Once Minnesota won the bid for Super Bowl LII, the lengthy and complicated planning process began, led by the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee. This editor's letter-and-story combo, featured in the Winter 2017 issue of Minnesota Meetings + Events, covered what went into preparing for Super Bowl LII, how local businesses could get involved and the potential economic impact the Super Bowl could yield for Minnesota tourism.

This Editor's Letter & article combo (make sure to pan down to see both stories) revolved around MPI's 2014 World Education Congress in Minneapolis. It's a huge responsibility and opportunity in and of itself for Minneapolis to host this massive national event, but Meet Minneapolis and the local chapter of MPI teamed up to take it to a whole new level by launching a completely original CSR program representative of the local volunteer-rich community. The Editor's Letter won the Gold Publishing Excellence Award for Best Editor's Editorial in the Minnesota Magazine and Publishing Association (MMPA) in 2015.

The Editor's Letter I wrote in the Spring 2014 issue of Minnesota Meetings + Events took second place in the 2014 Minnesota Magazine & Publishing Association Awards in the Business/Trade Under 30,000 circulation category. The editorial was a humorous take on my local ties to the issue, which highlighted a modeling gig I did for my boss' side business, my experience as an event server at a local Greek restaurant, my connection to a local Hall of Fame inductee and my feelings about my former neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis blowing up into an event hot spot.

This Editor's Letter I wrote in the Winter 2014 issue of Minnesota Meetings + Events won the Gold Award in the 2014 Minnesota Magazine & Publishing Association Awards' Business/Trade Under 30,000 circulation category. The editorial was about how Minneapolis is growing into a popular national event destination--attracting a notable national event lineup in 2014, which included the MLB All-Star Game--in a large part thanks to the efforts of Meet Minneapolis.

My editor's note in the November 2011 issue of Maple Grove Magazine covered a topic close to my heart: type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder only about a year prior to writing this, so it was therapeutic for me to not only write this editorial, but also the corresponding story about local teens living with the same disease.

Prefacing the annual Prep Elite cover feature, this editor's note in the August 2011 issue of Maple Grove Magazine cautions high school athletes not to pursue dreams of a pro athletic career if it comes at the cost of letting academic efforts and a higher education slide.

The editor's note I wrote in the May 2011 issue of Maple Grove Magazine connected with our annual pet guide cover story. Max, our family dog, was my subject, identified through this editorial as more of brother than simply a dog. Especially in suburbs like Maple Grove, this relationship was common and identifiable to our readership.

The Crimson Crazies brand was created by a couple of friends and I as students at Maple Grove High School. This editor's note reflects on that experience and a tradition that has endured since the late 90s, while also introducing Maple Grove Magazine's August 2010 Prep Elite cover feature.

This editor's note in the May 2015 issue of Maple Grove Magazine allowed me the opportunity to reminisce on my childhood home in Maple Grove, tying into our main Homes feature. My local roots gave me a fortunate connection with a very responsive and engaging readership.

My editor's note in the March 2010 issue of Maple Grove Magazine summed up the difficult task I faced when profiling Jim Reynolds, a beloved community ambassador who died of a brain aneurysm a year prior.

This editor's note in the August 2009 issue of Maple Grove Magazine prefaced my first of three annual Prep Elite cover features in three years. I spent time with the student athletes on and off the field (as you can see in the photo), and one thing they all had in common was purity.

This story in the May 2009 issue of Maple Grove Magazine covered the importance of the Osseo Maple Grove Basketball Association to the local community and the challenges the nonprofit association faced with limited gym time.

In my regular Faribault Daily News column, I covered the Wanamingo Bulldogs Granny Basketball team and its ambitions to expand into a local league. It's fair to say I've never witnessed anything like this. It was an inspiration to cover such lively, passionate women who truly love the game.

This Faribault Daily News sports column gave readers an exclusive look behind the curtains at the locally (and nationally, considering all the NHL players participating) famous Shattuck alumni game. It's the only prep alumni game where you'll find a 70-year-old along the boards with an NHL All-Star, and this column captured both perspectives.