Ryan has worked in local news since 2007 when he started as a reporter for a weekly newspaper in Charlton, Massachusetts. Two months before jumping to Patch, he started work at the company's daily newspaper in Southbridge.

He was born in Vermont, but grew up Newton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Newton North High School in 2001. From there, he attended Quinnipiac University for two years before transferring to American University, where he later attained a degree in International Affairs in 2006. 

Ellen is a former copy editor and proofreader of three years for a Boston-based online youth Bible study tool. Before that she contributed mind-muscle to upstart projects like designing a national youth conference and a college internship program. A firm believer that we are never alone, and that the people around us are our greatest resource, all things community clearly takes the cake for her. She is most likely to be found cooking, crafting, dictionary diving, volunteering, and caring for animals in her "spare time."

If she had a theme song, the chorus would be: "No one is ever too busy to give someone a smile, a hug, or say thank you." Reaching out by saying hi to a stranger in a grocery store, or wherever, is fostering community. Always surprised by the kindness of others, she believes people are continuously seeking new opportunities to do good. She feels privileged to be able to witness the dedication, goodness and awesomeness of Massachusetts communities and its members every day.

Jesika graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a degree in Communications/Journalism and has worked freelance for the Milford Daily News and as a proofreader.  Born in Seattle, Wash., she grew up in Holliston, Mass., and currently lives in Shrewsbury.

Her other main occupation besides being a Calendar Editor for Patch is being Mom to eight-year-old Jaiden, three-year-old Adrianna, two-year-old Alyssandra, and the newest additon to her family, Keira, who was born in July.  In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her family and take day trips.

Originally from Rhode Island, she went to Assumption college in Worcester, then moved to Boston 7 years ago to work in print advertising, including a number of years at Boston Magazine. Kristen had an opportunity to work in professional soccer in 2008 (she is a passionate soccer fan, player and coach in JP Youth Soccer), yet recently left the New England Revolution when the opportunity came to work for Patch.

Since moving to Jamaica Plain in 2009, she has been enamored with the neighborhood since moving to the Boston area. She believes the diversity, culture, arts, food, and location make for a fabulous experience whether a resident or visitor!

Nathan grew up in central New Hampshire and eventually moved to MA for College. He graduated with a BS in Media Communication and eventually moved to Boston where he started his career in media marketing and sales. He is an active runner, skier and beachgoer;  basically if it happens in the outdoors, he's interested. 

Rob Fucci is a 16-year award-winning journalist who earned his degree in broadcast journalism from Northeastern University. He was raised in Natick and currently lives just over the border in Framingham with his wife, Lesley. (Ask him about her desserts!) Rob will have updates about Sudbury on Facebook and Twitter. And if you see him around town,  stop to say "hi."

Charlie has worked in newspapers for the past 14 years, first in California and since 2001 in Massachusetts. He has made his home in Watertown since 2003. Charlie enjoys watching all kinds of sports, loves to travel and enjoys cooking. He earned his bachelor's degree in geology at the University of Michigan and got a master's degree in journalism at Indiana University.

A 2007 graduate of Springfield College, Matt Schooley took over as the local editor for Wilmington Patch at the beginning of 2011. Prior to starting with Patch, Matt was an award-winning staff writer at Neighborhood News, Inc., based in Manchester, New Hampshire. At Neighborhood News, Matt covered board meetings, high school sports and anything that was interesting in the community. With Patch, Matt looks forward to providing in-depth coverage of breaking news, features and sports. He is also excited to meet the people of Wilmington and show them why Patch is their home for everything local.

Chris Collora is a print and broadcast journalist. He has 8 years of broadcast news experience with Long Island News Tonight and now works for NY1 News in the city. He also has an extensive print background  with numerous publicaions.

Andrew Sylvia is the local editor of the Westford and Chelmsford Patch.

He has written at least one piece for every Patch in Massachusetts north of Boston and has had bylines in more than a dozen newspapers in Vermont and New Hampshire, including The Telegraph of Nashua, the Milford Cabinet, Bedford Journal, the Hollis-Brookline Journal, the Keene Sentinel, the Pelham-Windham News, and the New Hampshire Union Leader. He also has contributed to various websites such as NHReporter.com, Ehow and the New Hampshire Sports Report after receiving  a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Keene State College in 2004.

Phil Meyer is Professor Emeritus in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame in Journalism in the spring of 2008.  He joined the Journalism School in 1981 and served as Knight Chair in Journalism Professor from 1993-2008.  Prior to joining the school, he held a number of reporter and research positions at various media outlets. 

He has won numerous awards including the 2005 Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for Research About Journalism (with Scott Maier). He was named a Fellow of Society of Professional Journalists in 2005. In 2004, the Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave him its Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award. And in 2000 he received the American Association for Public Opinion Research Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement.

Meyer is the author of several books including The Vanishing Newspaper:  Saving Journalism in the Information Age and Precision Journalism:  A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods.  Journalism Quarterly in 2000 listed this book as one of the 35 significant books of the 20th century in journalism and mass communication; and the American Association for Public Opinion Research, observing its 50th anniversary in 1996, listed it as one of 50 significant books on public opinion research.

He received his B.S. in technical journalism from Kansas State University and his M.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina.

Steven Berlin Johnson is a pioneer in the web world, as a co-founder of FEED, Plastic.com, and Outside.in, which was acquired by Patch in March of 2011. He also co-created Findings.com, which launched in late 2011. Steven was the 2009 Hearst New Media Professional-in-Residence at The Journalism School at Columbia University, and served for several years as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU’s Journalism School. He is a bestselling author of seven books, and won acclaim and a Newhouse School Mirror Award for his 2010 Time Magazine cover story, "How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live." 

Speaking of Steven's editorial prowess, check out this video based on Steven's book, Where Good Ideas Come From, which was named one of the best books of 2010 by The Economist.

Brian was Editor-in-Chief of Time Out New York magazine before coming to Patch. Before that he worked for a variety of publications both online and off, including Details magazine, New York Magazine, and the old, dearly departed Sidewalk.com. He has written for numerous publications, from the New York Times magazine to Harper's Bazaar. He graduated from Bowdoin College and got an MFA in creative writing at Columbia University so he could put his novel in a drawer with distinction. He lives in Manhattan with his beautiful wife, adorable son, angelic daughter and the world's most dog-like cat. He’s proud as hell of what the Patch team has built.

Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and in Washington, D.C.

Previously, Paulson served as the editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today.  He is now a columnist on USA Today’s board of contributors, writing about First Amendment issues and the news media.

Throughout his career, Paulson has drawn on his background as both a journalist and lawyer, serving as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five different states.

He also is past-president of the American Society of News Editors, the nation’s largest organization of news media leaders.

Paulson also was the host of the Emmy-honored television program “Speaking Freely,” seen in more than 60 PBS markets nationwide over five seasons, and the author of "Freedom Sings," a multimedia stage show celebrating the First Amendment that continues to tour the nation's campuses.  

He was an early advocate of making newspaper content available online, launching online newspapers in both Florida and New York in 1993.

For 12 years, Paulson was a regular guest lecturer at the American Press Institute, speaking to more than 5,000 journalists about First Amendment issues. He was honored with the API Lifetime Service Award. In 2010 and 2011, he served as chair of the PBS Editorial Standards Review Committee.

In 2007, Paulson was named fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists, “the highest honor SPJ bestows upon a journalist for extraordinary contributions to the profession.” In 2008, he  received the Robert S. Abbott Memorial Award for Meritorious Service in Mass Communications from the Southern Regional Press Institute. He has also been elected to the Illini Publishing Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois.

He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School. In 2008, he received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from American University.