The National Press Foundation has selected 35 journalists from across the country to participate in the 2026 Local Business Journalism Fellowship. Fellows will travel to Washington, D.C., April 26-29, and have exclusive briefings with economists, small business owners and other experts. This four-day training will give the local reporters the opportunity to dive into the business infrastructure across America today and what policies and practices fuel stability and growth for companies large and small in their own communities.
The fellows report in over 20 states and represent public media, nonprofit newsrooms, business journals and major metro dailies.
The journalists are:
Dave Algase | Ann Arbor Observer | Michigan
Neetish Basnet | Puget Sound Business Journal | Washington
Benjamin Berke | Ocean State Media | Rhode Island
Celisa Calacal | KCUR 89.3 | Missouri
Alexander Castro | Rhode Island Current | Rhode Island
Robert Chaney | Mountain Journal | Montana
Connor Chomicki | Business Journals – Columbus | Ohio
Irene Díaz-Bazán | Prensa Atlanta | Georgia
Neenma Ebeledike | Sacramento Observer | California
Maria Figueroa | The Modesto Bee | California
Ryan Geller | The Vallejo Sun | California
Sruthi Gopalakrishnan | Concord Monitor | New Hampshire
Piper Hansen | Lexington Herald-Leader | Kentucky
Emma Hurt | Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Georgia
Wendell Hutson | Chicago Business Journal/American City Business Journals | Illinois
Myesha Johnson | Detroit News | Michigan
Wambui Kamau | WYPR | Maryland
Hannah Kanik | San Francisco Business Times | California
Maria Lawson | Dallas Business Journal | Texas
La Risa Lynch | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Wisconsin
Melody Mercado | Block Club Chicago | Illinois
Margo Milanowski | Evanston RoundTable | Illinois
Daniel Munoz | The Bergen Record/USA Today Network | New Jersey
Melanie Nguyen | Sacramento Business Journal | California
Bryant Pitcher | KMOV | Missouri
Liam Rappleye | Detroit Free Press | Michigan
Isabel Sami | LA Business First/ACBJ | California
Cara Setzer | Dakota News Now | South Dakota
Kevin Smith | The New York Business Journal | New York
Jen Solomon | Gray Media (WVIR 29NEWS) | Virginia
Bryan Vance | Stumptown Savings | Oregon
Helena Wegner | Phoenix Business Journal | Arizona
Theo Wells-Spackman | VTDigger | Vermont
Patrick Williams | Akron Beacon Journal/USA Today Network | Ohio
Sarah Wolf | The Columbian | Washington
This fellowship is sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a continuation of a journalism training and award program launched in 2025. The National Press Foundation is solely responsible for its content.
