Meet the team behind the Franklin News Foundation

John Tillman is best known for leading the relaunch of the Illinois Policy Institute in 2007. He also founded Illinois Policy, a 501(c)(4), and the Liberty Justice Center, a 501(c)(3) public-interest law firm. In 2018, the Illinois Policy Institute and Liberty Justice Center shared the State Policy Network’s Bob Williams Award for Outstanding Policy Achievement in recognition of their U.S. Supreme Court victory in Janus v. AFSCME. The case overturned a 41-year-old precedent and restored the free speech rights of 5 million workers nationwide. In April 2017, Tillman assumed the chairmanship of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity (now the Franklin News Foundation). Under his leadership the board was reconstituted and veteran newsman Chris Krug assumed the presidency. Franklin now operates in over two dozen states and continues to grow its news distribution focused on statehouse news, competing with The Associated Press. Tillman’s success has become a model for liberty-based organizations across the country. He is frequently asked to consult with other nonprofits on fundraising, leadership, marketing and organizational strategy. In 2011, Tillman won the State Policy Network’s prestigious Roe Award for his leadership, innovation and accomplishments in the world of public policy. This annual award pays tribute to those in the state public policy movement whose achievements have greatly advanced the free market philosophy.

Chris Krug is the Chief Executive Officer of the Franklin News Foundation and Publisher of The Center Square. Chris brings to Franklin more than 25 years of experience in the media industry.

He is the former Vice President of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Group; served as Publisher of the Pioneer Press; and Executive Editor and General Manager of Shaw Media in Illinois. During that time, he worked directly with teams at the Northwest Herald, Kane County Chronicle, DeKalb Daily-Chronicle, the Lake County Journals, and the bilingual El Conquistador. Chris has also served as a deputy editor at the Denver Post.

Beginning his career as a sports journalist at the Meadville Tribune in Pennsylvania, Chris worked his way up to Night Editor of Sports at the Denver Post. Leading multiple award-winning news teams, Krug's was personally honored by Suburban Newspapers of America as the 2008 National Daily Editor of the Year, Presstime Magazine as one of its "40 Under 40," and was an EPPY Awards winner. He was also the winner of multiple Associated Press Sports Editors national awards.

Chris earned his undergraduate degree from Allegheny College (Pa.) and his Masters of Business Administration from Lake Forest (Ill.) Graduate School of Management. Chris resides in suburban Chicago.

Jennifer Stefano is the Executive Vice President of the Commonwealth Foundation, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and a proud native Philadelphian. The former Emmy-nominated TV reporter and anchor previously worked at Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Prosperity Foundation. Jennifer served as a Fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum and as a Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute. She holds a business degree from Villanova University.

Eric is an attorney specializing in family law matters. Prior to his 2012 entrance into law school, he spent the majority of the previous decade as a senior sales executive in the telecommunications and railroad industries. While earning his law degree in the evenings as a part-time student, he was a senior recruiting specialist for Victory Media, Inc. (now Victory), a company that helps connect veterans who are transitioning out of the military with employers and post-secondary educational opportunities. Eric is presently Of Counsel with the law firm Smith & Fuller and the principal at The Sucharski Law Firm. He is a former Board Member and Chairman of Volunteers of America - Illinois and served on active duty as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and received his B.S. in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy.

Bradley K. Walton is President of Signature Advisors Group and Signature Financial Services. Mr. Walton is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), General Securities Representative (Series #7), General Securities Principal (Series #24), Investment Advisor Representative (Series #65), Insurance Producer, and Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). He also holds designations as an AICPA Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), Certified Financial Planner Professional (CFP®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and Certified Family Business Specialist (CFBS).

A Bronze Tablet graduate of the University of Illinois, Mr. Walton received the AICPA's Elijah Watts Sells award in 1984. Prior to joining Signature Advisors Group, Mr. Walton practiced in the areas of income tax, estate and personal financial planning with a "Big Five" firm, another major national accounting firm, and as a sole practitioner.

Mr. Walton has addressed numerous industry groups and professional associations including the Illinois and Oklahoma CPA Societies, Independent Accountants Association of Illinois, and the Chicago and Illinois Association of Life Underwriters. For several years he was the author of the column, “Money’s Worth,” for Insight Magazine. He has been quoted in, and his articles have been published in various local and national publications, and he is a contributing author of the Life Insurance Answer Book. He has also appeared numerous times on television advising on tax, investment, and financial planning topics.

Mr. Walton has served on various technical and leadership committees, including the AICPA Trust Estate & Gift Tax Committee, AALU Business and Estate Planning Committee, Family Business Association of Illinois Board of Directors, and Illinois CPA Society Estate Tax, Tax Executive, Consulting Services, Public Service, and Personal Financial Planning Committees. He has also served as Chairman of the Personal Financial Planning, Investment Management Services and various technical conference committees of the Illinois CPA Society.

Chris Krug is the Chief Executive Officer of the Franklin News Foundation and Publisher of The Center Square. Chris brings to Franklin more than 25 years of experience in the media industry.

He is the former Vice President of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Group; served as Publisher of the Pioneer Press; and Executive Editor and General Manager of Shaw Media in Illinois. During that time, he worked directly with teams at the Northwest Herald, Kane County Chronicle, DeKalb Daily-Chronicle, the Lake County Journals, and the bilingual El Conquistador. Chris has also served as a deputy editor at the Denver Post.

Beginning his career as a sports journalist at the Meadville Tribune in Pennsylvania, Chris worked his way up to Night Editor of Sports at the Denver Post. Leading multiple award-winning news teams, Krug's was personally honored by Suburban Newspapers of America as the 2008 National Daily Editor of the Year, Presstime Magazine as one of its "40 Under 40," and was an EPPY Awards winner. He was also the winner of multiple Associated Press Sports Editors national awards.

Chris earned his undergraduate degree from Allegheny College (Pa.) and his Masters of Business Administration from Lake Forest (Ill.) Graduate School of Management. Chris resides in suburban Chicago.

McCaleb was an award-winning reporter and editor for newspapers in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Indiana and Illinois for more than 25 years before joining Franklin in 2017. He’s guided Franklin’s growth from reporting taxpayer-focused news in Illinois to all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. In 2023, Dan was named one of only 12 Editor and Publisher “Editor Extraordinaires.” He also led The Center Square team to earn honorable mention as “one of America’s top news-media organizations to watch in 2024.”

Laurel Abraham has worked in nonprofit fundraising for more than a decade, most recently focusing on nonprofit operations and strategic development. She has experience working directly with lawmakers, policy leaders, and legal experts on a variety of issues on both the local, state, and national level. Laurel holds a masters degree in political management from George Washington University. In her role, she strives to identify and build partnerships with individuals, foundations, and organizations who seek to support fact-based journalism, reaching a broad audience of taxpayers across the country who want an informed electorate who hold elected leaders accountable. Contact Laurel at labraham@franklinnews.org.

Cole McNeely is the former General Manager of America's Talking Network (ATN). Under his leadership, ATN launched a network boasting more than 40 varied shows, several of which soared to the top of national podcast rankings. McNeely holds a B.A. in Marketing Management from Hillsdale College and an M.A. in Communication Leadership from Drake University. In his role, Cole leads the strategic direction for the audio and video divisions at Franklin News Foundation.

Jerry Lyles brings over four decades of experience to the media landscape, having dedicated his career to fostering growth and innovation in newspapers, radio, TV, and digital news platforms. His diverse roles, spanning from local newspaper group publisher to senior vice president of sales/marketing, chief revenue officer, and vice president of syndicated content, have left an indelible mark on esteemed media outlets such as Publishing Group of America, Athlon Sports, Parade Magazine, Dobie Media, TownNews, AHM Publishing, and most recently, The Daily Wire.

Based outside of Nashville, Jerry resides with his wife, Shirlene. Their family includes a cherished daughter and a beloved grandchild.

Tony Yuscius brings over 35 years of expertise in broadcast television news, with experience as a field engineer, producer, and camera operator. As the founder of BlueRoomStream.com, Tony has established a platform known for delivering high-quality broadcast content. Tony specializes in managing HD multi-camera setups for broadcast television news pool feeds, delivering high-quality handheld HD camera work, and providing broadcast-quality web streaming for seamless online content delivery.

Kate Guenther brings over a decade of experience supporting news organizations in content management, digital marketing, and user design. As the Director of Design and Visual Marketing at the Franklin News Foundation, Kate leads the creation and execution of visual communication strategies. Kate has been instrumental in the redesigns of the Franklin News Foundation, The Center Square, and BlueRoomStream websites, leading the team through conceptualization, design, development, and final launch.

Kate holds a B.A. in Electronic Filmmaking and Digital Video Design from Fairleigh Dickinson University and has earned certificates in digital marketing, UX design, and UI design.

Brendan Clarey is an award-winning writer and editor. Before becoming K-12 editor for Chalkboard News, he worked at the New York Post, USA Today and The Detroit News.

Clarey graduated from Hillsdale College in 2018 with a degree in English and a minor in journalism. He lives in Metro Detroit with his wife, Katie, and two girls.

Follow Brendan on X: @BrendanClarey

Cole Lauterbach is a managing editor for The Center Square covering the western United States. For more than two decades, Cole has produced award-winning content on both radio and television.

Alan Wooten has been a publisher, general manager and editor. His work has appeared in newspapers every year since 1977, and he’s won national or state awards in every decade since the 1980s. He’s a proud graduate of Elon University and Farmville Central High in North Carolina.

J.D. Davidson is the Midwest Regional Editor for The Center Square, responsible for Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. An Ohio native, J.D. is a veteran journalist with nearly 40 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher. He can be reached at jdavidson@thecentersquare.com or 256-996-2238.

Brett Davis is the Pacific Northwest Regional Editor for The Center Square. Prior to assuming his current position, he was The Center Square’s Washington state government reporter. His journalism background also includes working for various community newspapers, as well as public policy organizations the Freedom Foundation and Washington Farm Bureau. He has also done work for World Vision and Russell Investments.

Sarah Roderick-Fitch is The Center Square’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Editor. She has previously worked as an editor, and has been a contributing writer for several publications. In addition to writing and editing, Sarah spent nearly a decade working for non-profit, public policy organizations in the Washington, DC area.

She earned a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis on rhetorical theory and criticism and persuasion from Western Illinois University. Sarah is a central Illinois native, who has lived all over the country, and abroad. She now resides in Northern Virginia.

Christen is Pennsylvania editor for The Center Square newswire service and co-host of Pennsylvania in Focus, a weekly podcast on America’s Talking Network. Find her work in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Broad + Liberty, RealClear, the Washington Examiner and elsewhere.

Steve Wilson has been an award-winning writer and editor for nearly 20 years at newspapers in Georgia, Florida and Mississippi and is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and University of Alabama graduate.

With years of award-winning broadcast experience in the Springfield market, Greg Bishop now reports on Illinois government and other statewide issues for The Center Square.

​Bishop is a graduate in communication and political studies from the University of Illinois-Springfield. He lives just south of the Capital City with his wife Meghan where they garden, train for long-distance races, and travel across the Midwest attending various concerts.

Kim Jarrett’s career spans over 30 years with stops in radio, print and television. She has won awards from both the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.

Cameron Arcand is a reporter for The Center Square covering Arizona and the southern border. He’s previously worked for Salem Media Group and The Western Journal. Arcand has also appeared on LiveNOW from FOX and FOX 5 Washington D.C.

Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.

Tim Clouser is The Center Square’s Eastern Washington reporter. He attended Washington State University, where he served in various roles with the local newspaper and covered the statehouse and eastern half of the state for outlets such as The Columbian Basin Herald, NonStopLocal, and The Daily Beast.

Shirleen Guerra is a staff reporter for The Center Square. Shirleen attended Odessa College, where she completed an apprenticeship through The Odessa American, where she previously freelanced.

Casey Harper is a Senior Reporter for the Washington, D.C. Bureau. He previously worked as a reporter for The Daily Caller and The Hill and as an executive producer for Sinclair Broadcast Group. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Casey’s work has also appeared in Fox News, Fox Business, USA Today and other outlets.

Carleen Johnson is The Center Square's Washington state government reporter. She has 31 years of experience in broadcast journalism in the Puget Sound region, including 27 years in Seattle news radio and 5 years as a traffic reporter for several radio stations in the area in the mid-1990s.

Christina Lengyel is a staff writer covering Pennsylvania for The Center Square. She covers a broad range of topics with special interest in education, health care, and human services. She attended West Chester University for her undergraduate degree and later studied writing in her hometown of Baltimore, MD.

TJ Martinell is a native to Washington and has been reporting in the state since his high school days. At The Center Square, he has investigated the state’s election security, voter fraud, government contracts, crime statistics, environmental policies, and state sex offender regulations. He has worked at a variety of publications, including weekly traditional newspapers and daily online news sites. His work has been recognized numerous times by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society for Professional Journalists.

Spencer Pauley is The Center Square's Western Washington reporter. Spencer is based out of the City of Seattle. Prior to his role at The Center Square, Spencer worked on the documentary series, 'The Clinton Affair', while interning in New York City.

Brett Rowland is an award-winning journalist who has worked as an editor and reporter in newsrooms in Illinois and Wisconsin. He is an investigative reporter for The Center Square.

Kenneth Schrupp is the California reporter for The Center Square. His commentary and analysis have been published by Newsweek, RealClearPolitics, and the Pacific Research Institute.

Jon is a reporter who covers news in Tennessee, Wisconsin and West Virginia along with publicly financed sports stadiums, arenas and projects across the country with a taxpayer focus. Jon has been a reporter and editor in Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms and at The Center Square over the past 20 years.

Morgan Sweeney is a staff writer covering Virginia and Maryland for The Center Square. Morgan was an active member of the journalism program as an undergraduate at Hillsdale College and previously freelanced for The Center Square.

After completing an internship in 2023, Elyse is returning to The Center Square’s apprenticeship program, serving as the elections reporter across North Carolina and Georgia. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Elyse’s writing has been published around the country in a wide variety of publications from the “Washington Examiner” to “The American Spectator” and “The Daily Wire.”

Madeline Armstrong is an apprentice reporter covering taxpayer needs in Arizona, California and Nevada for The Center Square. Madeline previously worked as an assistant editor for Today's News-Herald in Lake Havasu City and has been published in the Student Nation and abc7. She graduated with a master's degree in journalism from Hofstra University, where she was an editor for the student newspaper. Madeline has a passion for telling the stories that matter to the communities she covers, primarily when it comes to politics and the environment, of which she has received multiple awards.

Thérèse Boudreaux is a staff reporter covering Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota for The Center Square. Previously, she interned at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Thérèse graduated with a degree in politics from Hillsdale College, where she was involved in both the newspaper and radio station.