Staff & Contributors

Staff

Jenna Briand | Vice President, Content & Editorial
Jenna joined TakePart in 2010. She held similar positions leading digital content teams at AOL, NBC Local Media and Time Inc. Interactive, and has consulted for a variety of media companies, large and small. TakePart stories and videos can be found on TakePart.com, YouTube, MSN, and Starbucks Digital Network. Email Jenna | @jennabriand

Nichol Nelson | Editorial Director
Nichol hails from Minnesota, but has worked in food journalism in New York and Los Angeles for more than a decade. She served as an editor with Gourmet magazine for six years, and has contributed to several other national digital and print food publications. Email Nichol | @cedarsonic

  Salvatore Cardoni | Producer, Environment & Animals
An Angeleno by way of Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sal holds a Political Science degree from George Washington University. Though he began his career in sports, he's written about all things environment since 2007. Email Sal | @salcardoni

Amy Eicher | Digital Community Coordinator
A Boston native, Amy has worked in the film industry's social media space since 2008. As TakePart's Digital Community Coordinator, she combines her passion for social good with her knack for connecting ideas and people. 
Email Amy | @amyeicher

Max Follmer | Producer, Franchises & Special Projects
Max Follmer is the franchises and special projects editor at TakePart. He previously covered politics and legal issues for the Biloxi Sun Herald, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, and the Huffington Post. Originally from Chicago, Max is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Email Max

Sarah Fuss | Editor
Sarah Fuss was previously the senior food editor at Yahoo! She has also worked in politics and nonprofits. At TakePart, she loves that she can blend these passions for eating and social responsibility. When she's not at work, she's probably hiking, writing, or trying to eat less pasta. Email Sarah

Jenny Inglee | Producer, Education
Jenny has been writing for TakePart since 2009. Previously, she worked in film and television development and was the story editor for the young adult book Girls Gone Green. Jenny's passion for education extends from writing to the real world. She has taught English in Vietnam, is a Big Sister in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and tutors homeless children in Los Angeles. Email Jenny | @jennyinglee

Allan MacDonell | Senior Editor, Social Justice
Social Justice editor Allan MacDonell is a Southern California semi-native who uncovered a passion for championing underdogs and exposing abuses of power while studying creative writing at San Francisco State University. His investigative reporting resulted in the 1998 resignation of House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston from the United States Congress. MacDonell has been a TakePart participant since February 2010. Email Allan | @Allan_MacDonell

Contributors

Megan Bedard | Food
A sucker for sustainable agriculture and a good farmers market, Megan likes writing about food almost as much as eating it. If you don't want to know what's in your fruit/milk/meat, don't invite her to lunch.
@babybokchoy

Jon Bowermaster | Oceans + Environment
Jon Bowermaster has been writing about environmental issues for National Geographic and others for the past 25 years. Since 1999 he has sea kayaked around the world, one continent at a time, giving him a unique perspective on life at sea level.
Email Jon | @jonbowermaster

Barry Estabrook | Food
A two-time James-Beard-Award-winner, Estabrook is the author of Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit. He was a contributing editor at Gourmet magazine. His work has also appeared in the New York Times “Dining” section as well as Men’s Health, Saveur, Gastronomica, and TheAtlantic.com. His website is www.politicsoftheplate.com. @Barry_Estabrook

Matthew Fleischer | Social Justice 
Los Angeles-based investigative journalist and editor Matt Fleischer was awarded a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism for his ongoing series “Dangerous Jails.” Reflecting his passion for social justice reporting, Fleischer’s work has been honored by the Association for Alternative Newsweeklies, the LA Press Club, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), and First Amendment Funding Inc. Email Matt

Joanna M. Foster | Environment
Joanna Foster is a freelance science journalist based in New York City. She is a regular contributer at the Energy and Environment blog at The New York Times, and her work has also appeared in OnEarth Magazine and at the American Museum of Natural History.
Email Joanna | @FosterJoanna

Jocelyn Heaney | Paw & Order
Jocelyn Heaney is an English Instructor, animal activist and freelance writer for Los Angeles Review of Books, and Warner Brothers Pictures among others.  Her favorite animals are great white sharks, horses and all manner of cats. She is currently at work on a memoir. Email Jocelyn | @jocelynheaney

Monica Corcoran Harel | Cause Celeb
Monica Corcoran Harel is a Los Angeles-based writer who has reported on culture for The New York Times, InStyle and O, The Oprah Magazine. She consults on Project Runway and is the author of The Fashion File. 
Email Monica | @monicacorcoran

Steve Holt | Food
Steve's story about healthy fast food was anthologized in Best Food Writing 2011. His food and general interest stories regularly appear in Edible Boston, Boston Magazine, The Boston Globe, and other places. Email Steve | @thebostonwriter

Ian Knauer | Food
Ian has traveled the world for Gourmet magazine, a contributed to other national publications such as Bon Appetit and The Atlantic. He's also cohosted three food television shows and written a cookbook, The Farm. @iknauer

Jane Lear | Food
On staff at Gourmet for almost 20 years, most recently as senior articles editor, Jane wrote about culinary techniques as well as the popular "Kitchen Notebook" section. She’s also co-authored cookbooks and now blogs regularly at JaneLear.com. As our weekly food advice columnist, she's here to answer questions about the food landscape, from policy to no-fail cooking techniques.

Oliver Lee | News + Opinion, Social Justice
Oliver Lee has been covering social justice and other issues for TakePart since 2009. Originally from Baltimore, he lives and writes on a quiet, tree-lined street in Brooklyn. Email Oliver | @oliverung

Clare Leschin-Hoar | Food
Clare Leschin-Hoar covers seafood, sustainability and food politics. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, The Wall Street Journal, Grist, Eating Well and many more.
@c_leschin

Jacob Soboroff | Politics
Jacob Soboroff is executive director of Why Tuesday?, a non-partisan group working to increase voter participation, and the correspondent for MTV's Power of 12 election campaign. Jacob hosted the NBC series "School Pride" and has contributed reporting to CNN, NPR's "Weekend Edition," and the PBS/Wired Magazine series "Wired Science." @jacobsoboroff