Spotlight Delaware has a team of journalists and nonprofit leaders with decades of combined experience in the First State.
Allison Taylor Levine
Publisher and CEO
The founder of Spotlight Delaware, Allison Taylor Levine, MPA, is passionate about democracy, journalism and community – especially in Delaware. After starting her career as a reporter at several newspapers, including The News Journal, she spent more than 20 years in various communications and community leadership roles before launching Spotlight in 2024.
Matt Sullivan
Chief Operating Officer
Matt Sullivan began his career as a reporter for the Auburn Citizen and later became city editor for the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. He also served as the founding general manager and editor of Spark magazine. After Spark, he led Delaware Shakespeare for five years and later became chief operating officer at Short Order Production House. Matt lives in Newark with his wife and two children.
msullivan@spotlightdelaware.org
Jacob Owens
Editor in Chief
Jacob Owens has more than 15 years of experience in reporting, editing and managing newsrooms in Delaware and Maryland, producing state, regional and national award-winning stories, editorials and publications. A longtime Delawarean, he most recently served as editor of Delaware Business Times in Wilmington.
Karl Baker
Deputy Editor
Karl Baker brings nearly a decade of experience reporting on news in the First State – initially for the The News Journal and then independently as a freelancer and a Substack publisher. During that time, he has consistently found stories that challenge the power centers that exist across politics and business. At Spotlight, he leads the organization’s government accountability reporting.
Tim Carlin
Deputy Editor
Tim Carlin came to Delaware after spending several years working for both for-profit and nonprofit news organizations. Most recently, he served as a community engagement and government solutions reporter for the Houston Landing, where he oversaw the development of innovative election and community coverage. At Spotlight Delaware, he will lead coverage aimed at Kent and Sussex counties.
José Ignacio Castañeda Perez
Reporter
José Ignacio Castañeda Perez came back to the First State after covering nearly 400 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border for the Arizona Republic newspaper. He previously worked for DelawareOnline/The News Journal, where he led coverage of marginalized communities across Delaware and published the newspaper’s first Spanish language story. At Spotlight, he leads the organization’s bilingual reporting.
jcastaneda@spotlightdelaware.org
Brianna Hill
Reporter
Brianna Hill graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s in journalism. During her time at Temple, she served as the deputy copy editor for The Temple News, the University’s independent, student-run newspaper. At Spotlight, she leads the organization’s reporting on the city of Wilmington.
Olivia Marble
Reporter
Olivia Marble comes to Spotlight Delaware from Lehigh Valley Public Media, where she covered residential and industrial development in the booming suburbs of the region. As Spotlight Delaware’s land use reporter, she will help readers understand the complex systems driving development across the state, as well as the impact of this growth. At Spotlight, she leads the organization’s land use and energy reporting.
Julia Merola
Reporter
Julia Merola graduated from Temple University, where she was the opinion editor and later the managing editor of the University’s independent, student-run newspaper, The Temple News. At Spotlight, she leads the organization’s public education reporting.
Maggie Reynolds
Reporter
Margaret “Maggie” Reynolds is one of 107 journalists placed by Report for America into newsrooms across the country, in response to the growing crisis in local, independent news. Reynolds, a reporter who has covered rural communities in New York and Vermont, will focus on the rural communities of Kent and western Sussex. RFA will provide partial support for Reynolds’ work at Spotlight Delaware for the next three years.
mreynolds@spotlightdelaware.org
Nick Stonesifer
Reporter
Nick Stonesifer graduated from Pennsylvania State University, where he was the editor in chief of the student-run, independent newspaper, The Daily Collegian. At Spotlight, he leads the organization’s health care policy reporting.
nstonesifer@spotlightdelalware.org
Courtney Eshleman
Director of Development
Courtney Eshleman brings more than a decade of experience in development roles in nonprofit news. She most recently worked at Media Impact Funders and the Food & Environment Reporting Network.
ceshleman@spotlightdelaware.org
Angela Reives
Director of Audience and Membership
Before joining Spotlight, Angela Reives served as marketing and development manager at The Daily Memphian, where she was responsible for driving subscriptions, donations and email sign-ups.
David Stradley
Director of Community Engagement
David Stradley has 20 years of experience connecting a broad mix of Delawareans to ideas and to each other. He moved to the First State in 2002 to work as an artist and educator at Delaware Theatre Company. He then served as producing artistic director of Delaware Shakespeare, tripling its audience and launching the Community Tour – bringing free theater to the full spectrum of humanity in our state.
dstradley@spotlightdelaware.org
Elsa Kegelman
Marketing and Events Manager
Elsa Kegelman previously worked with New Light Theater as marketing director for over 6 years, helping to power that organization’s explosive growth in the region with sophisticated and engaging messaging across multiple social media channels. She holds a BFA in drama from New York University.
ekegelman@spotlightdelaware.org
Eric Ruth
Content Marketing Manager
Eric Ruth is a graduate of the University of Delaware’s journalism program. He spent years at The News Journal as a copy editor, business reporter and restaurant critic before moving into content marketing roles at the Delaware Tourism Office and University of Delaware’s alumni magazine.