USA Team
of the editors of Ziarul de Garda English version

Karen Freeman A six-month Knight International Journalism Fellowship to Moldova in 2006 got Karen Freeman interested in the country's issues and problems. She and her husband, Steven Knowlton, helped the Independent Journalism Center open the first postgraduate journalism school in Moldova that teaches according to international standards. Karen also met Alina Radu during that fellowship and admired the work she was doing with Ziarul de Garda. So when Karen returned to the United States in January 2007, she recruited volunteers to help put the paper's English-language articles into more conversational language. By doing that, she and the other volunteer editors hope to raise the visibility of Moldova among the English-speaking world. Karen started out in journalism as a 16-year-old sports stringer for her local newspaper in North Carolina. She has been the science editor of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and has worked as an editor at The New York Times since 1995. In late May, she left The Times and moved to Ireland, where she is a freelance jorunalist based in Dublin and she hopes to return to Moldova many times.

Meghan Murphy I am from Omaha, Nebraska and a student at the University of Kansas majoring in English and Journalism.

Marissa Larubbio I'm 24 and I'm from Island Park, New York. I work as an associate editor at a trade publication.

Sara Felice I am 23 years old. I am a project coordinator in the book publishing unit at a nonprofit education association in Alexandria, Virginia.

Michael Clauser He is a Research Associate with a highly-respected national security consultancy in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Previously Mr. Clauser has worked for U.S. Congressmen both on and off Capitol Hill. He has published reviews in academic journals such as the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies and Political Studies Review. He holds dual masters degrees from both the University of Exter, UK and the University of Economics in Poznan, Poland and his undergraduate degrees at the Pennsylvania State University.

Viva Bolova I am 30 and am from Varna, Bulgaria. I live in Kansas City, Mo., and work as a public relations assistant account manager at Barkley, the largest employee-owned agency in the United States. I am a graduate student at the University of Kansas.

Tara Smith I'm 20, and I am from Kansas City, Kansas. I am a junior at the University of Kansas, majoring in journalism and minoring in linguistics.

Rachel Bock I'm a senior at the University of Kansas, majoring in Journalism and Latin American Studies. I am 22 years old and I'm from Kansas City, Kansas.

Ashley Thompson I am from Overland Park, Kansas. I am a senior at the University Kansas, majoring in journalism and minoring in French. I'm 22 years old.

Jeanine Poggi I am 22 and a financial journalist at Women's Wear Daily, a trade publication based out of New York.

Mark Anton Vierthaler I am from Dodge City, Kansas. I'm 21. I'm currently a senior at the University of Kansas majoring in journalism.

Derek Korte I am from Lawrence, Kansas. I am 23 years old, and I am a senior at the University of Kansas, majoring in Journalism and International Studies.

Colby Itkowitz I'm 23 and work as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C.

Shawna VanNess I'm 28 and work as an Internet news manager for Newsday, a newspaper in New York. I'm also an adjunct journalism professor at Hofstra University.

Emily Shenk I'm 23 and work as an associate editor at the Child Welfare League of America, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC.