I've been a community journalist for several years now and I love it. I live in EG and have been writing and editing my whole career. I'm thrilled to be the Local Editor for East Greenwich and for our neighboring community, North Kingstown!

A lifelong Rhode Islander, Samantha has called North Kingstown home since she was three years old. Her reporting career began when she was a sophomore at North Kingstown High School, writing for the school's newspaper, The Current Wave. Samantha graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island in 2010 with degrees in journalism and political science. During her time at URI, she interned at the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, WRNI, and Rhode Island Monthly as well as served as a reporter and ads manager for URI's newspaper, The Good 5 Cent Cigar.

Contact Samantha at samantha.turner@patch.com.

Lauren is a Coventry native and graduate of the University of Rhode Island's Journalism program. Her love for journalism began when she was a sophomore at Coventry High School where she wrote for and edited the school's student paper; The Entry. She was also a disc jockey and music director at the school's FM radio station, 91.5 WCVY, for four years.  

During her time at URI, Lauren took many different types of journalism courses, but focused mainly on print journalism. She spent the summer of 2010 interning at the Warwick Beacon as a reporter covering everything from budget cuts to high school events to the local cow farm.

Lauren is more than excited to be returning to her hometown as the editor of Coventry Patch and having the opportunity to cover news in Coventry the way it deserves to be covered!

Contact: lauren.costa@patch.com or 401.369.1676

Amy Levesque is a recent Emerson College graduate. While there, she spent time studying not only in Boston but Los Angeles as well. While in Los Angeles, Amy brought a little East Coast to the West, helping to plan red carpet premieres for Fox Searchlight. Back on the East Coast, Amy traded her movie credits for TV and began her sales career for WLNE, the ABC affiliate in Rhode Island. When Amy's roommate, and editor for North Kingstown Patch, began singing Patch's praises, Amy figured she'd better check out this new online company. She fell in love at first "site", and packed up her TV sales experience and hurried on over to the Patch Sales Team!

Erin, a lifelong resident of South County, has been passionate about writing and photography since her days at North Kingstown High School's studen newspaper, "The Current Wave."

She recently graduated from the University of Rhode Island with bachelor's degrees in both journalism and public relations. She has written and contributed to several local magazines and newspapers including The Jamestown Press, The North East Independent and South County Living Magazine, among others. Over the years her writing has focused on topics ranging from fashion trends to State House politics.

You can contact Erin Tiernan via e-mail at erinvtiernan@gmail.com or by phone at 401-835-4105.

A Brockton, Mass. native who graduated from Bridgewater State College with a degree in Biology, Russ was inspired to make the transition from teaching to writing after chronicling the opening of Epcot Center in 1980. Reporting primarily about sports for a quarter-century,  including stints at the Providence Journal, for MaxPreps and other publications, Russ has branched out to contribute to dozens of other publications on everything from business to community affairs. In 1999, as the Community College of Rhode Island Sports Information Director, he wrote and edited a NJCAA national and award-winning Winter Sports Guide. He also received awards for his coverage of mentally-challenged individuals from the J. Arthur Trudeau Center in Warwick, RI and the RI Special Olympics. He also is a writer for Attleboro.Patch.com. 

Kristin Wheeler is a freelance writer who was born and raised in the Washington, DC area. She currently resides in East Greenwich, a town she loves and now calls home after living in the area for over two years.

She is married with two kids, and was previously an educator, with a focus in technology, in many school systems throughout the country.  Her latest career path has lead her to becoming a writer, photographer and videographer.  She has written for both local and national websites, which both focus on parenting, education, and family. 

Phil Meyer is Professor Emeritus in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame in Journalism in the spring of 2008.  He joined the Journalism School in 1981 and served as Knight Chair in Journalism Professor from 1993-2008.  Prior to joining the school, he held a number of reporter and research positions at various media outlets. 

He has won numerous awards including the 2005 Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for Research About Journalism (with Scott Maier). He was named a Fellow of Society of Professional Journalists in 2005. In 2004, the Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave him its Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award. And in 2000 he received the American Association for Public Opinion Research Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement.

Meyer is the author of several books including The Vanishing Newspaper:  Saving Journalism in the Information Age and Precision Journalism:  A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods.  Journalism Quarterly in 2000 listed this book as one of the 35 significant books of the 20th century in journalism and mass communication; and the American Association for Public Opinion Research, observing its 50th anniversary in 1996, listed it as one of 50 significant books on public opinion research.

He received his B.S. in technical journalism from Kansas State University and his M.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina.

Steven Berlin Johnson is a pioneer in the web world, as a co-founder of FEED, Plastic.com, and Outside.in, which was acquired by Patch in March of 2011. He also co-created Findings.com, which launched in late 2011. Steven was the 2009 Hearst New Media Professional-in-Residence at The Journalism School at Columbia University, and served for several years as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU’s Journalism School. He is a bestselling author of seven books, and won acclaim and a Newhouse School Mirror Award for his 2010 Time Magazine cover story, "How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live." 

Speaking of Steven's editorial prowess, check out this video based on Steven's book, Where Good Ideas Come From, which was named one of the best books of 2010 by The Economist.

Brian was Editor-in-Chief of Time Out New York magazine before coming to Patch. Before that he worked for a variety of publications both online and off, including Details magazine, New York Magazine, and the old, dearly departed Sidewalk.com. He has written for numerous publications, from the New York Times magazine to Harper's Bazaar. He graduated from Bowdoin College and got an MFA in creative writing at Columbia University so he could put his novel in a drawer with distinction. He lives in Manhattan with his beautiful wife, adorable son, angelic daughter and the world's most dog-like cat. He’s proud as hell of what the Patch team has built.

Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and in Washington, D.C.

Previously, Paulson served as the editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today.  He is now a columnist on USA Today’s board of contributors, writing about First Amendment issues and the news media.

Throughout his career, Paulson has drawn on his background as both a journalist and lawyer, serving as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five different states.

He also is past-president of the American Society of News Editors, the nation’s largest organization of news media leaders.

Paulson also was the host of the Emmy-honored television program “Speaking Freely,” seen in more than 60 PBS markets nationwide over five seasons, and the author of "Freedom Sings," a multimedia stage show celebrating the First Amendment that continues to tour the nation's campuses.  

He was an early advocate of making newspaper content available online, launching online newspapers in both Florida and New York in 1993.

For 12 years, Paulson was a regular guest lecturer at the American Press Institute, speaking to more than 5,000 journalists about First Amendment issues. He was honored with the API Lifetime Service Award. In 2010 and 2011, he served as chair of the PBS Editorial Standards Review Committee.

In 2007, Paulson was named fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists, “the highest honor SPJ bestows upon a journalist for extraordinary contributions to the profession.” In 2008, he  received the Robert S. Abbott Memorial Award for Meritorious Service in Mass Communications from the Southern Regional Press Institute. He has also been elected to the Illini Publishing Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois.

He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School. In 2008, he received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from American University.