Leadership Team
Kyle Villemain
Founder and CEO
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 and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. He founded The Assembly in 2021.
Kate Sheppard
Executive Editor
Kate leads The Assembly Network‘s editorial team. She was previously a senior enterprise and national editor at HuffPost, and reported for a number of national outlets. She has also taught journalism and innovation at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Jed Williams
Chief Operating Officer
Jed leads our business and revenue operations. He was previously the COO and CRO at Lookout Local, a Pulitzer Prize-winning network of local outlets that he cofounded in 2020, and served as the Director of Revenue and Growth at WRAL Digital.
Emily Stephenson
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.
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; and as a reporter and editor for The Charlotte Observer.
Emily McCord
Senior Regional Editor
Emily leads our regional teams around the state. She was previously the news director at WFDD in Winston-Salem, where her team’s work was recognized with both regional and national Edward R. Murrow awards.
Statewide Reporting Team
Bryan Anderson
Politics Reporter
Bryan covers state government and anchors The Caucus. He 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
Education Reporter
Carli joined from The News & Observer, where she was an investigative reporter. She has won awards from the Online News Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors, and was a ProPublica Local Reporting Network fellow.
Korie Dean
Higher Ed Reporter
Korie joined us from The News & Observer, where she covered higher ed as part of the state government and politics team. She grew up in Efland and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Matt Hartman
Higher Ed Reporter
A longtime freelance journalist, Matt has also written for The New Republic, The Ringer, Jacobin, and elsewhere. He also spent nearly a decade working in higher ed communications.
Michael Hewlett
Criminal Justice Reporter
Michael covers courts and law at The Assembly. He was previously the legal affairs reporter at the Winston-Salem Journal and has won two Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Awards.
Ren Larson
Reporter
Ren joined from The Texas Tribune and ProPublica’s investigative team, and was a data reporter at The Arizona Republic. Her work has won the national Murrow, Philip Meyer, and MIT McElheny awards.
Johanna Still
Health Care Reporter
Johanna previously worked for the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, where she reported on economic development. She is also a photographer, and was the assistant editor of Port City Daily.
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
Greensboro Team
Joe Killian
Greensboro Editor
Joe, who anchors The Thread, joined us from NC Newsline, where he was senior investigative reporter. He spent a decade at The News & Record covering cops and courts, higher education, and government.
Sayaka Matsuoka
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, and Nerdist, and is the editorial/diversity chair for AAN Publishers.
Gale Melcher
Reporter
Gale is a Report for America corps member. She previously covered local government and community issues for Triad City Beat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from N.C. State University.
Triangle Team
Sarah Willets
Editor in Chief
Sarah became INDY‘s EIC in January 2025. She previously served as the director of public affairs and special projects at the Durham County District Attorney’s Office, staff writer at the INDY, and managing editor of The Robesonian.
Sarah Edwards
Culture Editor
Sarah has been INDY‘s culture editor since 2020. She was previously a fact-checker at Village Voice and an editorial promotions assistant at The New Yorker.
Nicole Pajor Moore Creative Director
Nicole has been with INDY since 2022, before which she was a designer and creative lead in the nonprofit sector. She originally hails from southern California, but moved to Durham over 10 years ago after a stint in Brooklyn and the Catskills.
Chloe Courtney Bohl
Reporter
Chloe joined INDY in 2024 as a Report for America corps member. She writes about all things Wake County.
Lena Geller
Reporter
Lena has been covering food, housing, and politics for the INDY since 2018. She previously ran a custom cake business.
Justin Laidlaw
Reporter
Justin covers Durham for INDY. Before joining, he published a blog covering the city council, By The Horns, and worked in numerous communications roles for Triangle brands and startups.
Chase Pellegrini de Paur
Reporter
Chase covers Orange and Durham counties, K-12 education, and the delightful characters who make the Triangle special. He previously wrote for The Ninth Street Journal.
Jane Porter
Wake County Editor
Jane is a former INDY intern, staff writer, and editor-in-chief. She covers Raleigh and Wake County.
Sarah Day Owen Wiskirchen
The Line/Guides Editor
Sarah Day anchors our Western Wake newsletter, The Line, and our guides. She has worked in a variety of editorial and audience roles, including as a senior editor at USA Today and The Desert Sun.
Fayetteville Team
Maydha Devarajan
Editor in Chief
Maydha joined CityView as its managing editor in October 2023. She was previously a reporter at Facing South, and has written for the Chatham News + Record and the Raleigh News & Observer.
Valeria Cloës
Magazine Editor
Valeria joined CityView as an editorial assistant in December 2023. She previously wrote for the Chatham News + Record, Chapel Hill and Durham Magazines, Heart of NC Weddings, and the Daily Tar Heel.
Paul Woolverton
Senior Reporter
Paul came to CityView from The Fayetteville Observer, where he worked for more than 30 years covering crime, the justice system, the legislature, agriculture, and politics.
Rachel Heimann Mercader
Government Reporter
Rachel has reported in Memphis, the Bay Area (California), Naples (Florida), and Chicago, covering a wide range of stories that center community impact and institutional oversight.
Dasia Williams
Education Reporter
Dasia has investigated historically Black colleges and universities at Open Campus Media and has written for The Charlotte Observer. She was previously a digital content producer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Bill Kirby Jr.
Senior Columnist
Bill Kirby Jr. is a veteran journalist who spent 49 years as a newspaper editor, reporter and columnist covering Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and the Cape Fear Region for The Fayetteville Observer.
billkirby49@gmail.com
Border Belt Team
Sarah Nagem
Editor
Sarah edits Border Belt Independent and reports on Native American issues for The Assembly. She graduated from West Virginia University and is pursuing a master’s degree in public affairs at Duke.
Morgan Casey
Health Reporter
Morgan is a Report for America corps member covering southeastern N.C. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s in investigative journalism.
Heidi Perez-Moreno
Reporter
Heidi covers education and community affairs for BBI. She is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill and previously worked for The Washington Post.
Audience & Growth Team
Kyle Constable
Head of Product
Kyle is the head of product for The Assembly. Previously, he worked as head of audience and membership at The Connecticut Mirror. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Connecticut.
Mathias Marchington
Head of Membership
Mathias is the head of membership for The Assembly. Previously, he worked in a variety of sales and revenue roles at INDY Week, a member of The Assembly Network. He is also an illustrator and writer.
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.
Business & Operations Team
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.
Talmadge Rogers
Director of Sales
Talmadge joined CityView in May 2024. He brings extensive experience in sales and digital marketing, previously serving as a key account manager at Gannett/USA Today.
James Amato
Strategic Business Development Lead
James is a strategist, growth leader, and storyteller who helps mission-driven organizations unlock what’s within to fuel innovation and community prosperity.
Jessica Schell
Account Executive
Jes Schell is a high-energy sales professional with two decades of experience driving growth across media, beverage, and brand marketing. She believes smart storytelling and strong sales can solve almost any business challenge.
Dawn Denham
Account Executive
Dawn is a lifelong resident of Fayetteville and has been in the marketing and advertising industry since 2000. She began her career with The Fayetteville Observer.
Sharon Moyer
Director of Regional Philanthropy & Partnerships
Sharon, a Michigan native, has lived in Fayetteville since 1987. She was previously the community engagement administrator at the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County.
Chelsey Varela
Director of Operations
Chelsey, a native of Asheboro, joined The Assembly after 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.
Caitlin Malson
Operations Coordinator
Caitlin previously worked in photo production at MillerKnoll. A Fayetteville native and a graduate of Terry Sanford High School and UNC Charlotte, she now lives in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Board of Directors
Adam Abram
Matt Cullinan
John Drescher
John Hashimoto
Adrienne Johnson Martin
Tim Sullivan
Ford Worthy
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