WHO WE ARE

Brittney Butler is a global and public health professional with extensive experience transforming data into compelling narratives concerning social determinants of health.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science from the University of California, San Francisco. Her research and translational science work spans health economics and policy, including conducting cost-effectiveness analyses of health interventions in rural Nepal, analyzing the real-time impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in the United States and investigating the effects of prescribed fires on vulnerable populations in California. At Meta’s Data for Good initiative, Brittney managed global partnerships and collaborated with international organizations like the United Nations and World Health Organization to craft impactful case studies illustrating how movement data informs and optimizes real-time humanitarian aid efforts.

A common thread in Brittney’s work is her unwavering commitment to uplifting underserved communities. Across all her roles, she has mobilized grassroots efforts and engaged diverse stakeholders, fostering collaborative partnerships to drive transformative and enduring improvements in community health.

Nicole Carroll is executive director of NEWSWELL and a professor of practice at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is an alumna of the Cronkite School and an inductee to its Hall of Fame. Carroll has more than three decades of journalism experience and a track record of success in leading newsrooms. As top editor of The Arizona Republic, where she spent almost 20 years, Carroll led a project on the proposed U.S. border wall that won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize. She also led breaking news coverage recognized as Pulitzer Prize finalists in 2012 and 2014. Carroll was named editor-in-chief of USA Today in 2018. That same year, she was named the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation. After serving as top editor at USA TODAY for five years, Carroll joined ASU Media Enterprise to establish NEWSWELL and help transform local news. Carroll is a member of the Pulitzer Prize board and hosts its Pulitzer on the Road podcast. She earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 1996 and her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arizona State University in 1991.

Venita Hawthorne James has spent most of her career at the intersection of local news and people development. In various editing and executive roles at The Arizona Republic, she oversaw the expansion of suburban bureaus, launched new community papers and websites in the regions surrounding Phoenix and ran the breaking news operation. She developed emerging and experienced journalists, initiating and launching a journalists-in-training program on foundational work. She took that experience to the journalism faculty at the vaunted Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. There, Hawthorne James helped develop and launch a civility course, worked as a director in the Cronkite News program in Phoenix and as a managing editor for the Carnegie-Knight News 21 multimedia project. She also taught beginning and intermediate reporting and writing to first-year students as well as sophomore, junior and graduate students. 

Christina Leonard is the director of operations and transformation at NEWSWELL. She joined the nonprofit in August 2024 after spending a decade at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication as a professor of practice. Previously, she served as the executive editor of Cronkite News, the student-produced news division of Arizona PBS, and of News21, a national investigative project headquartered at the Cronkite School. She also oversaw the Reynolds Business Bureau at Cronkite News. Leonard joined the Cronkite School after 17 years as a reporter and editor for The Arizona Republic. Her leadership roles included serving as state and county political editor, assistant business editor and editor-in-chief of two business magazines, Arizona Woman and bizAZ. She serves as the faculty adviser for the ASU student chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, and she has served in numerous leadership roles in the AAJA professional chapter in Arizona. Leonard graduated with a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from ASU. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma.  

As director of product and innovation, Sapna Satagopan works across NEWSWELL properties and ASU centers and schools to grow and engage users of our news products while advancing innovative projects that propel the industry forward. Satagopan was most recently the senior director of product at CalMatters. Satagopan believes in democratizing access to the news and in building impactful news products. Prior to CalMatters, she co-founded Xyza: News for Kids, a subscription news platform for young readers. Her professional career began in technology consulting, followed by roles in strategy, research, and consumer insights at digital and branding agencies. Satagopan has an MBA from UC Davis along with degrees in Physics and Linguistics. 

Josh Susong is director of investigative journalism ventures, working to help our local newsrooms seek accountability in their communities. He came to NEWSWELL from USA TODAY, where he was senior editor for enterprise, overseeing national correspondents and leading investigative narrative reporting. A graduate of University of Southern California, he worked at the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News, then spent 16 years as an editor at The Arizona Republic, where he led the news staff and the investigative, data and storytelling teams. He was the lead content editor for the newsroom’s report on the proposed border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, a project that won the Pulitzer Prize. He has also been a contributing editor for three other projects selected as Pulitzer finalists, and edited stories that won top honors from Scripps Howard, SPJ and other awards. 

A veteran editor and newsroom manager, B.J. Terhune previously worked at the Los Angeles Times, where she was assistant managing editor for news. She created and led a department that covered breaking news and trending topics. Her team was among the L.A. Times staff recognized as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2023 for breaking news, and she has shared in two other Pulitzers in that category. She also has worked at the Orange County Register, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Orlando Sentinel, among other news organizations. Terhune is an alumna of Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, where she is also a member of the Advisory Council for the College of Journalism and Communications. 

Julia Thompson is the director of audience and membership at NEWSWELL. She is also a professor of practice and Cronkite News managing editor of digital at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. 

She has worked in newsrooms as a senior editor and digital director, including at USA TODAY, The Arizona Republic, Des Moines Register and Tallahassee Democrat. At The Arizona Republic, Thompson was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for explanatory reporting on the proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall. 

Thompson also served as the city of Mesa’s first chief digital officer and holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Missouri.