As a student, I interned as a reporter at the Sun Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and the Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Ore., among several other publications.

After graduating in 2007, I was hired full time at the Sun Sentinel as a community news reporter. I later moved on to the municipal and public safety beats, covering everything from bank robberies to the start of turtle nesting season.

Drew Hansen comes to Patch after spending the last six years working in newspapers, most recently in the sports department at the Washington Times. Prior to that, he worked at two smaller daily papers in Central Virginia — the (Charlottesville) Daily Progress and the Culpeper Star-Exponent.

Drew graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004 and cut his teeth as a reporter at the Badger Herald, the nation's largest independent student newspaper. Go Badgers!

Sharon McLoone has been a journalist for about 20 years. Most recently, she's covered issues of interest to small business and entrepreneurs for The Washington Post, New York Times, CNN.com as well as smaller more specialized publications. McLoone also spent some time covering Capitol Hill. She spends a lot of time enjoying the neighborhoods of Old Town and Del Ray with her family.

Alex joins Patch after several years working in the business conference and tradeshow industry, specializing in helping businesses find the best routes to market.

Originally from the Chicago area, Alex is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

He is excited about bringing the power of digital advertising and Patch's value proposition to local businesses. To find out about advertising with Patch he can be reached at 917-534-5049 or alex.sandberg@patch.com.

Jake comes to Patch after spending a little over one year with Questex Media as a Digital Sales Manager in the travel industry, and close to three years with The Washington Post as an Account Manager. He was raised in Grand Haven, MI and currently resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife of three years.

He is a graduate of Central Michigan University where he studied journalism, advertising, and marketing.

As an Advertising Manager, he is excited to meet and partner with local businesses. You can reach him at jake.vanwoerkom@patch.com or on his cell phone - 703-957-8704

I am interning with both Georgetown and Arlington Patch for Spring 2013. Currently, I am finishing my Bachelors degree in print journalism from George Fox University in Oregon, and I have the grand opportunity to spend my last semester at the Washington Journalism Center (WJC). WJC is a semester long program, running through the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, that matches young journalists with publications in the D.C. area. 

I am very eager to call Georgetown and Arlington my current home and I look forward to reporting local stories. 

Mark Blacknell is a long time Arlington resident and cyclist.  Deciding to move beyond the personal evangelization of cycling and get more involved in advocating for improved infrastructure and conditions for all, he serves as Chair of the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee and on the board of directors for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

Phil Meyer is Professor Emeritus in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame in Journalism in the spring of 2008.  He joined the Journalism School in 1981 and served as Knight Chair in Journalism Professor from 1993-2008.  Prior to joining the school, he held a number of reporter and research positions at various media outlets. 

He has won numerous awards including the 2005 Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for Research About Journalism (with Scott Maier). He was named a Fellow of Society of Professional Journalists in 2005. In 2004, the Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave him its Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award. And in 2000 he received the American Association for Public Opinion Research Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement.

Meyer is the author of several books including The Vanishing Newspaper:  Saving Journalism in the Information Age and Precision Journalism:  A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods.  Journalism Quarterly in 2000 listed this book as one of the 35 significant books of the 20th century in journalism and mass communication; and the American Association for Public Opinion Research, observing its 50th anniversary in 1996, listed it as one of 50 significant books on public opinion research.

He received his B.S. in technical journalism from Kansas State University and his M.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina.

Steven Berlin Johnson is a pioneer in the web world, as a co-founder of FEED, Plastic.com, and Outside.in, which was acquired by Patch in March of 2011. He also co-created Findings.com, which launched in late 2011. Steven was the 2009 Hearst New Media Professional-in-Residence at The Journalism School at Columbia University, and served for several years as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU’s Journalism School. He is a bestselling author of seven books, and won acclaim and a Newhouse School Mirror Award for his 2010 Time Magazine cover story, "How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live." 

Speaking of Steven's editorial prowess, check out this video based on Steven's book, Where Good Ideas Come From, which was named one of the best books of 2010 by The Economist.

Brian was Editor-in-Chief of Time Out New York magazine before coming to Patch. Before that he worked for a variety of publications both online and off, including Details magazine, New York Magazine, and the old, dearly departed Sidewalk.com. He has written for numerous publications, from the New York Times magazine to Harper's Bazaar. He graduated from Bowdoin College and got an MFA in creative writing at Columbia University so he could put his novel in a drawer with distinction. He lives in Manhattan with his beautiful wife, adorable son, angelic daughter and the world's most dog-like cat. He’s proud as hell of what the Patch team has built.

Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and in Washington, D.C.

Previously, Paulson served as the editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today.  He is now a columnist on USA Today’s board of contributors, writing about First Amendment issues and the news media.

Throughout his career, Paulson has drawn on his background as both a journalist and lawyer, serving as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five different states.

He also is past-president of the American Society of News Editors, the nation’s largest organization of news media leaders.

Paulson also was the host of the Emmy-honored television program “Speaking Freely,” seen in more than 60 PBS markets nationwide over five seasons, and the author of "Freedom Sings," a multimedia stage show celebrating the First Amendment that continues to tour the nation's campuses.  

He was an early advocate of making newspaper content available online, launching online newspapers in both Florida and New York in 1993.

For 12 years, Paulson was a regular guest lecturer at the American Press Institute, speaking to more than 5,000 journalists about First Amendment issues. He was honored with the API Lifetime Service Award. In 2010 and 2011, he served as chair of the PBS Editorial Standards Review Committee.

In 2007, Paulson was named fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists, “the highest honor SPJ bestows upon a journalist for extraordinary contributions to the profession.” In 2008, he  received the Robert S. Abbott Memorial Award for Meritorious Service in Mass Communications from the Southern Regional Press Institute. He has also been elected to the Illini Publishing Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois.

He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School. In 2008, he received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from American University.