Leadership
Jeff has more than 30 years’ experience working for newspapers as a reporter and editor. He was the editor of daily newspapers in northern Illinois and Wisconsin before joining as Capitol News Illinois’ editor, where he oversees the news service’s development, growth and fundraising. He…
Jerry began his career in news in 2013 and has covered state government since 2019. He was the editor of the LeRoy Farmer City Press in McLean and DeWitt counties from 2013 until it closed in 2017. During that span, the Press was named the…
K. Ellen, a digital media and marketing professional, comes to CNI with 20 years of experience working in public and commercial media where she served as a lead project manager overseeing digital, development, and marketing initiatives. She has held many communication roles including serving as…
Gary Dotson was the longtime senior editor and investigative projects editor at the Belleville (IL) News-Democrat and BND.com. During his tenure, the News-Democrat won dozens of regional and national awards for accountability journalism, including three IRE awards, a George Polk Award and a Robert F.…
Alee joined CNI in June of 2026, bringing experience in journalism, marketing, fundraising, partnership-building and education. She worked for four years at the national education nonprofit the News Literacy Project, where she was director of community engagement. At Southern Illinois University Carbondale, she advises the…
Staff Reporters
Ben joined CNI in November 2024 as a Statehouse reporter covering the General Assembly from Springfield and other events happening around state government. He previously covered Illinois government for The Daily Line following time in McHenry County with the Northwest Herald. Ben is also a…
Beth has worked in journalism for 25 years, mostly at the Belleville News Democrat. She joined CNI in 2021. Beth has been a past recipient of the George Polk Award, the Investigative Reporter and Editor Award, the National Headliners Grand Award and two Robert F.…
Brenden joined CNI in October, 2025 as a Statehouse reporter. Brenden is a 2017 graduate of DePaul University, where he received his bachelor's degree in journalism and political science, and a 2018 graduate of the University of Illinois Springfield, where he received his master's degree…
Hannah has been covering Illinois government and politics since 2014, and since then has worked for a variety of outlets from NPR affiliate stations to a startup newsletter. She’s a graduate of both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the U of I’s Springfield…
Maggie joined CNI in November, 2025 as a Chicago reporter. Maggie is a 2021 graduate of The College of Wooster, where she received her bachelor's degree in international relations and economics, and a 2025 graduate of the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, where she…
Molly joined Capitol News Illinois in July 2023. Most recently, she worked as a reporter for Lee Enterprises, on its Midwest Public Service Journalism team and for The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale. In that role, Molly exposed poor living conditions and mismanagement of a housing…
Peter was one of the founding reporters with Capitol News Illinois. He came to Springfield after many years working in Topeka, Kansas, where he covered the Kansas statehouse and other beats. He began his reporting career in 1989 at a small county weekly newspaper and…
Support Staff
Jennifer joined CNI in 2023 with over 20 years of experience in web design, development, analytics, and site administration. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University.
Andrew has been working as a photojournalist since 2017. He started at Newschannel 20 in Springfield where he became Chief Photojournalist.
Pearl joined Capitol News Illinois in September 2025, bringing over a decade of experience in design, photography, and multimedia production. Originally from the West Coast and now based in the Midwest, she studied Communication Design at Southern Illinois University, where she also explored photography, art…
