Editorial Team
Kyle Villemain
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Kyle is a former speechwriter who was fortunate enough to hire journalists smarter than him to envision a new model for state-level news. He grew up in the Triangle, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, and has written for a host of statewide higher-ed and nonprofit leaders.
Kate Sheppard
Managing Editor
Kate joined us from HuffPost, where she was a senior enterprise and national editor. She has also taught journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill and previously covered environment, health, and labor for outlets including Mother Jones and Grist. She got her start in local news in New Jersey.
John Drescher
Senior Editor
John previously served as deputy editor of The Washington Post’s political investigations team; executive editor of The News & Observer; managing editor of The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C.; and as a reporter and editor for The Charlotte Observer.
Emily Stephenson
Deputy Managing Editor
Emily was previously the economic policy editor at The Wall Street Journal. Before that, she was the news editor at Politico and covered politics and financial regulation at Reuters. She is a Greenville native and UNC-Chapel Hill graduate.
Emily McCord
Senior Regional Editor
Emily was previously the news director at WFDD in Winston-Salem, where her team’s work was recognized for “Overall Excellence” for four consecutive years by the regional Edward R. Murrow award and received a national Murrow. She is a graduate of the UNC-Greensboro.
Bryan Anderson
Politics Reporter
Bryan covers state government for The Assembly and anchors The Caucus. He frequently breaks political news through his Anderson Alerts Substack and previously covered elections, voting access, and state government for WRAL-TV, the Associated Press, and the News & Observer.
Jeffrey Billman
Politics and Law Reporter
Jeffrey reports on politics and the law for The Assembly. The former editor-in-chief of INDY Week in Durham, he holds a master’s degree in public policy analysis from the University of Central Florida.
Carli Brosseau
Reporter
Carli joined us from The News & Observer, where she was an investigative reporter. Her work has been honored by the Online News Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors, and published by ProPublica and The New York Times.
Erin Gretzinger
Higher Ed Reporter
Erin joined us from The Chronicle of Higher Education, where she was a reporting fellow. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, she was named the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s 2022 Collegiate Journalist of the Year.
Matt Hartman
Higher Ed Reporter
A longtime freelance journalist, Matt wrote for The New Republic, The Ringer, Jacobin, and elsewhere before joining The Assembly staff. He also spent nearly a decade working in higher ed communications. He lives in Durham.
Michael Hewlett
Criminal Justice Reporter
Michael, a native of Richmond, Virginia, covers courts and law. He was previously the legal affairs reporter at the Winston-Salem Journal, where he and colleagues won the Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Award.
Joe Killian
Greensboro Editor
Joe joined us from NC Newsline, where he was senior investigative reporter. Before that, he spent a decade at The News & Record covering cops and courts, higher education, and government. A North Carolina native, he’s lived in Greensboro for more than 20 years.
Ren Larson
Reporter
Ren joined us from The Texas Tribune and ProPublica’s investigative team, and previously worked as a data reporter at The Arizona Republic. She holds a master’s of public policy and M.A. in international and area studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
Gale Melcher
Greensboro Reporter
Gale is a Report for America corps member. Before joining The Assembly, she spent two years covering local government and community issues in Greensboro and Winston-Salem for Triad City Beat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from N.C. State University.
Sayaka Matsuoka
Greensboro Reporter
Sayaka was formerly the managing editor for Triad City Beat, an alt-weekly based in Greensboro. She has reported for INDY Week, The Bitter Southerner, Rewire, and Nerdist, and is the editorial/diversity chair for AAN Publishers. She is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro.
Johanna Still
Wilmington Editor
Johanna joined us from Greater Wilmington Business Journal, where she reported on economic development. She was previously assistant editor of Port City Daily and focused on local government and environmental issues. She’s also an alum of The Daily Tar Heel and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Contributing Photographers
Travis Dove
Kate Medley
Julia Wall
Cornell Watson
Contributing Writers
Anne Blythe
Emily Cataneo
Barry Yeoman
Copyeditors
Sara Abrons
Michael Coons
Katie Kosma
Leah McCann
Creative/Design Consultants
Taylor Le
Nicole Pajor Moore
Growth & Operations Team
Kyle Constable
Deputy Product and Growth Director
Kyle joined us after seven years at The Connecticut Mirror, where he worked as a reporter and head of audience and membership. He is from Connecticut, but has spent time in Maine, Georgia, and New York. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Connecticut.
Grace McFadden
Audience Editor
Grace is the audience editor for The Assembly. Previously, she worked as a freelance reporter. She attended the University of Connecticut.
Chelsey Koch
Director of Operations
Chelsey, a native of Asheboro, joined The Assembly after spending several years working in the cruise industry in Alaska. She has a background in operations management and studied political science and economics at Salem College in Winston-Salem.
John Hurld
Director of Sales
John, a Durham resident for 15 years, has an extensive background in sales, project management, and customer relations. He has lived in New York, Michigan, and D.C. prior to his relocation to the Triangle.
Emily Dresslar
Chief Operating Officer
Board of Directors
Adam Abram
Matt Cullinan
John Hashimoto
Adrienne Johnson Martin
Tim Sullivan
Ford Worthy
Read more about out network and business model here.