Our Team
Local journalism is a public service. It takes a village to inform, report, and share vital local news.
Directors
As a worker-self-directed nonprofit, this core (part-time) team leads our democratic workplace.
Abigail Higgins
abigailhiggins@51st.newsAbigail moved to D.C. after almost a decade as a foreign correspondent in East Africa. She’s worked as an editor at DCist and WAMU, a regular contributor to the Washington Post, and has investigated corporate landlords and forced labor. She’s the First Vice President of the National Writers Union and trains incarcerated writers and community journalists. On days off she’s usually biking the C&O Canal Trail, hiking Rock Creek, or escaping to the Delaware shore with a book. Get to know Abigail more through her staff Q&A and her writing.
Christina Sturdivant Sani
christinasturdivantsani@51st.newsChristina is a freelance writer, editor, and proud Washington, D.C. native. As a former staff writer at DCist, Christina wrote more than 1,600 breaking news stories on politics, transportation, education, policing, food, and entertainment, among other topics. She has freelanced for nearly two dozen publications including The Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, Washington City Paper, Zagat, PBS, and CityLab. Many of her feature stories highlight Black life and culture in the District and unpack issues faced by marginalized communities. She studied print journalism at Hampton University. You’re likely to spot her working remotely at your favorite D.C.-area coffee shop. Get to know Christina more through her staff Q&A and her writing.
Colleen Grablick
colleengrablick@51st.newsColleen called D.C. home for nearly eight years. She began her local journalism career at Street Sense Media before working as a general assignment reporter at DCist and WAMU, where she covered everything from public health, to local elections, to what residents overheard in the city. After DCist shuttered, she freelanced for The Washington Post and worked at the D.C. institution, Capitol Hill Books. She currently lives in New York, where she’s pursuing a graduate degree in creative writing. Get to know Colleen more through her staff Q&A and her writing.
Eric Falquero
ericfalquero@51st.newsEric has lived in D.C. longer than anywhere else in his life. Before his journalism career, he worked for food trucks, bars, and Trader Joe’s (when there was only one in the District). He spent a decade collaborating with residents experiencing homelessness to amplify their voices and report on poverty for Street Sense Media. He went on to build partnerships and projects for WAMU/DCist with other local news organizations. In his free time, he contributes to his neighborhood compost co-op and can often be found at music venues or watching birds at parks such as Hains Point, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and Rock Creek. Get to know Eric more through his staff Q&A and his writing.
Maddie Poore
maddiepoore@51st.newsMaddie has called D.C. home for almost a decade. She worked at WAMU for six years and during her time there she launched and ran the DCist membership program. Bridging the space between editorial and fundraising, she’s passionate about local journalism that improves the lives of people in D.C. Outside of work she enjoys co-hosting Flower Potluck DMV, swimming with friends at Banneker, and foraging for snacks from fruit trees. Get to know Maddie more through her staff Q&A and her writing.
Natalie Delgadillo
nataliedelgadillo@51st.newsNatalie has lived in four different neighborhoods and three different quadrants of D.C. across her near-decade in the city. She’s been covering her adopted home as a local journalist since 2018, and was previously the managing editor of DCist. Before that, she was a bilingual journalist covering environmental justice and immigration issues for English and Spanish language publications. You can usually find her roaming bookstores across the city, sitting in local coffee shops on sunny days, or eating tacos at one of several great spots on 14th. Get to know Natalie more through her staff Q&A and her writing.
Teresa Frontado
teresafrontado@51st.newsTeresa moved to D.C. two years ago to be the executive editor at WAMU/DCist. She has since become obsessed with documenting the city's seasonal changes on her Instagram account. She dragged her dog through the tidal basin at 6 a.m. to see the cherry blossoms (twice), loves Rock Creek Park and the National Arboretum, and is permanently surprised by the resilience of flowers in the district (you can find them everywhere). Teresa is an award-winning journalist and editor with over 20 years of experience helping newsrooms navigate the complexities of multiplatform publishing. She has led newsrooms in Florida, Texas, and the DMV. Get to know Teresa more through her staff Q&A and her writing.
Contributors
We regularly collaborate with local freelancers. This is a non-exhaustive list of people we have worked with most recently.
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