I cover all things legal involving Native American affairs for Law360, as well as federal and state legislation. This role is a great honor, as I am a lifelong tribal member of the Echota Cherokee of Alabama, and grew up surrounded by Native American culture and issues. Previously, I covered banking, finance, public companies and MacDill Air Force Base and the defense industry as a whole for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Prior to that, I was the managing editor of the Loudoun Times-Mirror in Leesburg, Va. -- the winner of Newspaper of the Year for its division for six of seven years. I also served as the paper's entertainment editor and public safety reporter -- a role I held for more than 10 years throughout my 22-year career in journalism. In those 22 years, I've covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from the ground on the Gulf Coast, more than 50 murder trials, healthcare, presidential elections and primaries, education and countless features. I've earned more than 30 awards from press associations in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, including first place honors for enterprise reporting, public safety reporting and series reporting. Although I served as managing editor at the Loudoun-Times Mirror, I continued to write, including breaking a story on allegations of rampant sexual abuse at Calvary Temple church in Sterling, Va.. The case is still under investigation by law enforcement. In 2018, deputies arrested a former deacon from the church and he was convicted three years later. The series of stories were awarded first place honors for investigative reporting and continuing story at the 2015 Virginia Press Association banquet and also submitted for a Pulitzer Prize. I was named to the "Women One Hundred" list in Loudoun County by the Loudoun Business Journal as a female professional to watch for two consecutive years.