The Southwest Voices team is growing by one, as we welcome our new Founding Editor, Melody Hoffmann. She'll have much more to say for herself soon, but for now, here's a little bit about her and her background.

Melody joins us after a 15-year career teaching college-level journalism and communication courses. Most recently she led a student-run news organization at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

Melody has lived in Minneapolis since 2009 and currently resides in the East Harriet neighborhood. She loves Southwest Minneapolis for its walkability, small businesses, and beautiful street art.

Melody earned her doctorate in Communications Studies from the University of Minnesota after earning an MA and BA in journalism and mass communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

You can catch her biking around the south side with her nephews, working with her brother at Fire & Nice Alehouse, and saying hello to cats in windows.

We're incredibly excited for to have her at the helm, guiding our editorial strategy, building a team, and helping to figure out how Southwest Voices will continue to grow in the months to come.

Want to get in touch with story ideas, pitches, feedback, or more? You can reach her at melody@southwestvoices.news.