Our Staff
Chad Lorenz EDITOR-IN-CHIEF clorenz@votebeat.org
Chad Lorenz has a 20-year background in newspaper, magazine, and online journalism at local and national levels, previously working as an editor at Slate.com, the Washington Post, and Washingtonian magazine. Chad is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Lauren Aguirre ENGAGEMENT EDITOR laguirre@votebeat.org
Lauren Aguirre has spent her career in local news working to connect people to the information they need. She comes to Votebeat from The Philadelphia Inquirer, where she worked as audience editor for enterprise and innovation. Before that, she worked in audience and digital journalism in Arizona and Texas. A native of Texas, she graduated from Southern Methodist University.
Natalia Contreras REPORTER, VOTEBEAT TEXAS ncontreras@votebeat.org
Natalia Contreras has covered a range of topics as a community journalist including local government, public safety, immigration, and social issues. Natalia comes to Votebeat from the Austin American-Statesman, where her reporting focused on impacts of government policies on communities of color. Natalia previously reported for the Indianapolis Star, where she helped launch the first Spanish-language newsletter, and at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Natalia was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Jen Fifield REPORTER, VOTEBEAT ARIZONA jfifield@votebeat.org
Jen Fifield previously covered Maricopa County and Phoenix for The Arizona Republic, including the high-profile review of the county’s 2020 election. Prior to that, she covered politics and government for local newspapers in Maryland and state policy for Stateline, a news service run by The Pew Charitable Trusts. She has won several regional press awards in Arizona and Maryland for her investigative, feature, politics and education reporting. Jen is a Phoenix native and graduated from Arizona State University’s Cronkite School.
Jessica Huseman EDITORIAL DIRECTOR jhuseman@votebeat.org
Jessica Huseman was previously the lead elections reporter for ProPublica, and helped manage the Electionland project for three federal election cycles, sharing information and tips with hundreds of newsrooms across the United States. She is an award-winning educator, and has taught at Columbia Journalism School, New York University, and wrote a high school investigative journalism curriculum in use by more than 200 high schools. Jessica is a graduate of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she graduated with honors.
Carrie Levine MANAGING EDITOR clevine@votebeat.org
Carrie Levine was most recently a senior reporter for the Center for Public Integrity, where she covered elections and campaign finance for more than seven years. Before that, she was research director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a nonpartisan watchdog group. She previously reported and edited for Legal Times and the National Law Journal, the Charlotte Observer. A graduate of Boston University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she is based in Washington, D.C.
Carter Walker REPORTER, VOTEBEAT PENNSYLVANIA cwalker@votebeat.org
Carter was previously a reporter at the LNP in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he covered political extremism, including election misinformation, for the past year. He is originally from Chester County, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Penn State with a journalism degree. After working at the Times West Virginian, he returned to Pennsylvania to cover government and politics with a focus on investigative work.
Alexander Shur REPORTER, VOTEBEAT WISCONSIN ashur@votebeat.org
Alexander Shur previously covered politics, policy, and the fallout of the 2020 presidential election for the Wisconsin State Journal. Prior to that he covered the criminal justice system for the Jackson Hole News & Guide, where he investigated the impact of voting laws on people with felonies and how the criminal justice system treats people with mental illnesses. He is originally from Michigan, and has degrees from Northern Michigan University and Northwestern University.
Votebeat is a subsidiary of Civic News Company, and is fully supported by Civic News Company’s leadership, revenue, strategy, and operations teams. See the full staff list here.