OUR STAFF

Meet our team.

 

kimbriell Kelly

Interim Investigations Editor Kimbriell Kelly is a Chicago native who got her start in investigative editing at The Chicago Reporter where her investigation into Countrywide Financial’s subprime mortgage lending led to the nation’s largest fair-lending settlement. She went on to The Washington Post where she won a Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting on police-involved shootings. Most recently, Kimbriell served as Washington bureau chief for The Los Angeles Times. 

 
 

wendy Wei

Training Coordinator Wendy Wei is an independent journalist and audio producer covering migration and interracial solidarity. Based in her hometown of Chicago, she is the Immigration Editor at South Side Weekly and Programming Committee Co-Chair at ARTWORKS Projects. Wendy's investigative work on immigrant communities has been supported by the International Women's Media Fund and the International Center for Journalists, and is deeply informed by her first career in international migration policy. Wendy holds a bachelor's in Political Science from the University of Chicago and a master's in international development from Sciences Po Paris.

 
 

angela caputo

Executive Director Angela Caputo is an award-winning investigative journalist and educator. Her work has prompted legislative reform on voting rights in Georgia; exposed a series of racially-biased policing practices that informed Department of Justice oversight of Chicago’s police department; spurred juvenile justice reforms in Illinois’ legislature and Cook County’s courts; and touched off the indictments and firings of public officials. She got her start as an intern for The Chicago Reporter and subsequently worked at American Public Media, the Chicago Tribune and Daily Southtown.

 
 

Emeline Posner

Investigative Reporter Emeline Posner is a Chicago-based freelance writer and copy editor whose reporting on city land use, the U.S. census and maternal health has appeared in the Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine, South Side Weekly, Block Club Chicago and In These Times. Posner earned  a master’s in journalism from Medill at Northwestern University, with a concentration in investigative reporting and a bachelor’s degree in classical studies from the University of Chicago.

 
 
 

jose abonce

Apprentice Jose Abonce is an independent reporter who focuses on policing, public safety, immigration and politics in Chicago. He is a journalist, he draws on his background in community organizing and urban planning to cover the diverse experiences of Chicagoans. His work has been featured in South Side Weekly and Austin Weekly News. Jose holds a master’s in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a recent graduate of New York University’s Arthur L Carter School of Journalism.

 
 

Jahlynn hancock

Apprentice Jahlynn Hancock a Chicago native and recent graduate from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She uses research and data analysis to add depth to her reporting, which centers on telling the stories of people who are often underrepresented in the news. Her work has been published by MindSite News and the Daily Iowan.

 
 
 
 
 

Jonathan Torres

Apprentice Jonathan Torres is a Chicago-based freelancer reporter and a recent Columbia College Chicago graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and film studies. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Torres said he is looking forward to producing journalism "that makes a difference in our communities."

 
 

Maia McDonald

Audience Engagement Specialist Maia McDonald is a Chicago-based freelance reporter, photographer and visual journalist. Her work has appeared in Block Club Chicago, Borderless Magazine, Chicago Reader, City Bureau, In These Times, The TRiiBE, and The Guardian, among other outlets. She has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

 
 

April Alonso

Audience Engagement Specialist April Alonso April is a co-founder of Cicero Independiente and currently serves as the publication's Digital Editor/ Visual Producer. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Reporter, Chicago Reader and Borderless Magazine. She specializes in sharing bilingual stories and creating awareness and access to news in communities often overlooked by mainstream media.

 
 

Nicole Jeanine johnson

Medill Extern Nicole Jeanine Johnson is an investigative journalist, storyteller and graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Defender, City Bureau, and Harvey World Herald. She connects multiple issues to broader patterns of disinvestment and systemic racism. She's also a proud Englewood native.