’s student-run news station, MUTV 23News.
Where she is now: A junior at the University of Missouri majoring in journalism and minoring in sociology.
Clara Neupert
News414 reporting intern, 2020
Neupert joined the Center as a News414 intern in June 2020. Previously, they were the Ann Devroy fellow at The Washington Post and the Sally Webb Journalism intern at Wisconsin Public Radio. Clara holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UW-Eau Claire, where they reported for the student newspaper and student radio station.
Where they are now: Host of “The West Side” on Wisconsin Public Radio.
Parker Schorr
reporting intern, 2019-2020
Where he is now: Freelance reporter looking to relocate to the Portland, Ore., area.
Anna Hansen
reporting intern, 2020
Where she is now: Editor of Edgewood College’s newspaper “On the Edge.” Reporting intern at “News 3 Now” in Madison, Wis., starting July 2021.
Brooke Hollingsworth
public engagement and marketing intern, 2019-2020
Where she is now: L2T Media
Alyssa Allemand
digital and multimedia intern, 2020
Where she is now: Digital editor at Wisconsin Public Radio
Francisco Velazquez
reporting intern, 2019-2020
Where he is now: Graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Journalism and Anthropology.
Izabela Zaluska
reporting intern, 2019
Where she is now: Staff writer at Little Village Magazine, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Natalie Yahr
public engagement and marketing intern, 2019
Where she is now: Reporter at the Cap Times newspaper in Madison, Wis.
Kynala Phillips
public engagement and marketing intern, 2019
Engagement journalism M.A. candidate at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Madeline Heim
reporting intern, 2018
Where she is now: Health and science reporter at the Appleton Post-Crescent. Former reporter at the Winona Daily News.
Andrew Hahn
reporting intern, 2017
Where he is now: Communications Specialist at University Health Services – Madison
Hayley Sperling
public engagement and marketing intern, 2016
Where she is now: Marketing communications coordinator at Fetch Rewards. Former engagement editor at WisContext. Former editorial operations intern at Vox.
Alexandra Arriaga
Reporting Intern, 2016
Where she is now: Recently completed a resident program with City Bureau where she reported on the census, elections and civic participation in Chicago’s immigrant communities, as well as how those communities are navigating vulnerable situations during the pandemic. Formerly a digital media specialist at the Chicago Sun-Times and reporting fellow at the Texas Tribune.
Cara Lombardo
reporting intern, 2016
Where she is now: Reporter at the Wall Street Journal. Former legislative relief reporter for the Associated Press.
Abigail Becker
reporting intern, 2015-2016
Where she is now: City and county government reporter at The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. Former education reporter for Madison Commons.
Haley Henschel
reporting intern, 2015-2016
Where she is now: Freelance writer whose work has appeared on the USA TODAY Network, Us Weekly, Mashable, PC Mag, Gothamist, Culture Trip, LittleThings and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Tara Golshan
Reporting intern, 2015
Where she is now: Working at HuffPost covering the Biden administration and Congress. Formerly on the Policy and Politics team at Vox.com in Washington D.C. Former investigative reporting intern at USA TODAY.
Madeleine Behr
Reporting Intern, 2014-2015
Where she is now: Policy associate at Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation. Formerly worked as a government reporter the Appleton Post-Crescent, a subsidiary of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Taylor Chase
Reporting intern, 2014-2015
Where she is now: News anchor, reporter and producer at KFBB-TV in Great Falls, Montana. Formerly worked as an intern at WKOW in Madison.
Tegan Wendland
reporting intern, 2012-2014
Where she is now: News director and reporter, New Orleans Public Radio. Previously worked for Wisconsin Public Radio, WRKF-FM in Baton Rouge and WVIK-FM in Rock Island, Illinois.
Rory Linnane
reporting intern, 2012-2013
Where she is now: Reporter at USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, based in Milwaukee, formerly based at the Appleton Post-Crescent. Former reporter, NOW Newspapers, suburban Milwaukee and Waukesha County. Former editor and reporter for the Patch news websites in the Milwaukee area.
Nora Hertel
reporting intern, 2013-2014
Where she is now: Watchdog reporter, St. Cloud Times. Formerly worked as a watchdog reporter for the Wausau Herald Media. Former relief legislative reporter for The Associated Press in Pierre, South Dakota.
Alison Dirr
Reporting intern, 2013-2014
Where she is now: Reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Former crime and justice reporter at the Appleton (Wis.) Post-Crescent. Former reporter, Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald.
Matt Barnidge
Reporting Intern, 2013
Where he is now: Assistant professor in the Department of Journalism & Creative Media at the University of Alabama. Awarded Ph.D. in mass communication at UW-Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication.
Kate Prengaman
reporting intern, 2012-2013
Where she is now: Associate editor, Good Fruit Grower. Former reporter, Yakima (Wash.) Herald Republic covering natural resources issues. Former research assistant, UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Mario Koran
reporting intern, 2012-2013
Where he is now: West Coast correspondent for Guardian U.S. Former reporter for the Voice of San Diego investigative news website. Former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel intern and New York Times/National Association of Hispanic Journalists fellow.
Sarah Karon
reporting intern, 2011-2013
Where she is now: Interior designer at ai3 in Atlanta. Formerly studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design and was a writer based in Atlanta. Former spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and columnist for Madison Magazine.
Amy Karon
Reporting Intern, 2011-2012
Where she is now: Running a successful medical writing firm, Karon Medical Writing LLC. Former epidemiologist and veterinarian.
Julie Strupp
Reporting intern, 2011-2012
Where she is now: Lead editor at Greater Greater Washington. Formerly worked in Togo for the Peace Corps teaching gender education and journalism. Formerly worked for AllAfrica Global Media, PolicyMic and Amnesty International.
Jason Smathers
Reporting intern, 2011
Where he is now: Student, University of Iowa Law School. Executive editor at the Journal of Corporation Law. Former editor for the Sheboygan (Wis.) Press. Former reporter for WisPolitics.com covering the state government and politics. Former relief legislative reporter, The Associated Press in Madison.
Allie Tempus
Reporting intern, 2010
Where she is now: Staff writer at FairWarning. Former associate editor, The Progressive magazine in Madison, Wis. Former independent journalist in New York. Research assistant for writer Naomi Klein at The Nation Institute. Researcher for Rolling Stone. Former intern at The Nation and former relief legislative reporter, The Associated Press, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Sara Jerving
reporting intern, 2010
Where she is now: East Africa correspondent at Devex. Former reporter for VICE on HBO. Former fellow and reporter (in partnership with the LA Times) at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Former GlobalPost Fellow in Africa; former reporter for Bloomberg LP, Tanzania.
Nick Penzenstadler
Reporting intern, 2010
Where he is now: Denver-based investigative reporter, USA TODAY NETWORK. Formerly Appleton-based reporter for the Gannett Wisconsin Media investigative team. Former reporter for the Rapid City ( S.D.) Journal.
Alex Luhn
Reporting intern, 2009
Where he is now: Russia correspondent based in Moscow for The Telegraph. Former freelance reporter working in Russia and Ukraine. His work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Nation, Foreign Policy, GlobalPost, VICE News, Politico, The Independent, Slate and the New York Times. Former editor and reporter for the Moscow Times
Jacob Kushner
Reporting intern, 2009
Where he is now: Foreign correspondent reporting from East Africa, the Caribbean and Germany, Jacob’s work has appeared in Foreign Policy, National Geographic, the Nation, the ICIJ, VICE Magazine and NewYorker.com. His book about corruption in Congo was reviewed in the New York Review of Books. Former Fulbright Fellow in Berlin. Former Overseas Press Club Fellow for the APin Nairobi. 2018 finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists for Excellence in International Reporting.
Alex Morell
Reporting intern, 2009
Where he is now: Senior finance reporter at Business Insider. Former wealth reporter for Forbes magazine in New York. Former relief legislative reporter for The Associated Press in Boise, Idaho, and former reporter, Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Lexie Clinton
Reporting intern, 2009
Where she is now: Senior producer, Salon Media Group. Independent documentary producer in New York. Former director of communications, Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York City. Former video producer for NBC’s The Morning Joe in New York.