Dan Barrick, News Director
Dan serves as NHPR's News Director and also directs NHPR's State of Democracy initiative, which explores how politics and public policy decisions affect the lives of Granite Staters. Before joining NHPR in 2015, Dan was deputy director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, an independent, non-partisan think tank.
He worked previously as an editor and reporter at the Concord Monitor.
Casey McDermott, Data/Investigations Reporter
Casey covers government accountability and other political and policy topics for State of Democracy.
Prior to joining NHPR, Casey worked at The Concord Monitor and held internships at ProPublica, the Student Press Law Center and the Chronicle of Higher Education. She studied journalism and sociology at Penn State but spent most of her days (and nights) in the newsroom of the independent student newspaper, The Daily Collegian. The Collegian was recognized nationally for its work during Casey's time as its managing editor and editor-in-chief.
You can read Casey's work right here.
Lauren Chooljian, Politics and Policy reporter
Lauren is lead political reporter for the State of Democracy project.
Before joining NHPR in 2017, Lauren spent nearly six years as a reporter, producer and fill-in host for WBEZ in Chicago. Most recently, she covered City Hall and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration.
Her reporting has earned her awards from the Associated Press and a regional Murrow Award. In 2014, her voice was featured on a best-of list in the Chicago Tribune culture section for its “unpretentious, Peppermint Patty scratchiness,” which her family especially appreciated.
Lauren graduated with a BA in History from Saint Anselm College and has a Master of Science in Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she was also an adjunct lecturer. Her work as been featured on NPR, Marketplace, Here and Now, and in The Washington Post, among others.
Lauren is a proud New Hampshire native, born and raised in Hampstead.
Rebecca Lavoie, Digital Director
Rebecca oversees NHPR's website, digital content, social media, digital-only projects and mobile applications. She works with reporters, program staff, and NHPR's State of Democracy unit to create quality journalism on the web.
In 2010 Rebecca made the transition to radio from her career as a freelance writer and public relations consultant. The co-author of four nonfiction true crime books, she has written countless articles for local and national print and online publications including the Concord Monitor, New Hampshire Magazine, Around Concord, Newsweek, Playboy Magazine, and Playboy.com.
Sara Plourde, Digital Producer/Designer
Sara has been a part of the NHPR Digital team since 2011, when she began volunteering in New Media, later joining the station as Associate Producer in Digital Media, and finally transitioning into the role of Digital Producer & Designer.
Sara's work in the State of Democracy unit revolves around designing and reporting infographics, creating digital interfaces, and working on in-depth data visualizations. Prior to joining NHPR, Sara worked as a books reviewer for Broken Pencil Magazine (Toronto, ON), theater designer, and high school teacher. Outside of work, she enjoys gaming, reading, and bookbinding.
