A veteran journalist, I’ve written extensively about criminal justice, mental health and poverty. Before joining The Marshall Project - St. Louis, I worked nearly 15 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, often writing about people and communities on the margins. Before that, I covered the Southwest for Forbes and the Texas-Mexico border for the San Antonio Express-News.

With a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, I started out as a night cops reporter. In a previous career, I was a grain trader in Mexico.

I grew up in the Missouri Ozarks and have lived in the city of St. Louis since 2010.