Resume

Work Experience:
February 2011 – present – Freelance journalist, Chicago, IL

• Writing, editing, shooting photos and producing videos on international news, business and travel for publications including USA TODAY, Marketwatch, Bankrate and GlobalPost.com
• Writing about journalism, the media and freedom of the press for The Poynter Institute and The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism
• Covering the Indian-American community for India Abroad
• Tweeting about business, travel, journalism and freedom of the press at @Meena_Thiru and occasionally hosting #TNI travel Twitter chats
• Produced social media, monitored audience analytics, packaged SEO web content, curated and aggregated international economic news for GlobalPost.com
• Created Pinterest travel guide to Colombia for GlobalPost.com

May 2008– Jan. 2011–Reporter, Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal, Washington, D.C.

• Covered US economic policy and banking through the height of the U.S. financial crisis
• Broke news and delivered scoops about the Federal Reserve, Treasury and US bank bailouts
• Covered G7, G8 and G20 finance ministers and central bankers meetings around the world
• Wrote real-time headlines and news articles on market-moving economic indicators
• Made live television and radio appearances on national networks including C-Span and Fox
• Hosted weekly online economy videos, interviewed leading newsmakers including cabinet secretaries and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on camera

May 2005-May 2008 – On-air contributor, KENS-TV, San Antonio, Texas – regular guest discussing local and regional business on live Sunday morning news program

Summer 2005, 2006 – Project Editor, Urban Journalism Workshop – edited articles and mentored high school students participating in annual two-week journalism training boot camp

May 2004 – May 2008 – Business Reporter, San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, Texas

• Wrote about local and regional business, international trade, tourism and real estate
• Broke national news covering the private equity buyout of Clear Channel Communications, one of the last and biggest PE deals before the U.S. recession
• Wrote weekly personal finance column and hosted occasional podcast
• Produced “Clocking In” local business news blog, performed voiceovers for online videos
• Covered night police beat, wrote features, travel stories, pub reviews and shot photos

Product development work (San Antonio Express-News/mysa.com):

• Examined audience metrics, devised strategies to increase engagement and readership
• Helped develop and launch 210SA, a weekly news magazine targeting 18- to 35-year-olds

Education:
August 2012 – Masters in Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, Il.

• Studied media strategy, media management and multimedia production at the Medill School and at the Kellogg School of Management
• Courses include marketing, finance, economics, consumer insight, media leadership
• McCormick Foundation scholarship recipient

Summer 2011 – Studied foreign policy and development, London School of Economics
May 2004 – Bachelor of Arts in Communication, University of Texas at San Antonio

Multimedia, social media and audience building skills:

• Audio: Audacity, Adobe Audition; SoundSlides; mic operation
• Video: Completed seminar in video storytelling at The Poynter Institute; proficient with Final Cut Pro 7 and 10, Adobe Premiere Pro; HD and DSLR video cameras
• Web: HTML, CSS; WordPress, Movable Type, quick adapter to new CMS
• Social media: Facebook, Twitter, HootSuite, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Vimeo, YouTube
• Audience analytics: Chartbeat, Omniture, comScore, Nielson, bitly, Google Analytics

International Experience:

• Sept/Oct. 2012 – Traveled for 10 days in Germany as part of a program for American journalists
• March 2010 – Traveled for three weeks in South Korea meeting with high-ranking government and private sector leaders on an East-West Center fellowship
• February 2010 – Covered G7 finance ministers meeting in Iqaluit, Canada
• November 2009 – Covered G20 finance ministers meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland
• October 2009 – Covered G7 finance ministers and IMF meeting in Istanbul, Turkey
• Feb. 2008 – Traveled for 10 days in Taiwan studying freedom of the press on a fellowship from the Society of Professional Journalists

Speaking engagements:

• August 2012 – National convention panelist, Network of Indian Professionals (NETIP), spoke about public speaking and making more persuasive presentations
• Aug. 2010 –Asian American Journalists Association national convention panelist – spoke about how business journalists could more effectively use video in their reporting

Awards, honors, etc.:

• March 2013 – Judged online investigative category for SPJ Sigma Delta Chi awards
• March 2013 – Assisted with selection of South Asian Journalists Association scholarship recipients
• Fall 2012 – Assisted the Freedom Forum in selecting summer 2013 Chips Quinn Scholars
• Oct 2011 – Appeared in History Channel documentary series “United Stats of America”
• Feb. 2007 – Won Hearst Award as part of the team covering a deadly Texas train derailment
• Nov. 2007 – May 2008 –Asian American Journalists Association Texas vice president
• Spring 2006 – Judged magazine writing category for SPJ Sigma Delta Chi awards
• Spring 2006 – Third place Hearst Award for explanatory journalism
• Nov. 2005 – Named a Society of Professional Journalists Diversity Leadership Fellow
• Summer 2006 – Article on growing hookah business was featured on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show
• Summer 2004 – Recognized as a top intern by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association
• Summer 2003 – Awarded Chips Quinn scholarship and internship by the Freedom Forum