IRE's Directors

Mark Horvit, Executive Director
Mark Horvit became IRE's executive director in January 2008. A longtime IRE member and native of Texas, Horvit most recently served as projects editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. His journalism career includes reporting and editing duties at The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.), Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times, The Houston Post, Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune and The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer before joining the Star-Telegram, where he worked both as a reporter and an editor. Email:

Jeremy Milarsky, Database Library Director
Jeremy Milarsky is the Database Library director for IRE and NICAR. Milarsky started working for newspapers shortly after getting his driver's license and became involved in Internet journalism before the days of the World Wide Web (at a dial-up, computerized, bulletin-board-system news service). Much of his career was spent at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, where he worked as a reporter, news researcher and finally as a manager in the newsroom library. Most recently, Milarsky took a short hiatus from journalism to concentrate on Web programming. Working with data to find interesting stories, and discovering new and different ways of telling them, is his passion. Email:

Doug Haddix, Training Director
Doug Haddix joined IRE as training director in September 2008. He worked as projects editor at The Columbus Dispatch for 10 years, overseeing an investigation of Ohio’s flawed DNA-testing system for inmates claiming innocence and a project that uncovered gaping holes in the safety net for disciplining teachers statewide. His team also has investigated mortgage fraud, rogue school-bus drivers, and the growing global market for counterfeit goods. Previously, he worked as an editor in Scranton, Pa., and Danville, Ill. He has a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University. Email:

Jaimi Dowdell, Training Director
Jaimi Dowdell joined IRE as Training Director in October 2008. Before that she was computer-assisted reporting editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for more than three years. Her duties included obtaining and analyzing data for daily and long-term stories; training staff on CAR and investigative techniques; and maintaining the newspaper’s online data center. In addition to her work at the Post-Dispatch, she taught a CAR course for Washington University in St. Louis. Previously she worked at IRE and NICAR in the Database Library and Resource Center while completing her master’s degree at the University of Missouri. Email:

Beth Kopine, Resource Center Director
Beth Kopine is the Eugene S. Pulliam research director for IRE. As such, she coordinates the collection, indexing and archiving of research materials within a center that now includes more than 23,250 investigative stories and 3,000 reporter tipsheets. She also coordinates the processing of the entries in the annual IRE awards program. She previously served as visual resources curator for the art history and archaeology department at the University of Missouri. She has a master’s degree in library and information science and is active in the local True/False Film Festival. Email:

Staff Biographies

John Green, IRE Membership Coordinator
As Membership Coordinator, John Green administers member services, periodical subscriptions and directs office personnel. He previously served as video producer and office manager for another journalism nonprofit, New Directions for News. Prior to that, Green served as a financial counselor and special projects coordinator for a Mississippi Gulf Coast hospital and ran his own business in mid-Missouri. Email:

Steve Weinberg, Senior Contributing Editor, The IRE Journal
Steve Weinberg, a former executive director of IRE, is a book author, freelance magazine writer, book reviewer and editor. He teaches journalism at the University of Missouri and is the senior contributing editor of The IRE Journal. His books include the well-regarded "Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques." He is a frequent expert witness for defendant media organizations that have been sued for libel or other alleged news-related transgressions. As a 1997-98 Alicia Patterson Fellow, Weinberg is researching a biography of Ida Tarbell. Email:

David Herzog, Academic Adviser to NICAR
David Herzog is an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, where he teaches CAR. He serves as the academic adviser to NICAR and is managing editor of Uplink, the institute's newsletter. He is also the author of "Mapping the News: Case Studies in GIS and Journalism." He has been an investigative reporter for The Providence Journal in Rhode Island and the computer-assisted reporting editor at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa. Email:

Jennifer Erickson, Development Officer
Jennifer Erickson, development officer for IRE, coordinates IRE's fundraising efforts, including IRE's $5 million endowment drive, "Breakthroughs." She also assists with program development for IRE's training seminars and conferences. She came to IRE after serving as executive director and doing fundraising for VSA arts of Missouri, a statewide, nonprofit organization. Prior to that, she was an award-winning teacher, working as the arts specialist at Stephens College Children's School, while pursuing a graduate degree in history at the University of Missouri. Erickson is a graduate of Penn State University and has attended and spoken at multiple workshops, seminars and conferences on best practices in fundraising and development. Email:

Stephanie Sinn, Senior conference coordinator
Stephanie Sinn serves as senior conference coordinator for IRE and NICAR. She handles site selection, hotel negotiations and speaker arrangements for national and regional conferences. She also handles on-the-road training logistics, oversees the administration of the Computer-Assisted Reporting Boot Camps and other specialized training seminars and maintains IRE's events calendar. Before joining IRE, Sinn worked for the University of Missouri’s School of Social Work, planning their special events and managing their office operations. She previously worked for Pearson Government Solutions. Email:

Contact

IRE, Inc., or NICAR, Inc.
141 Neff Annex
Missouri School of Journalism
Columbia, MO 65211

Office hours: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. (central), Monday-Friday.

IRE main line: 573-882-2042
Database Library: 573-884-7711
Resource Center: 573-882-3364
IRE Store Orders: 573-882-3364
Membership: 573-882-2772
Subscriptions: 573-882-2772
Publications/Ads: 573-884-2175

IRE Fax: 573-882-5431

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