Kate Howard, a veteran investigative reporter specializing in government accountability and higher education, is joining WFPL's Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting in April.
Howard comes to Louisville from The Omaha World-Herald, where she recently exposed a series of no-bid contracts at the state university worth about $690 million.
Howard has covered a variety of issues and beats in her career, ranging from courts to transportation, health to higher education. As a watchdog reporter at the Florida Times-Union, she examined pill mills that drew customers to Florida from as far away as Kentucky. Another series of reports prompted a local community college to reign in exorbitant administrative spending. She previously worked five years at The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville.
"I am thrilled to be joining this team and investigating issues that matter for Kentucky residents," Howard said. "Working for an investigative journalism outlet has been a longtime dream of mine. The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has already made a clear impact with aggressive and important stories, and I look forward to contributing to even more meaningful work."
Howard is a Rhode Island native and graduated from Salve Regina University.
"Kate is a top-notch journalist and relentless in reporting stories that are important to the community," said Managing Editor Brendan McCarthy. "She also has deep digital media skills that will allow us to further connect with our growing audience. We are excited to have her aboard."
Howard starts April 11.
