Dan Vock

About

I help readers learn and editors breathe easy. I cover a wide swath of public policy, mostly at the state and local level. I've delivered scoops, launched popular email newsletters, landed $10,000 in grants for investigative work and earned a coveted Jesse H. Neal Award for feature writing. Editors appreciate my clean copy, thorough research, fresh ideas and versatility.I've done on-the-ground reporting from more than half of the states (so far), including covering Wisconsin politics for Politico, schools and segregation in Massachusetts for MotherJones and the dismal roads on the Navajo Nation Reservation in Utah for Governing magazine. Through decades of reporting and smart use of social media, I have a comprehensive view of issues cropping up across the country.Finally, I'm known for my leadership in the newsroom and away from work. I generated ideas and led ambitious projects for my employers that attracted nationwide media attention. I have mentored journalists through the Investigative Reporters and Editors and have presented my work to students at the University of Illinois Springfield and Columbia University journalism programs. I’m an Eagle Scout and high school valedictorian. I chaired the board of a prominent downtown D.C. church for two years, play lead guitar in a no-name band and for three years captained a rowdy, somewhat notorious and mildly successful softball team.