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 previously covered environment, health, and labor for Mother Jones, Grist, and The American Prospect, and got her start in local news in New Jersey.
John Drescher
Contributing 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.
Taylor Le
Creative Director
Taylor is a multidisciplinary creative and the design director at the Los Angeles Times. Her design and imagery have earned recognition from the Society of Publication Designers, National Magazine Awards, the Art Director’s Club, Folio, and Photo District News.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Emily Cataneo
Matt Hartman
Sayaka Matsuoka
Barry Yeoman
Copyeditors
Sara Abrons
Katie Kosma
Leah McCann
Iza Wojciechowska
Growth & Operations Team
Paige Ladisic
Product and Growth Director
Paige is not a Tar Heel born but is certainly a Tar Heel bred. She previously led advertising and agency services as the director of sales and strategy at UNC’s The Daily Tar Heel, and worked in audience engagement at McClatchy and The Charlotte Observer.
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.
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.
Andrew Whiteley
Ad Sales Representative
Andrew joined The Assembly as a sales representative after starting his career in corporate recruiting. Andrew is a Raleigh native and attended Clemson University, where he studied German and international business.
Senior Financial Adviser
Ford Worthy
Board of Directors
Adam Abram
Matt Cullinan
John Hashimoto
Adrienne Johnson Martin
The Assembly is a for-profit company that is currently raising funds to support its expansion. Founders and employees own a majority of the company’s stock.
The Assembly also benefits from several philanthropic partnerships. Support from The Carolina Beacon, a 501(c)(3) in the state, has enabled our regional work in Wilmington. The Knight Foundation is a Beacon supporter. Support for our partnership with INDY is provided by Scalawag Magazine.
For more information or questions about our finances, please contact Kyle Villemain at kyle@theassemblync.com.
