Meet the Fellows

Jeffrey Benzing

A 2010-2011 News21 Fellow, joined Merrill with experience investigating traffic fatalities, city government and power line construction in Central Texas. In addition to hard news, he has served as a sports editor and photojournalist at various newspapers in Texas. After interning as an editorial assistant at the American Journalism Review, serving as a Fellow for the Carnegie-Knight News21 program and reporting for the Capital News Service in Washington, D.C., he now works as a reporter for Main Justice.

 

Maggie Clark

A 2010-2011 News21 Fellow, completed her Master of Journalism degree in May 2011. She worked in the Annapolis Bureau of Capital News Service, covering juvenile justice, education, immigration and same-sex marriage. In the fall of 2010, she was one of 15 students in the U.S. selected to travel to Brussels and study journalism at the European Journalism Center. She received her bachelor of arts in international affairs from Florida State University and interned at CQ Researcher, covering politics, legal affairs and social policy. Her articles have been featured in The Daily Kos, FoxNews.com, The Daily Record, The Advocate, and other Maryland news outlets. Last fall she began a year-long fellowship at stateline.org, a part of the Pew Charitable Trust's Pew Center on the States.

 

Kerry Davis

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, 2010-2011 fellowship recipient of The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and 2010-2011 News21 Fellow, graduated in May 2011. Prior to joining Merrill, Davis worked as a TV reporter at KVLY-TV in Fargo, N.D. and WPRI-TV in Providence, R.I. In spring 2011, she covered the environment and Chesapeake Bay beats for the Annapolis bureau of the Capital News Service. You can follow her on Twitter: @mskerryd or visit her portfolio at http://kerrymdavis.com. She can also be found on Linkedin at http://www.linkedin.com/in/daviskerry. She now works as a multimedia reporter for IDG News Service in San Francisco.

 

Maite Fernandez

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, earned her Master of Journalism degree in May 2011. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from ORT University, Montevideo. In Uruguay she worked for a magazine publisher, collaborated doing research for a nonfiction book and worked as a full-time reporter for El Observador. Fernandez has also served as a contributing writer for the Prince George’s County Sentinel. She covered immigration, transportation and community news for the Capital News Service in spring 2011 and is currently working for the International Journalists' Network in Washington, D.C as an associate editor. For more information visit: http:// fernandezmaite.blogspot.com or follow Maite on Twitter: @maits.

 

Shannon Hoffman

The 2010-2011 Ray Hiebert Award recipient, completed her master’s degree in January 2011. She received her undergraduate degree in mass communications from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. Hoffman has reported a wide variety of beats for the Frederick News-Post, Greenbelt News Review, Prince George's Sentinel, Milton Standard Journal, Runner's Gazette and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. The Hiebert fellowship enabled her to travel to Manipal University in Karnataka, India, where she focused her coverage on public health. After interning for PBS Interactive, Shannon now works as the College Park editor for Patch.com. You can follow Shannon on Twitter @SMHoff12.

 

Steve Kilar

A 2010-2011 Dean’s Fellow, Steve covered the census and immigration for Merrill’s Capital News Service bureau in Washington in spring 2011. He has shot and produced news videos for The Baltimore Sun, where he interned in the fall of 2010, and his text and multimedia reporting has been published by print and online outlets including ChicagoTribune.com, LATimes.com, the Washington Blade, The (Md.) Daily Record and The Maryland Independent. Steve received a law degree from the University of Michigan and has worked as a lawyer in New York City. He is a Michigan native and studied English at Brown University. He currently works as a Metro reporter for The Baltimore Sun. He can be reached on Twitter @stevekilar or at stevekilar.com.

 

Bethany Lambright

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, graduated in May 2011 with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. Bethany received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech. She has interned at Comcast SportsNet and the Sports Fan Coalition in Washington, D.C. In spring 2011 she covered health and transportation for CNS-TV.

 

Laura Lee

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, majored in Political Science and International Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. After graduating, she moved to Washington to work in civic education and international education. Laura returned to North Carolina and, in 2007, she earned her law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. Laura practiced law and worked for a media consultant before joining the master's program at Maryland. During the fall 2010 semester, Laura worked as an intern on the Washington Desk at National Public Radio. In spring 2011 she worked as the political reporter for the D.C. Bureau of Capital News Service. She graduated in May 2011. Her website is www.lauraelee.com.

 

Jessica MacLeod

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow and 2011-2012 Fulbright Fellow, graduated May 2011 with a master's degree in broadcast journalism. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in German education from Bowling Green State University in 2005. Before joining Merrill, MacLeod worked as a high school German teacher and director of Washington nonprofit THIS for Diplomats. As a recipient of a 2011-2012 Fulbright fellowship, she will produce a documentary that explores the large disparity between high school dropout rates of immigrants versus non-immigrants in Germany. She is also currently working as a freelance junior producer for ARD TV in Germany. Jessica covered the criminal justice and ethnic/religious affairs beats for CNS-TV in spring 2011.

 

Andy Marso

A 2010-2011 Dean’s Fellow and News21 Fellow, graduated May 2011 with a master’s degree in journalism. Marso has worked as a freelance sports writer and editorial aide at the Washington Post, a features writer at the St. Cloud Times and a sports writer at the Olathe News. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2004. He covered crime and justice for the Capital News Service’s Washington, D.C. bureau in spring 2011. After graduation, Marso covered Baltimore courts for The Daily Record. He now works for the Topeka Capital-Journal as a state government reporter.

 

Gregory Masters

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, earned his B.A. in environmental studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Before entering the master's program in public affairs reporting at Merrill, he worked as an editor for a medical education company and as an English teacher overseas. He has written articles on various news issues while interning at American Journalism Review. He now reports for the Capital News Service in Annapolis.

 

Holly Nunn

The 2010-2011 Mary Anne and Frank A. Kennedy Fellow and a 2010-2011 fellowship recipient of The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, graduated May 2011 with a Master of Journalism in public affairs reporting. In fall 2010, she wrote about food access in Baltimore and traveled to Japan to study international journalism. She covered juvenile justice, social services, health and the abortion debate for the Annapolis bureau of the Capital News Service. Holly received her bachelor's degree in government and international politics from George Mason University and has written for the Annapolis Capital, The Maryland Daily Record and the Easton Star Democrat. Holly now reports for the Prince George's Gazette. Follow Holly on Twitter: @hmnunn.

 

Tolleah Price

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, graduated May 2011 with a degree in broadcast journalism. Price’s extensive experience has led her to newsrooms across the country as a writer and producer, including WPTY-TV in Memphis, WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan, and most recently at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C. During her studies at Merrill, Price interned for CBS News and helped produce a daily political webcast on cbsnews.com. As a CNS-TV reporter, she covered the education and Montgomery County beats. She currently works for CBS News as the D.C. Bureau Digital Jouralist/Associate Producer.

 

Madhu Rajaraman

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow and 2010-2011 News21 Fellow, graduated May 2011 with a master of journalism degree. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology in 2009 from Rutgers University. She has worked as a freelance reporter for the Sayreville (N.J.) Progress newspaper and the Prince George’s Sentinel, and as an intern for Cambridge University Press, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the American Journalism Review. She covered health and the environment as a multimedia reporter and producer for the Capital News Service in spring 2011. After working as a Carnegie-Knight News21 fellow in summer 2011, she joined the staff of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute in Los Angeles as a senior writer and editor.

 

David Saleh Rauf

The 2010-2011 Howard Simons Fellow, graduated in May 2011 with a Master of Journalism in public affairs reporting. He covered politics, the budget and business for the Annapolis bureau of the Capital News Service in spring 2011. Before joining Capital News Service, he worked for two years at the San Antonio Express-News as a business writer and intern. He also worked as a reporter for the New Braunfels-Herald Zeitung, and as an intern at the Austin American-Statesman and American Journalism Review. Rauf currently works as a technology reporter for Politico Pro.

 

Alexandra Wilding

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, is a master of arts candidate. For the past four years, she has taught high school English and coordinated a college-access program in the Baltimore City Public Schools. She earned a bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Most recently, she interned at NPR for “Weekend Edition,” where she also wrote and produced stories for “Intern Edition.” She has also interned for “Maryland Morning,” at Baltimore’s NPR affiliate, WYPR. As a reporter she has covered topics such as education, technology, politics and urban affairs. In spring 2011, she served as a multimedia reporter, producer and editor for Maryland Newsline, where she covered education and technology. She is currently working on her thesis.

 

Stephanie Woods

A 2010-2011 Eleanor Merrill Fellow, graduated May 2011 with a degree in broadcast journalism. Prior to joining Merrill, Woods hosted the U.S. foreign affairs talk show, "Hearts and Minds", for Tehran-based satellite news network Press TV, and she served as the Delaware reporter in an MTV News political program. She received a bachelor's degree in foreign affairs and English from the University of Virginia. As a reporter for the CNS-TV in spring 2011, Woods covered the military, homeland security and the environment. She now reports for WXIX-TV 19 in Cincinatti.