The writers and contributors behind Zeale's Catholic news coverage.
Editor-in-chief
Annie is the editor-in-chief of Zeale News. With a background in journalism and content marketing, she previously worked as an editor and writer on a variety of magazines as well as the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic News Herald . She lives with her husband and children in North Carolina, where she enjoys hiking and reading anything by Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Lifestyle Editor
Brittany Makely is the Lifestyle Editor for Zeale News. She spent 17 years working in state-level public policy, magazine publishing, and local radio before joining Zeale. She and her husband are high school sweethearts raising their five children from toddler to high school ages in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina. In her spare time, she plays chauffeur to a plethora of musical, athletic, and academic extracurricular activities, and says "yes" to too many projects oriented toward building a world and family life more full of truth, goodness, and beauty.
Political Writer
Elise Winland is a political writer for Zeale. She graduated from the University of Dallas, where she studied theology, and her writing has also appeared in the College Fix. She finds inspiration in the passionate prose of St. Augustine, who reminds her that truth is as much a matter of the heart as the intellect.
News Writer
Elizabeth Ervin is a news writer for Zeale News. A recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, she is inspired by Pope St. John Paul II and seeks to live out his teaching that "man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self." She lives in Wisconsin, where she enjoys reading, cooking with her husband, browsing local farmers markets, and cheering on the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lifestyle editor
Erika Ahern is a seasoned journalist and editor for Refine, CatholicVote's lifestyle newsletter, and co-host of the LOOPcast. Her work has appeared in USA Today, Washington Examiner, Plough Quarterly, National Catholic Register, the Federalist, Daily Caller, Connecticut Examiner, Crisis Magazine, and RealClear Policy. Erika and her husband live outside of New Haven, Connecticut, with their seven children.
Author
Grace Porto is a staff writer for Zeale News. She graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in Massachusetts with a double major in philosophy and theology. Outside of work she enjoys cooking, reading, and playing violin-guitar duets with her husband.
Staff Writer
Hannah Hiester is a staff writer at Zeale News whose work has also been published by the College Fix and the Archdiocese of Kansas City’s newspaper, the Leaven. A recent graduate of Benedictine College, she is an avid traveler and coffee enthusiast.
News Writer
McKenna is assistant editor for Zeale News. She has previously reported for CatholicVote on topics related to the Vatican, pro-life issues, euthanasia, and the First Amendment. In her free time, she enjoys playing pickleball and making coffees with her home espresso machine.
Staff Writer
Rachel Quackenbush is a staff writer for Zeale News. A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College in New England, she holds a double major in philosophy and theology. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband and feels most at home on a tennis court.