Our Team

Chris oversees the content and themes of the organization, managing financial resources, and supervising the state editors. He also travels frequently to hire and visit editors and grantees and appears weekly on the TV political talk show NC SPIN.

From 2004 to 2017, Fitzsimon was the founder and original director of NC Policy Watch, North Carolina's leading online news and commentary outlet, where he led a team of seven journalists, hosted a weekly radio show and wrote a syndicated column on North Carolina politics and government.

Fitzsimon was also the founder and director of Common Sense Foundation, a progressive think tank in Raleigh. From 1991 to 1994, he was the spokesperson, speech writer and policy adviser for N.C. Speaker of the House Dan Blue. Before his stint with Speaker Blue, Fitzsimon was an award-winning television news reporter covering politics and government.

Andrea is the former Communications Director for Public Schools First NC, a statewide education advocacy organization, and a longtime contributor to NC Policy Watch’s blog. She and Chris worked together (many) years ago to quantify the dearth of state political coverage on capital area TV news, a project that helped inspire the creation of NC Policy Watch and later States Newsroom. She plays a long game.

Between stints in the political and journalism worlds, Andrea raised two kids and volunteered for auctions, boards, fundraisers, and as a reading tutor for underprivileged students in Durham and Chapel Hill. Andrea manages day-to-day functions in States Newsroom.

Breanne oversees personnel, finance, and systems management for States Newsroom. Her responsibilities include interfacing with third-party vendors, arranging and managing lease agreements and contractors, conducting financial analyses, and maintaining monthly budget tracking.

Before coming to States Newsroom, she worked at Arabella Advisors, LLC, where she provided operational, programmatic, financial, and business development support for a portfolio of fiscally sponsored nonprofit projects. Her portfolio focused on policy and advocacy issues such as healthcare and tax reform, civic engagement, and access to education research and resources.

Breanne has a BA in political science from Yale University, where she earned distinction in the political science major and served on the executive board for the Yale Mock Trial Association.

Andrea leads the national editorial team and works with state editors to maintain editorial standards, expand the reach of each state’s reporting and commentary, and advise on cross-outlet projects.

Andrea Shaw is a North Carolina native who spent 23 years at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans as senior editor, reporter and bureau chief. She was part of the team of journalists awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2006 after chronicling Hurricane Katrina and its deadly, chaotic aftermath. Before heading south to New Orleans, Andrea was city editor of The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va. Her work there was recognized by the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Bar Association.

Andrea’s journey began as a cub reporter covering farming, the military and education at the Fayetteville Observer-Times. She won a New York Times Chairman’s Award for reporting while working at the Morning Star in Wilmington.

Mika’il supports States Newsroom by leading the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the organization. His responsibilities include working with the Executive Team to actualize new and ongoing goals while infusing knowledge and best practices in organizational planning, communications, policymaking, professional development, hiring/retention, and broadly, community-building.

Before joining the team at States Newsroom, “MP” spent years working for a variety of private and public organizations as they wrestled with being impactful, equitable, and socially responsive. A few of his previous roles are Chief of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at All Hands and Hearts; Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and Associate Director of African and African American Studies.

MP holds a doctorate in Cultural Studies with focuses on Media Studies and Race/Ethnicity from George Mason University, as well as a MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BFA in Two-dimensional art and graphic design from Radford University.

Nelle leads the strategy, implementation, and maintenance of States Newsroom’s portfolio of digital news products, from design to engineering. This includes delivering rich storytelling experiences for all States Newsroom publishing platforms and ensuring the network is stable and secure.

Nelle spent several years as the New Media Director for NC Policy Watch; prior to that, she worked primarily in education and art & design spaces. She currently serves on the board of NC-based arts organization School of the Alternative.

Nelle has an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and a BFA from the University of Iowa.

Lara Weber is a veteran journalist and communications pro based in Chicago. Throughout her newsroom career, including more than 25 years at the Chicago Tribune, she wore nearly every hat -- from copy editor and visual reporter to live-event producer, commentary editor and editorial board member. Most recently, she was vice president of global content at WE Communications, one of the world's largest independent and woman-founded public relations agencies.

Although she's visited all 50 states (and has lived in seven), she's partial to New Jersey (and her childhood in Trenton) and Kansas (Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!), where she keeps ties to her alma mater. She still occasionally mutters in Chitumbuka, the local language she learned as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia.

Lara believes fiercely in the power of the press to support a healthy democracy and the power of storytelling to lift humanity.

Andrea leads the national editorial team and works with state editors to maintain editorial standards, expand the reach of each state’s reporting and commentary, and advise on cross-outlet projects.

Andrea Shaw is a North Carolina native who spent 23 years at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans as senior editor, reporter and bureau chief. She was part of the team of journalists awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2006 after chronicling Hurricane Katrina and its deadly, chaotic aftermath. Before heading south to New Orleans, Andrea was city editor of The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va. Her work there was recognized by the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Bar Association.

Andrea’s journey began as a cub reporter covering farming, the military and education at the Fayetteville Observer-Times. She won a New York Times Chairman’s Award for reporting while working at the Morning Star in Wilmington.

Mary works with the state editors to maintain editorial standards, expand the reach of each state’s reporting and commentary, and advise on cross-outlet projects. She also provides editorial support and works with Chris and Andrea on States Newsroom's growth.

Before coming to States Newsroom, Mary was a longtime reporter and editor at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., where she was at various times responsible for business and political coverage. In another lifetime (before she became a mom), Mary was also The N&O's music critic.

Sean works with the state editors, primarily in the West, to maintain editorial standards and expand the reach of each state’s reporting and commentary.

A Virginia native, Sean has been in journalism for more than 30 years in a variety of roles and locations. Most recently he was editor and director of news content for the Napa Valley Register, where he worked relentlessly to protect local news coverage in the face of sweeping changes in the newspaper industry. Previously he worked as a reporter at the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Ca; editor of the Weekly Calistogan, the local newspaper in the town where he and his family now live; at daily papers in VA and MD; and at the Washington Times. His work has also appeared in Time and People magazine, among other publications.

Marisa Demarco works with state editors and reporters on framing and telling stories. She forges collaborative projects, both within the network and with other news organizations.

She is a New Mexico-based journalist whose work has won national and regional awards over two decades of reporting, editing and newsroom leadership in print and radio. During the pandemic, she was the executive producer for “No More Normal,” a radio news program focused on the varied impacts of COVID-19 and community response, as well as racial and social justice. She launched States Newsroom outlet Source New Mexico in 2021.

Adam Kealoha Causey is based in Dallas and works with state editors to maintain editorial standards and expand the reach of each state’s reporting and commentary.

Prior to joining States Newsroom, Adam spent eight years with the AP, which took him from Phoenix to Oklahoma City and then Dallas. His most recent role was as assistant news director for Texas and Oklahoma, leading a team of text, photo and video journalists covering that territory for a global audience. Coverage ranged from politics to mass shootings and natural disasters. Before the AP, he worked for a decade in local newspapers in Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Florida and Shreveport, Louisiana. Adam also mentors students and early-career journalists through his work with AAJA, NLGJA and the Chips Quinn program.

Robert Zullo is a national editor based in southern Illinois. Robert joined States Newsroom in 2018 as the founding editor of the Virginia Mercury and then served as the national energy transition reporter. Before that, he spent 13 years as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. He has a bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. He grew up in Miami, Fla., and central New Jersey.

Nelle leads the strategy, implementation, and maintenance of States Newsroom’s portfolio of digital news products, from design to engineering. This includes delivering rich storytelling experiences for all States Newsroom publishing platforms and ensuring the network is stable and secure.

Nelle spent several years as the New Media Director for NC Policy Watch; prior to that, she worked primarily in education and art & design spaces. She currently serves on the board of NC-based arts organization School of the Alternative.

Nelle has an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and a BFA from the University of Iowa.

Goran Butorac is a decades-long computer enthusiast with a social justice streak. He thinks a lot about ethics in software and has been called many things in the past: software engineer, designer, filmmaker/animator, educator... He is a co-founder of Filmaktiv, a film and video production and education non-profit based in Rijeka, Croatia. Today he focuses on FLOSS technologies and how they shape our immediate and distant futures.

Mary-Kate supports editors and reporters with day-to-day publishing needs, manages website launches, provides digital onboarding of new media outlets, maintains the health of newsletters, manages rollout of training tutorials, and supports in design and graphics.

Before joining the team at the States Newsroom, she spent 7 years as an Elementary School teacher advocating for multicultural education, social justice, and equity in curriculum and classrooms. Prior to that she taught overseas for two years. One year in Yilan, Taiwan as an English Teaching Assistant through the Fulbright Program, and another year teaching English in Valladolid, Spain through a program with the Spanish government.

Mary-Kate holds a Masters in Education from Roger Williams University, as well as a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Cognitive Science and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Central Florida.

Dan provides engineering support for the range of news sites and other web properties within the States Newsroom network. This includes implementing code fixes and updates to maintain and expand website functionality while also assisting the digital support help desk.

Before coming to States Newsroom, Dan taught high school English and Journalism for 13 years, helping a generation of budding writers, designers, and photographers learn to communicate, lead, and innovate in an increasingly digital world. He also served for three years as director of the Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers.

An occasional writer, photographer, and musician in his spare time, Dan holds a Master of Teaching in English Education as well as a BA in English Literature and Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia.

Claire is the membership and marketing manager of States Newsroom.

She’s passionate about making local journalism more accessible and sustainable. She previously worked as an audience strategist at Indiegraf and as a social media editor at The Washington Post. She grew up in Sacramento, attended Boston University, and is now based in Washington, D.C. In her space time, she loves making collages and reading memoirs on park benches.

Breanne oversees personnel, finance, and systems management for States Newsroom. Her responsibilities include interfacing with third-party vendors, arranging and managing lease agreements and contractors, conducting financial analyses, and maintaining monthly budget tracking.

Before coming to States Newsroom, she worked at Arabella Advisors, LLC, where she provided operational, programmatic, financial, and business development support for a portfolio of fiscally sponsored nonprofit projects. Her portfolio focused on policy and advocacy issues such as healthcare and tax reform, civic engagement, and access to education research and resources.

Breanne has a BA in political science from Yale University, where she earned distinction in the political science major and served on the executive board for the Yale Mock Trial Association.

Lorin Kleinman leads the employee performance management and retention efforts for our growing organization.

Before joining States Newsroom, Lorin spent seven years at the charity My Sister's Place, where she directed human resources and operations during a period of organizational expansion.

Lorin's experience includes leading human resources at several nonprofits, with an emphasis on implementing process improvements, co-directing a large food co-op, and in her first DC job, working as a finance assistant at the Washington Post.

Gabrielle-Faye is the Finance Manager at States Newsroom.

Prior to joining States Newsroom, she worked at American Geophysical Union, providing FP&A and grants management support for their many Earth and space science initiatives. Gabby was a Financial Analyst at SoundExchange, a music tech and collective rights nonprofit, helping the organization forecast, collect, and distribute royalty collections to millions of artists. Previously, she worked at Arabella Advisors, where she provided financial and grants management support to nonprofits and their fiscally sponsored projects.

Gabby grew up in New Jersey and earned her BA in Economics from Syracuse University.

Dustin provides operational support for States Newsroom centered around invoicing, data management, analytics, research and special projects. He has an eye for detail, an appreciation for aesthetics, and a passion for process design.

Before coming to States Newsroom, he worked in higher education where he provided administrative and internal communications support for the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School MBA Program and the Design Lab for K-12 Education at the NC State College of Design.

Dustin has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in General Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a student, he served on the Yackety Yack yearbook staff and was a member of Carolina Union Activities Board. Go Heels!

Tonya supports the daily functions in the HR department, serves as the onboarding specialist, provides systems training, maintains employee records, and assists with recruitment efforts.

Previously, she mastered the art of customer service in the hospitality industry as a barista trainer and restaurant manager. A Philadelphia native and devoted mom, she finds joy in caring for her numerous plants and tackling intricate jigsaw puzzles in her free time.

Tonya Khakazi holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz voice from Howard University and is SHRM-CP certified.

Mina Ouanvilay is a Greensboro, NC native, and graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Social Work. She has had 4 years of nonprofit experience, previously working at the National Alliance of Mental Illness of Wake County based in Raleigh, NC.

Her many roles included being a programs intern, gratitude caller, registration coordinator and volunteer intake specialist along the span of those years. She received the Youth Empowerment award in 2020 for her dedication to supporting NAMI's mission through programs, advocacy and engagement. Coming from an immigrant family culture, her career aspirations include providing context and color around the stories of marginalized individuals, families and communities to uplift and strengthen their narratives.

In her free time you might find her journaling, listening to NPR Invisibilia, or playing new music for her cat, Percy.