If you fill out the "Forgot Password" form but don't get an email to reset your password within 5-10 minutes, please email logistics@ire.org for assistance.
(Oct. 15, 2025) — Daniel Thomas Mollenkamp of EdSurge in Richmond, Virginia and Lea Zora Scruggs of KRIS 6/Scripps News in Corpus Christi, Texas have been selected for IRE’s Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship.
The prestigious yearlong fellowship is designed to increase the range of backgrounds, experiences and interests within the field of investigative journalism, where diverse perspectives are critically important. It offers IRE training, mentorship and support to help fellows produce an investigative reporting project benefiting their newsrooms and communities.
Daniel Thomas Mollenkamp is an award-winning enterprise reporter and feature writer for EdSurge, a national nonprofit newsroom focused on the human impact of the education system. Based in Richmond, Virginia, his reporting has shown how tech companies are trying to profit from the rise in school choice, explored regulatory regimes and proposals for making these systems accountable, and examined why families are hungry for education alternatives. Previously, he covered economic inequality.
His work has appeared in outlets including USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, Investopedia, Tennessee Lookout, The Daily Yonder and The 19th. With experience across three continents, he has also contributed to investigative research on the vaping, cannabis, gene editing and gambling industries. He holds a BA in government from the College of William and Mary.
Mollenkamp’s project will explore the realities and consequences of how well school choice really serves children and families, and the attempt to bring accountability to these options that stand to gain from increased taxpayer support. Nationwide, the past couple of decades have shown rapid growth of these publicly-funded efforts.
Lea Zora Scruggs is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker from Miami, Florida and based in Corpus Christi, Texas as an investigative reporter at KRIS 6/Scripps News. Before joining KRIS 6 News as an investigative reporter, Lea served as a correspondent for the LA Sentinel on CBS Los Angeles. She has reported, produced and directed for Vice News Tonight; shot, edited, hosted and produced videos at BuzzFeed; and served as an international field producer at National Geographic Studios.
She has also contributed to outlets including The Village Voice, Quartz, The New York Times’ T-Brand Studio, Tina Brown’s Women in the World Summit and Radical Media. Scruggs is a graduate of Spelman College and holds a master’s degree in journalism with a concentration in documentary film from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Scruggs’ project will focus on how in South Texas, particularly in and around Corpus Christi, babies are being born with severe birth defects at alarmingly high rates — some so grave they do not survive infancy. State registry analyses and federal reviews have documented elevated birth-defect rates in the Corpus Christi area, but many fall short of identifying an official clear cause. Nevertheless, the communities most impacted lie in the shadow of oil refineries, chemical plants and military installations. She will investigate the correlation between industrial pollution and birth defects in this long-overlooked health crisis on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Mollenkamp and Scruggs will pursue these projects while receiving a suite of IRE resources and support throughout the course of the fellowship. These include training at an IRE Data Journalism Bootcamp and both annual conferences. Most importantly, they will each receive a mentor network of IRE members who will guide them through their yearlong projects.
Established in 2019, IRE’s Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship began with generous donations from IRE members Meghan Hoyer, Megan Luther, Mike Tahani and Mike Gruss. Over the years, the program has grown thanks to continued contributions from members and news organizations including ABC News, CNN, ESPN, Gray Television and Hearst Foundations. In 2023, the fellowship was renamed in honor of late journalist Chauncey Bailey.
Applications for the 2027 IRE Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship will be available in September 2026.
Make a contribution to the Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship here. If you are interested in participating in IRE training events and need financial assistance to attend, check out our fellowships and scholarships.
Looks like you haven't made a choice yet.
