Bret Silverberg graduated from Northeastern University's School of Journalism's graduate program in August 2010. Prior to that, Bret was the editor for the Needham Hometown Weekly Newspaper from 2006 to 2008. He took some time off from journalism to try his hand at a career in music for the next two years. After making one record and setting out for multple U.S. tours, he decided it was time to jump back into journalism. Bret freelanced heavily for the Jewish Advocate, Needham Patch (along with several other area Patches), and numerous other publications throughout 2009 and early 2010 while earning his Master's degree. Though he is fully invested in the world of journalism, he still likes to pick up a guitar from time to time. 

I joined Patch in July 2010 and was founding editor of Jamaica Plain Patch in Boston. I now manage 11 Patch sites on the North Shore. I have 17 years of experience at newspapers as an editor and reporter. I live on Buffum Street in Salem with my wife, Jane; our dog, Molly; and two cats: Sophie and Carlos.

Cate is the editor of Mill Valley Patch, and has worked as a reporter at newspapers across New England. She joined Patch in Boston in 2010 and recently transferred to the San Francisco Bay area. She graduated from Saint Michael's College in Vermont with a degree in journalism and minor in Spanish.

David Ertischek was most recently the editor of the West Roxbury and Roslindale Transcripts for about a year before launching West Roxbury Patch. Prior to that he was the editor of local paper in Watertown for a year, and was a reporter/assistant editor/sports editor for the Transcripts for several years before his Watertown gig. 

Email: sara.jacobi@patch.com
Phone: 781-850-6741
Hometown: Attleboro, MA
Birthday: October 3rd
Bio A life-long Massachusetts resident, Sara grew up in Attleboro, attended school in Boston and now lives in Boston. Sara earned her bachelor's degree from Boston University, where she majored in Journalism and minored in International Relations. While a student at BU, Sara had the opportunity to intern for the Boston Metro and the Boston Globe, and she also began to freelance for the Allston-Brighton Tab, where she covered police and fire news. After graduation, Sara worked for two years as the sole staff writer of the property-casualty insurance publication, The Standard. Sara continued to freelance for the Allston-Brighton Tab until the summer of 2010, when she was hired as the editor of  the Wakefield Patch. Two years later, she was promoted to Senior Editor in Boston. She currently serves as editor of South End Patch and helps spearhead Boston-wide initiatives. 

In her free time, Sara plays Ultimate (Frisbee) for a nationally competitive women's club team, Brute Squad, which finished third in the entire country this past season. Ask her about it!

Sue has lived in JP for nearly twenty years and has been an advocate for its vibrancy and diversity. She has graduate degrees from Northeastern University and Simmons College in community mental health counseling and health care administration. She has had a rich career that has woven together health care, journalism and community organizing. In October, she will be co-facilitating the JP Community Dialogues sponsored by the YWCA.

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!

Patrick is the Regional Publisher for Patch in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  He is a Weston High School alum and a Boston College graduate.  Patrick spent most of his career in the newspaper industry prior to joining Patch.  He has managed sales teams for The New York Post, Boston Herald and Community Newspaper Company.  

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.