Houston Landing hires eight journalists, launches strategic vision

Teresa Frontado, lead editor, was most recently the executive editor at WAMU, the public radio station in Washington, D.C., and prior to that, executive editor at Austin’s public radio station, KUT. (Photo credit: Lexi Parra / Houston Landing)

Houston Landing editor-in-chief Manny García announced that the nonprofit newsroom has hired eight journalists to support a new strategic vision for the organization.

The strategic vision is a commitment to service journalism that addresses the city’s challenges and future The new hires help focus the newsroom around creating change in policy, in law and in practice. A new focus on Houston-area residents of color under age 40, an estimated 3.4 million people (also the fastest growing portion of the area’s population), will launch next year, and drive new editorial and audience initiatives, including investments in new platforms and content in Spanish.

“We do not see Houston Landing as a passive observer in the old journalism tradition,” said Houston Landing CEO Peter Bhatia. “While it is not our role to legislate change, we will show the way forward to address chronic issues and will use all our capabilities in pursuit of a better and more equitable Houston.”

The new staff are either from Houston or share the passion for Houston that drives the Landing’s staff.

“The hiring of so many talented and respected journalists is a natural progression for the Landing,” García said. “Our mission is to increase accountability reporting, provide solutions, and empower our community by publishing accurate news that makes a difference.”

Seeking transparency is at the core of Houston Landing, in reporting, and in expectations of local leaders entrusted with our tax dollars and safety and future. “Our journalism succeeds when we are in the community and in conversations with those we serve. There is no substitute for the trust that creates,” García said. “We could not be prouder of what we are building.”

At a time of contraction across the media industry, the hires represent Houston Landing’s commitment to Houston and to local news:

Teresa Frontado — Lead Editor
Teresa was most recently the Executive Editor at WAMU, the public radio station in Washington, D.C., and prior to that, Executive Editor at Austin’s public radio station, KUT. She has more than 20 years of experience working for media organizations in the United States and Latin America, including WLRN South Florida Public Media, CBS Miami, Univision Network, el Nuevo Herald, El Nacional (Venezuela) and El Universal (Venezuela).

Teresa has a journalism degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela, and has two Master’s degrees, one from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and one from the University of Miami. She was a New York Times fellow at the Maynard Institute for Leadership at Harvard University as well as a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan (Class of 2016), where she conducted research on social media strategies for legacy media. Teresa speaks Spanish, French and Portuguese. She is at teresa@houstonlanding.org.

Hanna Holthaus — City Hall Reporter
Hanna reported at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville on local government and independent authorities. Prior to that, she worked on The Washington Post’s investigative team as a graduate reporter through American University, where she earned her Master's degree in Journalism and Public Affairs. She interned at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She graduated with a degree in Global Journalism and Spanish from Webster University. Hanna is fluent in Spanish. She is at hanna@houstonlanding.org.

Brooke Kushwaha — K-12 Education Reporter
Houstonian Brooke reported on politics and news at Chron.com. Prior to that, she was a reporter at the Vineyard Gazette and served as an Associate Editor at Martha's Vineyard Magazine, covering housing, immigration, and conservation on Martha's Vineyard. Born and raised in Houston, she graduated with a degree from the College of Letters from Wesleyan University and her work has appeared in Teen Vogue and The New York Times. She is at brooke@houstonlanding.org.

Fiza Kuzhiyil — Audience Producer
Houstonian Fiza interned at the Washington Post on the multiplatform and audience desk, and has worked as a freelancer covering HISD for Axios. She was an audience Fellow at the Texas Tribune, and an intern at Texas Monthly. Fiza is from League City and has a degree in journalism and government from University of Texas at Austin. She is fluent in Malayalam. She is at Fiza@houstonlanding.org.

José Martínez — Data Reporter
Houstonian José worked as a data reporter at the Connecticut Mirror. He’s held internships or fellowships at the Wall Street Journal, Texas Tribune, American Public Media, ProPublica, Bloomberg and the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. José graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. He is fluent in Spanish. He is at jose@houstonlanding.org.

Dion Nissenbaum — Starts Oct. 7 — Reporter
Dion worked for The Wall Street Journal in several high-profile roles, stationed in Brussels, Beirut, Istanbul, Kabul and Jerusalem. He has served as a bureau chief, a Middle East correspondent, a war correspondent and a senior correspondent. He’s covered national security, the Pentagon, and counterterrorism policy. Earlier in his career, Dion served as a state capitol reporter for the San Jose Mercury News in Sacramento, producing reporting that contributed to the forced  resignation of state officials, changes in California laws and calls for special investigations of former Gov. Gray Davis. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for International reporting in 2022 and in 2017, and received the James K. Batten Excellence Award in 2003, among many other awards. He published “A Street Divided: Stories from Jerusalem’s Alley of God” in 2015. He will be at dion@houstonlanding.org.

Lexi Parra — Visual Journalist
Lexi is a photographer and educator who previously worked as a freelance photojournalist in Caracas, Venezuela, and New York, focused on topics including youth culture, migration, resilience and the effects of inequality and violence. She is the community manager at Women Photograph, as well as a member of WP, Diversify Photo and NPPA. She works in film and still photography and has been supported by Getty Images and the Pulitzer Center. Parra is the founder of Project MiRA, a photo education initiative fostering visual literacy and empowerment with young women in the barrios of Caracas. Project MiRA has been supported by the U.S. Embassy, Canon USA, and the Davis Peace Prize. Lexi’s degree is in Photography and Human Rights from Bard College. She is fluent in Spanish. She is at lexi@houstonlanding.org.

Alison Young — Associate Editor for Investigations and Reporter
Allison is an investigative reporter specializing in health, environmental and consumer issues. Her work has revealed safety lapses at biological research labs, food manufacturers and  nursing homes; hazards in municipal water systems and near-forgotten lead factories. She is a past president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, and she is a professor and the Washington, D.C., program director for the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In 2023 she published “Pandora’s Gamble: Lab Leaks, Pandemics, and a World at Risk.” She has reported for USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Knight Ridder’s Washington Bureau, Detroit Free Press, The Arizona Republic and the Dallas Times Herald. She has won three Gerald Loeb Awards, three Scripps Howard Awards and a duPont-Columbia Award. She has a journalism degree from the University of Kansas. She is at alison@houstonlanding.org.

Houston Landing has also updated and refined its mission and vision statements.

Mission Statement: Houston Landing is for and about Houston. We create journalism that helps Houstonians understand the forces that shape our city and connect with each other through stories that inspire positive change.

Vision Statement: Through rigorous reporting on the opportunities and challenges that impact the majority of Houstonians, we seek to create a sense of shared optimism by connecting audiences to solutions. This journalism has the ability to shift policies and inspire people to shape their futures.