The early bird deadline for 
IRE Staff
Diana R. Fuentes
Executive Director
Diana R. Fuentes was named IRE's executive director in April 2021. She oversees training, conferences and services for 6,000 members worldwide, and for programs including the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR).
She most recently was deputy metro editor of the San Antonio Express-News, overseeing a team of reporters who cover government, courts, diversity issues, the environment and history, among other duties. She has more than 30 years of journalism experience, from police reporter and statehouse bureau chief to editor and publisher.
A second-generation Texan who's fluent in Spanish, Fuentes has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Lauren Grandestaff
Deputy Executive Director
Lauren Grandestaff oversees multiple teams and manages the programming for IRE's events, including its three major conferences. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology with an emphasis on queer theory and social inequalities and a master’s degree in library science with an emphasis on inequitable access to information, both from the University of Missouri. Lauren has been with IRE since 2011.
In her spare time, you can find Lauren hiking the trails of San Antonio, practicing yoga, or tinkering with her sourdough starter, Hazel.
Amy Eaton
Director of Member Services
Amy Eaton handles membership services and registration for IRE's three conferences and other events. She has worked at IRE since 1999.
Heather Feldmann Henry
Financial Officer
Heather Feldmann Henry manages IRE’s financial operations, ensuring the organization’s compliance with the IRS as a nonprofit organization.
David Herzog
Director of Data & Research Services, Academic Advisor to NICAR
David Herzog is a veteran investigative reporter, data journalist and educator with more than 25 years of experience. He’s a Journalism Professions professor at the Missouri School of Journalism and serves as the academic adviser to the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. He is also the director of data & research services at IRE.
Before joining the school and IRE in 2002, Herzog spent nearly 15 years as a newspaper reporter and editor. He’s worked for the Providence Journal, The Baltimore Sun and The (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call.
Laura J. Kurtzberg
Training Director
Laura Jael Kurtzberg is a data visualization specialist, cartographer, and a news applications developer with a particular interest in environmental stories. Laura has worked at the intersection of data journalism and design with organizations like InfoAmazonia, Ambiental Media, WLRN Public Media, and Mongabay.
She earned her MFA in Interactive Media from the University of Miami and a BA in Information Science from the University of Arizona. She remembers her first forays into data and communication with groups at Biosphere2 (the space colony training ground featured in 'Spaceship Earth') and The Santa Fe Institute (a complexity science research center).
In her free time, Laura enjoys reading fiction, trying to learn how to play the lever harp, and crocheting!
Laura Moscoso
Training Director
Laura Moscoso is a Puerto Rican journalist and educator focusing on data, visualization tools, and media literacy. She has a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing from the University of Puerto Rico and a master's degree in Journalism from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos I in Madrid, Spain.
She has 15 years of professional experience and joined IRE as a Training Director in 2022.
Adam Rhodes
Managing Editor &
Training Director
Krista Sporleder
Program Coordinator
Krista Sporleder manages the IRE Awards, Philip Meyer Journalism Awards and IRE's fellowship programs, among many other tasks, as the organization's program coordinator. She joins the staff from the main HR office at the University of Missouri, where IRE is headquartered. Krista holds a BA in English from MU and resides in Columbia.
Chris Vachon
Conference Manager
Chris Vachon returned to IRE in 2023 serving as the conference manager overseeing the annual NICAR and IRE conferences. Prior to that, she worked at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP). Before RCFP, she was employed at IRE as the director of partnerships for almost four years.
Prior to her first stint at IRE, she worked for 13 years at the national SPJ headquarters in Indianapolis. Previously, Vachon worked as a sales representative for Standard Register Co. and assistant dean of students at Purdue University. She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Ball State University in Indiana and a master's degree in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Francisco Vara-Orta
Director of Diversity & Inclusion
Francisco Vara-Orta brings 17 years of newsroom experience to his role as IRE's first director of diversity and inclusion. Vara-Orta joined the IRE staff in February 2019 as a training director. While working as a trainer, he has conducted sessions on managing data and investigative reporting for journalists across the United States and internationally.
He has worked for a variety of online and print publications, including Chalkbeat, Education Week, the San Antonio Express-News, Austin Business Journal, Los Angeles Business Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He earned a master’s degree in investigative/data journalism at the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
Aaricka Washington
Marketing &
Promotions Specialist
Aaricka Washington is a freelance journalist and educator based in Los Angeles with experience in reporting, editing, marketing, audience engagement and social media strategy. She oversees all of IRE's marketing, social media and communication efforts. Aaricka is also teaching a News Writing and Ethics course at California State University, Long Beach.
Benét J. Wilson
Training Director
Benét J. Wilson was previously lead credit cards writer for Bankrate, director of the Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship and a senior editor and writer for The Points Guy. She serves on the boards of Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism and the Institute for Independent Journalism. She graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism and resides in Baltimore, MD.
Cody Winchester
Director of Technology & Online Resources
Cody Winchester was a newspaper reporter, data specialist and web developer before joining IRE as a training director in 2017. He became tech lead in 2022.
Additional Contacts at IRE
| Department | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Data Services | datalib@ire.org | (573) 882-2042 |
| Events Logistics | logistics@ire.org | (407) 246-9097 |
| Membership | membership@ire.org | (573) 884-1444 |
| Resource Center | rescntr@ire.org | (573) 882-2042 |
| Training | training@ire.org | (573) 882-2042 |