Masthead

Laura Demanski

Editor

Laura Demanski, AMʼ94, joined the Magazine in 2012. She previously worked for the University as editor of the the College magazine, the Core, and managing editor of the literary journal Modern Philology. Laura earned her AB from Brown University and her AM from UChicago in English language and literature.

Mary Ruth Yoe

Senior Editor

Mary Ruth Yoe joined the University in July 1989. With a BA in American studies from Washington College, she earned an MLitt from the University of Edinburgh. She has helped edit alumni magazines for a bakerʼs dozen of institutions, including Grinnell College and Johns Hopkins University (where she headed the Alumni Magazine Consortium). She enjoys writing headlines that include puns and/or lyrics from her favorite songwriter, and no doubt her epitaph will contain a typo

Rhonda L. Smith

Managing Editor

Rhonda Smith has worked on the Magazine since September 2010, first as proofreader and then as senior copy editor. In January 2018 she became managing editor, coordinating print operations of the Magazine and managing mag.uchicago.edu. Previously, Rhonda was the editorial coordinator in the Books Division of the University of Chicago Press. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in writing, both from DePaul University, and a certificate in editing from the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies.

Chandler A. Calderon

Alumni News Editor

Chandler joined the University of Chicago Magazine in 2022, where she edits the Peer Review section. Chandler earned a BA from Wellesley College and a PhD from Yale University, both in French. During her graduate studies, she taught language and literature, coordinated graduate programming at the Yale Center for Language Study, and served as an intern for Yale Alumni Magazine. She is an active volunteer with the Wellesley College Alumnae Association.

Katie Byrne

Copy Editor

Katie Byrne joined the Magazine as copy editor in August 2021. She copyedits, proofreads, and fact-checks content for the Magazine and its College supplement, the Core, as well as Tableau for the Division of the Humanities and several newsletters for Alumni Relations and Development. Katie previously worked in educational and health care publishing and is very grateful that her current responsibilities allow her to read about a wide variety of topics. She has a BA in English from Boston College.

Guido Mendez

Art Director

A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Guido Mendez has two BFAs in graphic design and photography and an MFA in photography from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Guido has especially enjoyed designing for fine arts and higher education, with special interests in magazine/book publishing and creative direction of brand development. Previously he was a senior art director for Columbia College Chicago.


Contributing editors

Jeanie Chung

Jeanie Chung edits Tableau for the University’s Division of the Humanities. Before coming to UChicago, she worked for several years as a journalist—mostly in sports—several more years in communications for Chicago Public Schools, and a few other years writing for various publications and organizations. She has a BA in English from Amherst College and an MFA in fiction writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Carrie Golus

Carrie Golus, AB’91, AM’93, edits the Core, the College supplement to the University of Chicago Magazine, and the College Review, a quarterly email for College alumni. She earned her AB and AM from UChicago in English language and literature.

Lucas McGranahan

Lucas McGranahan is a development writer at UChicago with a background in academia and nonprofit fundraising. To unwind, he plays guitar and writes scholarship on the philosophy of science and labor studies. Lucas received his BA in English and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his PhD in philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz.


Staff writers

Sean Carr

As lead development writer in UChicago’s office of alumni relations and development, Sean Carr, AB’90, works with his colleagues to raise vital support from UChicago’s generous alumni and friends. He still can’t believe he gets to write for the Magazine from time to time and is thrilled every time he has the chance to do it.

Ingrid Gonçalves

Ingrid Gonçalves, AB’08, joined the University in 2013. As a senior development writer, she handles everything from social media posts to multimillion-dollar gift proposals. She previously served as director of communications at Manufacturing Renaissance, a Chicago-based community development nonprofit. Ingrid is a double major in political science and international studies.

Kelley Tatro

Kelley Tatro is a development writer in UChicago’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development. She earned her PhD from Duke University and has a broad educational background in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. A former professor, she published her first book with Wesleyan University Press in 2022 and has also worked as a freelance writer and editor. In 2023 she earned a professional editing certificate from the University of California, Berkeley Extension.