Who We Are

STAFF

Deirdre Conner

Deirdre Conner is CEO & Publisher of The Tributary. Her experience spans both journalism and nonprofit management, serving previously as Vice President at the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, Director of Advocacy and Communications at the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, and as a reporter at The Florida Times-Union and Naples Daily News. She was the founding Board Chair of The Tributary. She is also founder and principal at Ripple Effect Storytelling and Insights, a consulting firm that works with nonprofits and social enterprise organizations. You can reach Deirdre at deirdre.conner@jaxtrib.org. More by Deirdre Conner

Nate Monroe

Nate Monroe is Executive Editor of The Tributary. He has been a journalist in the Southeast for the past 15 years. Most recently, he wrote a column about Florida for the USA Today Network. He was previously a metro columnist, beat reporter and investigative reporter for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, where he focused on covering the largest municipal government in Florida. Prior to arriving in Jacksonville in 2013, Nate was a reporter for newspapers in the Florida Panhandle and South Louisiana.

Nate’s work has won local, state and national awards and led to federal convictions, voter-led reforms, and other significant impacts.

You can reach him at nate.monroe@jaxtrib.org. More by Nate Monroe

Casey Frank

Casey Frank is The Tributary’s Special Project Editor. He joined The Tributary in fall 2024 after retiring as the senior editor in charge of the Miami Herald’s investigative team. Over a 10-year span, his team shared in two Pulitzer Prizes and was a finalist three other times. He twice served as a Pulitzer jurist. More by Casey Frank

Nichole Manna

Nichole Manna is The Tributary’s Senior Investigative Reporter. She has been with the organization since 2023 and has covered the criminal justice system for more than a decade.

Nichole has extensively covered conditions at the Duval County jail and in 2024 received first place from the Green Eyeshade Awards in online investigations for her reporting of medical neglect at the facility. That series of stories was recognized with awards at the local, regional and national level. She took home the first place prize for a feature story in a small newsroom from the Online Journalism Awards in 2025 for her series, ‘Cold-Blooded’, which dissected a 1993 death penalty case and questioned whether the defendant received a fair trial.

Prior to joining The Tributary, Nichole was an investigative reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas where she was a Livingston Award finalist for a series of stories about a neighborhood with the lowest life expectancy in the state. Her work helped get residents access to free pop-up clinics and they continue to receive help with food disparities.

She is currently working with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network for the next year to produce an investigative project.

You can reach her at nichole.manna@jaxtrib.org. More by Nichole Manna

Michael Vasquez

Michael Vasquez is an investigative reporter at The Tributary.

He previously worked at The Chronicle of Higher Education — where his investigations led to policy changes at both the state and federal levels. Michael also led a team of reporters as education editor for Politico, where he spearheaded the team’s 2016 Campaign coverage of education issues.

He began his reporting career at the Miami Herald, covering both politics and education. His work there included Higher-Ed Hustle, a yearlong investigation of fraud and abuse in Florida’s for-profit-college industry. The series led to the closure of Miami’s most politically powerful for-profit college, the arrest of its owner, and a change in state law that created stronger protections for students.

His work has been recognized with multiple state and national awards, including a National Headliner Award, multiple Education Writers Association Awards, two Sunshine State Awards, and a Florida Society of News Editors Award.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Florida International University. More by Michael Vasquez

Trinity Webster-Bass

Trinity Webster-Bass is The Tributary’s inaugural Investigative Journalism Fellow and a Jacksonville native. A recent Howard University graduate, she served as president of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, reported for The Hilltop, and covered the 2024 Democratic National Convention and local politics for Howard University News Service.

She began her career interning at WJCT 89.9 FM in Jacksonville before joining The Washington Post as an audio intern, where she produced an investigative story on police use of AI. Most recently, Trinity interned at The New York Times through the Ida B. Wells Society, reporting on cannabis legislation and pitfalls in the organ donation process.

She received awards from the White House Correspondents’ Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Association of Black Journalists for her work. More by Trinity Webster-Bass

Oishika Neogi

Oishika Neogi is a New York-based investigative reporter covering the criminal justice system, prisons and other social issues. Formerly a fellow with Columbia Journalism Investigations, her work has appeared in outlets such as NBC News, New York Focus, Forbidden Stories, and Al Jazeera.

Oishika is a special correspondent for The Tributary working on a grant-funded project on accidental in-custody deaths. More by Oishika Neogi

Liz Flaisig

Liz Flaisig is The Tributary’s Development Coordinator.

Her experience in journalism includes weekly, daily, and investigative reporting and editorial board writing at several publications including the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville Business Journal, and the Fort Pierce Tribune. More recently, Liz served as department chair and instructor of creative writing at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for 15 years. In addition to her research and development work for The Tributary, she is a private tutor for middle and high school students in English Language Arts and a graduate student in University of Rhode Island’s Library and Information Studies program. More by Liz Flaisig

Ale'ta Turner

Ale’ta Turner coordinates events for The Tributary.

She is the founder of Built To Rock Events, with 14 years of experience planning events for nonprofits, businesses, and community organizations. She is passionate about creating meaningful experiences that connect people and purpose. Ale’ta holds a degree in Advertising/Public Relations, an Event Management & Design Certificate, and First Aid/CPR/AED certification. More by Ale’ta Turner

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ashley Smith Juarez
Chair

Ashley is a board member of the Emily Balz Smith Foundation and Practice. She previously served as the Clinton Health Matters Initiative Director at the Clinton Foundation overseeing work to improve health and well-being in communities across the U.S. She also previously served as executive director of the Chartrand Foundation, improving public education. Ashley was also twice elected to the Duval County School Board where she served as both chair and vice chair.

After graduating with honors from Vanderbilt University, Ashley worked in teaching and dropout prevention. She is a three-time recipient of the Jesse Ball DuPont excellence in teaching award, has been named Elected Official of the Year by Mental Health America of Northeast Florida, Public Official of the Year by Children’s Home Society and is a recipient of the Carol Brady Community Leadership Award for efforts in advancing maternal and child health.

While she works remotely with communities across the U.S. and with grantees doing international work, Ashley lives in Jacksonville with her spouse, a restaurant owner/operator, and their dog, Lucy. They spend as much active time outdoors, connecting with nature, as life allows.

Al Letson

Al Letson is a playwright, performer, screenwriter and a Peabody Award-winning journalist. Since 2013, he has served as the host of the radio show and podcast Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX. Before that, he created and hosted the show State of the Re:Union, distributed by National Public Radio and PRX.

He splits his time between Jacksonville and California.

Rhema Bland
Treasurer

Rhema Bland is Deputy Director of News Talent Acquisition & Development for McClatchy, where she oversees the recruitment and development of journalists for outlets across the country.

Previously, she was the director of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. The society seeks to increase the ranks, retention and profile of reporters and editors of color in the field of investigative reporting.

Bland graduated from the University of Connecticut and earned a master’s degree at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She worked for CBS News, New York Daily News, Pensacola News Journal, WJCT Radio and The Florida Times-Union before becoming a professor in the journalism program at the University of North Florida and joining the staff of Florida Gulf Coast University, where she was the adviser for its student media program. There, she started a student radio program and the first student media production studio on campus, as well as the Media Career Prep Workshop, an annual professional development and networking event connecting students with media professionals.

Michael Freed

Mike is a trial lawyer with a wealth of experience in the courtroom and arbitrations, administrative proceedings and other forms of dispute resolution.

As an attorney, board certified in business litigation, his practice spans a wide range of substantive legal disciplines and specialized industries including corporate governance, education, health care, hospitality, employment, construction, logistics, transportation, product liability and receiverships.

Mike is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education presentations on various substantive legal topics and professional ethics. He also has been published, both inside and outside of the legal community, regarding a variety of subjects. Mike has appeared on national and local television and radio programs including The Today Show, 20/20, Good Morning America and National Public Radio.

Mike actively engages at the local, state and national levels with significant causes and organizations. He is active in speaking out in support of legal aid for the indigent, and collaboration within the non-profit community. He is the founder of FreedToRun™, a marathon series that raises money to endow a program that provides legal services to indigent pediatric patients and seniors.

Ronnie King

Ronnie King is a certified software engineer and owner of Scratchwerk, LLC, which provides Java development and staffing services, and personalized training for entry-level programmers. Ronnie is an active community volunteer.

As cofounder of the MyVillage Project and the MyVillage Project Community Fund, King helps bring awareness to funding inequality for nonprofits, while coordinating resources to support Black nonprofit organizations in Northeast Florida.

His service on the boards of Mentoring Families and Kids, 100 Black Men of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, Jacksonville’s Board of Library Trustees and the National Society of Black Engineers has improved opportunities for students. He is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and served as president of the Jacksonville graduate chapter. King earned an associate degree from the University of Florida where he played basketball for the Gators, and a bachelors degree in computer science from the University of North Florida. He is a husband and father to two beautiful girls, Jada and Bostyn.

Lawrence Luksha

Lawrence Luksha works in government relations for Catalis Regulatory & Compliance, a real-time technology solutions company that works with regulators to protect consumers and promote healthy markets.

A Jacksonville native, Lawrence attended public schools and graduated cum laude from the University of North Florida with a degree in History and Political Science. He has plans to attend law school in the near future..

Lawrence is active in the Jacksonville community. As founder of the Jacksonville Young Professionals Delegation, a group of young professional groups, Lawrence aims to promote, elevate, and retain young talent in Jacksonville. He resides on the Southside with his wife, Alanna, their son, L.J., and their two cats, Ruca and Orca.

Jennifer A. Mansfield

Jennifer Mansfield is a partner at Holland & Knight in Jacksonville. She practices in the area of commercial litigation, with extensive experience in media law.

Mansfield’s practice includes representing newspapers and television stations in defense of defamation claims, courtroom access, Florida’s Sunshine Law, and for access to public records under the Freedom of Information Act and Florida’s public records laws.

In Memory Of

Bryant Rollins

Bryant Rollins was a member of The Tributary’s inaugural board until he died in May 2022. He was a former editor and writer with The New York Times and was a reporter and political columnist with The Boston Globe. He edited two Black newspapers, The New York Amsterdam News and The Bay State Banner in Boston, which he also founded.

His wisdom and advice guided The Tributary, helping the organization to commit itself to focus on investigative reporting that benefits Northeast Florida.

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