Meet the Class of 2025
We’re thrilled to announce the 14 outstanding journalists who will be joining us for the Data Institute.
Angelika Albaladejo is an award-winning investigative journalist with a decade of experience spanning digital, print and TV news. Through her storytelling, she aims to expose injustices and abuses of power and uplift the voices of diverse communities. She has been a fellow with the Fund for Investigative Journalism and the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism. She’s written for outlets including USA Today, the Guardian, Mother Jones, Capital & Main and Denver7. A proud Cubana-Puertoriqueña, she grew up in South Florida and has reported from Medellín, Los Angeles and Denver – her current home.
Derek Arthur works as an audio producer for the New York Times Opinion section, where he has contributed to a number of shows. He also serves as a guest speaker and lecturer for high school and gap year students at The School of the New York Times, where he has developed courses in audio production and Opinion journalism. Before he entered the world of journalism, Derek worked in education, marketing and event production. He currently lives in New York City.
Ben Brasch is a National Breaking News reporter at The Washington Post. The native Floridian has worked as a beat reporter covering local government and breaking news, including at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting on Fulton County. He graduated from the University of Florida.
Auzzy Byrdsell is the second Development Fellow at the Globe rotating reporting and working across various departments. He graduated from Morehouse College where he served as the Editor in Chief of The Maroon Tiger, the founder of the Morehouse College Association of Black Journalists.
Cassie M. Chew is a writer and video producer who covers healthcare policy, education equity, and digital security. She has contributed to a range of local and national publications, including POLITICO, Popular Science, Bloomberg News, The Wrap, STAT, Eater, Law360, Civil Eats, PBS NewsHour, Capital B, and Chicago Health Magazine. Cassie’s reporting often examines the intersection of public policy and vulnerable populations, such as long-term care residents and justice-involved individuals. Her work has also explored topics including healthcare reform, the integration of telemedicine, and access to healthcare, education, and the justice system. She has produced long-form stories as a reporting fellow with the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, the Education Writers Association, the USC Center for Health Journalism, and the Gerontological Society of America. Cassie is a member of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting. In addition to holding several cybersecurity certifications, she earned a Master of Science from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts in English, Spanish, and African American Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Bianca Fortis is a freelance investigative reporter based in New York City. She previously covered education for New York Focus and was an Abrams reporting fellow at ProPublica. She has also worked on the Brown Institute’s Documenting Covid-19 project, with Columbia Journalism Investigations’ cross border data fellowship and with the New York Times team that tracked coronavirus cases across the United States.
Glynn Hill is a reporter at The Washington Post who primarily covers sports. He previously reported on business, education and sports for the Houston Chronicle. A Philadelphia native, he is a graduate of Howard University.
Layla A. Jones is a reporter at Talking Points Media, with experience covering government and economic policy, race, and history. She has written for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Billy Penn, WHYY, NPR, HuffPost, and the Philadelphia Tribune, and participated in the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship at Columbia University. She attended Temple University for undergrad.
Alexa Imani Spencer is a journalist and M.F.A. candidate in Nonfiction Creative Writing at Columbia University with a B.A. in journalism from Howard University. She has reported for Word In Black, Black Enterprise, USA TODAY, and other outlets, covering health, race, and social issues. In addition to writing, she is also a filmmaker and photographer exploring visual storytelling through faith, culture, and community.
Kelundra Smith is an award-winning arts & culture journalist and playwright whose mission is to connect people to cultural experiences and each other. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, ESPN's Andscape, The Bitter Southerner, American Theatre, Atlanta magazine, and elsewhere. As a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, she co-created the Edward Medina Prize for Excellence in Cultural Criticism, which celebrates the work of writers underrepresented groups.
Nicole Watson s currently the Journalist-in-Residence at North Carolina A&T State University and a freelance journalist. She teaches classes in news reporting and television production. Professor Watson is also the lead advisor for Aggie News, a student-led television production. She is an award-winning journalist who has covered news, public affairs, entertainment and primarily sports. Watson has been talent/producer for major outlets including BET, ESPN, Turner Broadcasting, HBO and CBS.
Monique Welch-Rutherford is an award-winning, independent journalist based in Houston, Texas. She has most recently worked as a diverse communities reporter at the Houston Landing, where she was recognized by the Texas Managing Editors for her specialty reporting covering overlooked communities like people with disabilities. She has also previously worked as an engagement reporter for the Houston Chronicle and contributed to the Chronicle's race and identity newsletter, HouWeAre. Monique worked as a staff writer and digital producer at the Tampa Bay Times, where she covered local news and worked on all things digital, from audio flash briefings on Google Home and Amazon Alexa to launching the newspaper's first race and identity newsletter, Regarding Race. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Monique holds a bachelor's degree in Communications and Media Studies from Goucher College.
Kamille D. Whittaker is an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Digital Media at Clark Atlanta University. In 2020, she co-founded the award-winning community journalism nonprofit Canopy Atlanta and oversees its Documenters program. She most recently served as managing editor of Atlanta Magazine. Her tenure in journalism is rooted in the Black Press—from Black Voice News newspaper in her hometown of Riverside, California, to Liberator Magazine, Atlanta Tribune, and Atlanta Daily World. She’s currently researching the Caribbean presence in the South through a narrative and digital humanities storytelling project entitled Perhaps, to Bloom.
Monica Williams is a veteran journalist from Detroit. She's worked for newsrooms in the U.S. and South Korea, including The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, National Geographic and The Detroit News.