Close-up of a woman with short wavy brown hair, blue eyes, red lipstick, wearing a dark green top, smiling in front of a plain background.

I’m C.J.

Director of Graphics & Data Visuals
The Minnesota Star Tribune

My career has taken me through nearly every corner of the newsroom — reporting, digital production, audience engagement, video and audio — before landing in data and graphics journalism, where I've spent the last several years finding award-winning visual solutions for explaining tricky topics. I now lead a team of journalists and manage the workflows, platforms, and editorial vision that bring that work to life across every platform we publish on.

That winding path has shaped how I think about this work: not just as storytelling, but as strategy. I'm a servant leader who believes my job is to clear obstacles, equip people with what they need, and invest in their growth — and I care deeply about the systems, standards, and relationships that make great work possible.

The throughline of all of it is a stubborn belief that complex information, given the right treatment, can reach anyone.

Recent work

Editing, art direction & speaking

ELECTIONS Live Minnesota general election results 2024 ● online

ELECTIONS Minnesota’s shifting politics over 20 years onlineprint

ELECTIONS How Minnesota voted, precinct by precinct onlineprint

ELECTIONS Races that could decide control of the Legislature onlineprint

SPORTS Every hit Joe Mauer made in his 15-year career onlineprint

CLIMATE‍ ‍ This ancient tree is one of the oldest in Minnesota. The warming climate might kill it. onlineprint special section

ELECTIONS‍ ‍ Live Minnesota presidential primary election results ● online

SPEAKING‍ ‍ Datawrapper Unwrapped: Secret Scatterplots ● recording

SPEAKING NICAR 2024: Make data viz with (almost) every tool ● audio

Data analysis, writing & graphics

OLYMPICS‍ ‍Suni Lee wants beam gold. Here’s how she gets it. onlineprint

NEWS‍ ‍ Here’s where Donald Trump’s 4 criminal cases stand ● online

SPORTS‍ ‍ Twins' Byron Buxton is younger at 30 than he was at 29 ● online

POP CULTURE‍ ‍ Minnesotans tend to go far on ‘The Bachelor’ onlineprint

Experience

The Minnesota Star Tribune

Director of Graphics & Data Visuals ● 2021 - current

Data Visuals Editor ● 2019

Digital Graphics Producer ● 2018

Digital Producer ● 2014


University of Minnesota

Adjunct Instructor ● 2014 - 2022


St. Paul Pioneer Press

Multimedia Producer ● 2012 - 2014


Bismarck Tribune

Online Producer ● 2010 - 2011