Elizabeth Lee

Editorial Strategist / Writer / Multimedia Journalist

Summary

Relationship-driven newsroom leader with more than nine years of experience mentoring colleagues, leading projects, and building trust across teams, departments, and job levels. Brings strong expertise in writing, editing, and translating complex research into clear, accurate content for public audiences and policymakers. Known for collaborative leadership, thoughtful feedback, and sound editorial judgment that helps people strengthen their work and meet deadlines. Accomplished editorial strategist experienced in developing and implementing content roadmaps aligned with organizational goals, including growing web traffic and strengthening an organization’s reputation as a trusted source of information.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

China Coverage Editor | Voice of America (VOA) 07/2021-Present

• Created the China Abroad beat with a $250K budget, developing coverage of China’s global influence for audiences across multiple regions and platforms.

• Developed editorial strategies for VOA’s 40+ language services and served as an adviser across divisions, providing feedback on standards, story topics, context, accuracy, and audience engagement.

• Collaborated with VOA language services on stories and special multimedia projects and coordinated with more than 30 contributors on content while building productive relationships across teams with different priorities.

• Assigned and copy edited news analyses and reports, strengthening readability and narrative flow while preserving each writer’s voice and intended meaning.

• Wrote analyses and news stories on complex reports and geopolitical events, making technical information accessible to the general public, stakeholders, and policymakers.

• Recruited and supervised reporters across five continents, training them on publication workflows and editorial policies while helping them strengthen their writing and reporting skills.

Los Angeles / West Coast Correspondent | Voice of America (VOA) 02/2011 – 06/2021

• Commissioned work from freelance reporters across the U.S. and supervised them on editorial standards, sourcing, style, and story development to maintain consistent reporting quality.

• Mentored VOA technology reporters in U.S. bureaus, helping them strengthen stories and build productive relationships with researchers and other subject matter experts.

• Reported on immigration, technology, economics, politics, and natural disasters, conducting multilingual interviews and producing web, television, and radio reports for global audiences.

• Collaborated with university researchers, Silicon Valley experts, and fellow technology reporters to make complex research and emerging trends accessible to broad audiences.

Broadcast Writing Adjunct Instructor | East Los Angeles College 2013 – 2014

• Spearheaded an in-person broadcast writing course, developing lesson plans centered on journalistic standards, objectivity, and audience-focused storytelling.

• Coached students through reporting and writing assignments, providing practical editorial feedback to sharpen leads, organize information, and write effectively for broadcast.

Washington Reporter | Voice of America (VOA) 05/2009 – 02/2011

• Reported from the U.S. Capitol, interviewed members of Congress, wrote about the impact of legislation, and translated domestic and foreign policy issues into clear reports for global audiences unfamiliar with U.S. institutions and policies.

• Pitched story ideas and wrote reports on issues related to economics, education, and immigration.

• Worked closely with editors on revisions and responded quickly to feedback while maintaining accuracy and quality under newsroom deadlines.

General Assignment Reporter | KIAH-TV, Houston’s CW Affiliate 07/2000 – 11/2008

• Pitched daily story ideas, conducted interviews, wrote TV packages, and delivered live reports under tight deadline pressure.

• Created and hosted an investigative consumer segment for broadcast and online audiences, expanding the station’s service journalism and increasing traffic to its website.

Weekend Anchor / Reporter Texas Network (TXN), 04/2000-07/2000

• Researched news, wrote and anchored weekend morning newscast

• Wrote and reported on assigned news stories

General Assignment Reporter | KBTV, Former Beaumont-Port Arthur NBC Affiliate 06/1997 - 04/2000

• Researched, wrote, reported, edited, and conducted live shots for daily breaking news stories.

• Uncovered Beaumont City Hall corruption scandal.

NOTABLE EDITORIAL PROJECTS

China’s Global Footprint

• Conceived and led a multimedia project using AidData’s Global Chinese Development Finance Dataset from William & Mary to examine China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

• Built and directed the project team, interviewed university experts, and wrote the overview story; its accompanying explainer video report generated more than 51,000 YouTube views.

China Exodus

• Conceptualized and led an international reporting project examining migration from China, drawing on UNHCR statistics and government data from countries around the world.

• Assembled a team including a graphic designer and reporters from eight cities across five continents and collaborated with VOA’s Mandarin Service; the Australia story reached more than 60,000 YouTube views.

Chinese American Texans

• Developed a multimedia story on Houston’s Chinese American community for web and broadcast, featuring Rice University’s Houston Asian American Archive.

• Directed a video journalist on story focus and interview questions for the Angel Island reporting, and guided a web editor on layout and presentation.

EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science | Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Magna Cum Laude | Phi Beta Kappa

Executive Leadership Program Graduate | Asian American Journalists Association

SELECTED AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• New York Festivals Gold Award – Documentary, Human Rights

• Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association, First Place – Outstanding Documentary / In-Depth Reporting

• Webby Award Honoree – Documentary, Short Form

• Los Angeles Press Club, Second Place – Documentary Short

• Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association, Second Place – Best Specialty Reporting

• Emmy Award Nominee

LANGUAGES

Mandarin: Fluent Spoken Proficiency

Spanish: Basic to Conversational Proficiency

SKILLS

Collaborative Leadership, Relationship Building, Coaching and Mentoring, Editorial Judgment, Substantive Editing, Copy Editing,

Fact Checking, Writing, Project Workflow Management, Editorial Standards, Research Translation, Public-Facing and Social Media

Content, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, Audacity, DaVinci Resolve, Licensed Commercial Drone Pilot