Fort Worth Star-Telegram staff directory: Meet the journalists here to serve you

Hello! The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is our region's No. 1 source for local news, sports and entertainment. We're proud of our newspaper's nearly 120 years of history. Today, our mission of accountability journalism has never been stronger.

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Steve Coffman | Editor & president

Steve has more than 30 years of experience in the news business, starting as a reporter and working in a variety of editing roles in New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas and Texas. Email Steve.

NEWS:

Matt Adams | Accountability reporter

Matt covers a variety of issues in Fort Worth, Tarrant County and North Texas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel, and he enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025. Email Matt.

Elizabeth Campbell | Government reporter

With her guide dog Freddie, Liz keep tabs on growth, economic development and other issues in Northeast Tarrant cities and other communities near Fort Worth. She has been a reporter at the Star-Telegram for 34 years. Email Liz.

Emerson Clarridge | Breaking news reporter

Emerson covers crime, courts, law enforcement and other breaking news in Tarrant County. He previously was a reporter at the Omaha World-Herald and the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y. Email Emerson.

Lillie Davidson | Breaking news reporter

Lillie is a breaking news reporter who is graduating from TCU in 2025 with a journalism degree (Go Frogs!). She enjoys spending time with her family and two dogs, and can complete a crossword in five minutes. Email Lillie.

Eleanor Dearman | Texas politics/government reporter

Elly is based in Austin where she covers the Texas Legislature, executive branch and state politics. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter since 2016. Email Elly.

Brayden Garcia | Service journalism reporter

Brayden is a service journalism reporter who answers readers’ questions and provides essential information about navigating life in North Texas. He is a University of Texas at Arlington graduate who previously covered education in Dallas. Email Brayden.

Ella Gonzales | Service journalism reporter

Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter who is part of a team that answers reader questions about life in North Texas, including how the weather affects our lives, history and everything in between. Email Ella.

Jake Harris | Service journalism editor

Jake leads the Star-Telegram team of reporters who strive to answer your questions and help you navigate life in North Texas. He has spent more than 10 years working as a digital producer across newsrooms in Texas. He occasionally writes concert reviews and covers pop culture news. Email Jake.

Emily Holshouser | News reporter

Emily joined the Star-Telegram in 2025 and covers local government, neighborhoods, businesses and institutions. Email Emily.

Tiffani Jackson | Service journalism reporter

Tiffani is a service journalism reporter who is part of a team that answers reader questions about life in North Texas. Email Tiffani.

Tom Johanningmeier | Managing editor

Tom oversees government and political coverage. He previously was a sports editor, directing coverage of the Texas Rangers, TCU and the Big 12, NASCAR and high schools. He got his start covering sports in the Panhandle city of Borger. Email Tom.

Matt Leclercq | Senior managing editor

Matt previously was an editor at USA Today in Washington, a national news editor at Gatehouse Media based in Austin, and executive editor of The Fayetteville (NC) Observer. He’s a New Orleans native. Email Matt.

Harrison Mantas | Government reporter

Harrison has covered the city of Fort Worth’s government, politics, neighborhoods and people since September 2021, with a focus on accountability journalism. Email Harrison.

Ciara McCarthy | Health reporter

Ciara covers health and wellness as part of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. She came to Fort Worth after three years in Victoria, Texas, at the Victoria Advocate. Her focus is on equipping people and communities with information they need to make decisions about their lives and well-being. Email Ciara.

Amanda McCoy | Visuals editor

Amanda produces daily and documentary videos and leads our visuals team. Before moving to Fort Worth in 2018, she spent 11 years telling the stories of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. She is a Michigan native and graduate of Michigan State University. Email Amanda.

Amy McDaniel | Breaking news editor

Amy leads the breaking news team as well as reporters covering K-12 and early childhood education. Email Amy.

Kamal Morgan | Racial equity reporter

Kamal covers racial equity issues as part of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. He came to Texas from the Pensacola News Journal in Florida where he covered race, gender, class and marginalized communities. A Baltimore native, Kamal enjoys movies, buying books that can’t fit on his bookshelf, and going to museums. Email Kamal.

Harriet Ramos | Breaking news reporter

Harriet covers crime and other breaking news, as well as a variety of general assignment topics. Email Harriet.

Shambhavi Rimal | Breaking news reporter

Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and breaking news. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal but now resides in Irving. Email Shambhavi.

Rachel Royster | Government reporter

Rachel is a news and government reporter focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. Email Rachel.

Lina Ruiz | Early childhood education reporter

Lina covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas as part of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast newspapers. Email Lina.

Steve Wilson | Platforms editor

Steve is a Fort Worth native who works with editors and reporters to tell stories in the best possible way using his knowledge of storytelling technology. He is also an avid cook and foodie and helps cover the local food scene. In fact, he’s a certified barbecue judge with the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Email Steve.

SPORTS:

Jim Barnes | Sports editor

Jim is the Star-Telegram's sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was the sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Email Jim.

Charles Baggarly | High school sports editor

Charles leads our team’s coverage of North Texas high school sports. He graduated from TCU in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and served as TCU 360’s sports editor. Email Charles.

Lawrence Dow | Digital sports reporter

Lawrence covers a variety of sports news and trends, including the Texas Rangers. He is from Philadelphia and graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from USC. Lawrence is passionate about movies and is always looking for a great book. Email Lawrence.

Mac Engel | Columnist

Mac is an award-winning columnist who has covered sports since the dawn of man, including Cowboys, TCU, Stars, Rangers and Mavericks. He combines dry wit with first-person reporting to complement an annoying personality. Email Mac.

Nick Harris | Dallas Cowboys

Nick worked four years in college football recruiting before joining DallasCowboys.com as a reporter in 2022. He started at the Star-Telegram in September 2024. Email Nick.

Steven Johnson | TCU Horned Frogs

Steven covers the TCU Horned Frogs athletic program. Email Steven.

OPINION:

To send a letter to the editor, go here.

Cynthia M. Allen | Opinion writer

Cynthia joined the Star-Telegram editorial board in 2014 after a decade of working in government and public affairs in Washington, D.C. Email Cynthia.

Bud Kennedy | Opinion writer

Bud is a 54-year Texas journalist and 39-year Star-Telegram columnist and restaurant writer. He has covered two Super Bowls, a presidential inauguration, seven Republican and Democratic national conventions and 19 Texas Legislature sessions. Bud’s “Eats Beat” dining column has covered the North Texas restaurant scene since 1985, and online since 1992. He has written more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat. Email Bud.

Ryan J. Rusak | Opinion editor

Ryan leads our team of opinion writers and the Star-Telegram editorial board. He grew up in Benbrook and is a TCU graduate. He spent more than 15 years as a political journalist, overseeing coverage of four presidential elections and several sessions of the Texas Legislature. Ryan writes about Fort Worth/Tarrant County politics and government, along with Texas and national politics, education, social and cultural issues, and occasionally sports, music and pop culture. He lives in east Fort Worth. Email Ryan.