Meet the Reader’s Digest Editorial Team

Get to know the people behind Reader’s Digest’s magazine and website

Reader’s Digest is a trusted friend in a complicated world. Our editors are passionate about sharing big ideas, great stories, clever solutions, witty quips and hearty laughs with our 12 million monthly readers. Our team is made up of writers, editors and contributors with extensive professional experience in our fields of expertise. We share a journalistic commitment to providing practical, actionable, authoritative information and inspiration to help you lead your best life.

We’d love to introduce ourselves.

Jason Buhrmester

Chief Content Officer, Magazines & Books

Jason Buhrmester is an award-winning editor, writer and author with more than 25 years of experience at major publications. His writing has appeared in Wired, the Chicago Tribune, Spin, the Village Voice and more. He is the author of two novels: Black Dogs, published by Random House/Three Rivers, and the forthcoming Five Four Three Two One, both currently in film production. He has also taught journalism at DePaul University.

Jason earned a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University. He lives in Chicago with his wife, two sons, a pug and Boston Terrier and dreams of wandering the country on a motorcycle.

The Reader’s Digest Print Team

Jody L. Rohlena

Executive Editor

Jody is the Executive Editor of Reader’s Digest. She has held top-level positions in print, digital, social media and creative leadership at Consumer Reports, ShopSmart, WebMD and other major media companies. Proud career highlights include interviewing Jimmy Kimmel about his appendix, publishing a poem about her family’s Century Farm and not poking Nick Cannon in the eye during a Today Show appearance. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she lives in New York with her husband, son and two cats.

Andy Simmons

Senior Features Editor

Andy is a longtime editor at Reader’s Digest, where he’s edited and reported on national interest, real-life dramas and humor. He is the author of Now That’s Funny! featuring his most popular, funniest writings on all things America, some exclusive and all-new, some taken from the award-winning pages of Reader’s Digest.

Emily Goodman

Senior Editor

Emily is a writer, editor and puzzle creator who primarily contributes to the Reader’s Digest print magazine, handling our “How To” and “13 Things” columns as well as the Brain Games section and our annual “America the Tasty” cover story. A former French teacher and all-around language lover, she speaks English and French fluently, gets by in Italian and Spanish, and knows just enough Norwegian and Greek to make native speakers laugh.

Caroline Fanning

Editor

Caroline joined Reader’s Digest as an editorial intern in 2017 and has since risen through the ranks to editor. The RD List, “We Found a Fix” column and “Nicest Places in America” series are her dearest darlings. There is someone walking around Washington State with one of her stories tattooed on their bicep—her crowning achievement. She graduated from Stockton University in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 2017 and currently lives and will likely expire in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

The Reader’s Digest Digital Team

Aviva Patz

Executive Editor

Aviva is an award-winning health and lifestyle journalist with more than 25 years of print and digital content creation and management experience, including as executive editor of Psychology Today. Aviva has written hundreds of feature articles for Health, Prevention, Women’s Health, Fitness, Redbook, Parents and more. When Aviva gets a chance to write these days, it’s usually about her secret passions: travel, beauty and shopping. Aviva earned a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor’s from Barnard College, Columbia University. She lives outside NYC with her husband, two daughters and a puggle named Hazel, and she fronts the pop-soul band The Hey Honeys.

Anne Fritz

Deputy Editor

Anne is a seasoned lifestyle journalist with more than 20 years of experience in content creation and planning. A former Fashion & Beauty Director at Life & Style, she has written and edited for top publications including Everyday Health, The Spruce, What to Expect, Seventeen, Woman’s Day and more. She’s the mom of two elementary-school kids and the owner of a pandemic pup—all three keep her on her toes. Follow her on Instagram @annelfritz.

Dawn Yanek

Senior Editor

Dawn is a Senior Editor at Reader’s Digest who covers lifestyle, relationships, health and pop culture. As an on-air spokesperson and parenting blogger who has appeared on more than 2,500 TV segments, Dawn has likely popped up on your television at some point as an expert or actress. She lives in New York with her husband and their two mind-bogglingly energetic kids.

Elizabeth Daleske

Copy Chief

Before joining the Reader’s Digest digital team in 2022, Liz spent more than 20 years creating and polishing consumer-facing content at a variety of companies and publications, including Google, Design Within Reach, Zagat Survey and Redbook magazine, where she was the Copy Chief. She’s written and edited for magazines, websites, blogs and social media, and her editorial sweet spot is ensuring that copy is error-free, grammatically correct and reader friendly. After many years in New York City, Liz now lives in Portland, Oregon, where she collects art, watches British TV, takes lots of photos and tries to love hiking as much as she loves the Pacific Northwest views that come with it.

Megan O’Neill Melle

Senior Editor

Megan is a lifestyle, health and entertainment journalist and editor with more than 12 years of experience within magazine publishing and content creation. Currently a Senior Editor at RD.com, Megan previously worked for some of the largest media brands in the world, including as the Senior Editor for Parade Magazine, where she helmed the magazine’s books coverage.

Megan earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. When she’s not editing lifestyle and entertainment content today, she’s diving deep into home style and interior design on Pinterest and TikTok. She lives in Chicago, where she’s renovating her 1897 home with her husband, newborn son and pup, Murray.

Tracey Neithercott

Books Editor

Tracey is the Books Editor at Reader’s Digest, where she oversees book content creation and runs the Reader’s Digest Book Club. She’s the host of the RD Book Club podcast on YouTube, the author of the YA novel Gray Wolf Island and a freelance book editor. A lifestyle journalist with 20 years of experience, she’s covered health, wellness, disability, beauty, books and entertainment for publications including Diabetes Forecast, Prevention, AARP, Better Homes & Gardens and Philadelphia Style. When she’s not reading books for work, she’s reading for fun. (Hey, she knows what she likes.)

Cameron Songer

Newsletter Editor

Cameron produces the newsletters for Reader’s Digest and The Healthy as the team’s Newsletter Editor. He previously held the same title at the San Antonio Express-News. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, he lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife and a Jack Russell Terrier mix named Pumpkin. An avid sports fan, Cameron also freelances as a high school sports broadcaster. In his free time, he enjoys reading, gaming and taking long walks with his dog.

Sarah Vincent

Associate Editor

Sarah is an Associate Editor at Reader’s Digest. Alongside writing and editing, she also analyzes digital engagement and helps produce the monthly Reader’s Digest Book Club livestreams. She previously worked at America Media, where she contributed to award-winning articles and poetry. She also freelances, writing culture and opinion essays, and has written for the National Catholic Reporter and Sojourners. In her free time, she likes to study Japanese, cook and cheer for Loyola Chicago basketball.

Mariah Thomas

Associate Editor

Mariah Thomas is an Associate Editor at Reader’s Digest, where she writes and edits lifestyle and holiday content. Mariah has more than five years of experience as a writer and editor for various brands, including Good Housekeeping. Along with receiving her B.A. in journalism, Mariah also has her M.A. from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, where she studied arts and culture within the editorial and broadcast realm. Beyond the editorial desk, Mariah is the author of Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts & Emotions, a poetry book that celebrates the beauty of life, love and womanhood.

The Reader’s Digest Healthy Team

Kristine Gasbarre

Senior Editor, The Healthy

Krissy has worked in publishing and media for 20 years and is a No. 1 New York Times and internationally bestselling writer with work featured in People, the New York Times, the Oprah Winfrey Network, Sirius/XM Radio and more. With degrees in psychology and communications (Fordham University), she assisted a clinical research project at the Cleveland Clinic. She’s also the owner of two irresistible rescue dogs and the soon-to-be-resurrected Ski Lodge in Treasure Lake, Pennsylvania. Her partner is a courageous stage four cancer survivor.

Miranda Manier

Associate Editor, The Healthy

Miranda is the Associate Editor for TheHealthy.com and “The Healthy” section of Reader’s Digest. Previously, Miranda was a producer at WNIT, the PBS affiliate in South Bend, Indiana, and the producer-in-residence for Minneapolis TV news KARE 11, where she won an Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Award for producing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial. Miranda also interned at Chicago’s PBS station, WTTW, and worked as the managing editor at the Columbia Chronicle at Columbia College. Outside of work, Miranda enjoys acting, board games and trying her hand at a good vegan dessert recipe. She also loves talking about TV—so tell her what you’re watching!

The Reader’s Digest Social Media Team

Sam Kimbrell

Brand Director

Sam Kimbrell is a Los Angeles–based writer, director, performer and digital brand director who loves old-timey characters, robots, talking inanimate objects and the sound of dogs eating dry food. He holds a degree in screenwriting from Chapman University and studied improv and sketch at Second City, iO West and UCB. He’s created scripts, comedy blogs, live shows, jokes and videos for Crackle, Cartoon Network, Top Story! Weekly, Second City, iO, WAVE Sports, El Rey Network, Jukin Media, Crypto.com and Reader’s Digest. Sam was recently a performer in Second City Hollywood’s “That’s the End of Our Time” and was a finalist at JFL’s “Stand Up and Pitch.” He currently oversees the social direction of Reader’s Digest and FailArmy for Trusted Media Brands.

Lindsay Barton

Senior Social Media Editor

Lindsay manages all things social for Reader’s Digest. From Nickelodeon to Kleinfeld, she’s posted and shared more times than she can count. Lindsay earned her bachelor’s degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She lives in Westchester County with her boyfriend and an Alaskan Klee Kai named Broadway. Outside of work, Lindsay enjoys perfecting her iced coffee recipe and watching The Real Housewives.

The Reader’s Digest Shopping Team

Nicole Doster

Content Director, Strategy and Performance

Nicole is a seasoned digital content creator with more than seven years of experience writing and editing for major lifestyle brands. As a driving force across Reader’s Digest, Taste of Home and Family Handyman, she leads content direction for all things shopping and trends, overseeing thousands of product reviews each year. With a B.A. in Communications from Loyola University Maryland, Nicole is an expert in her field, known for her data-driven approach to storytelling and deep knowledge of consumer behavior.

Reina Galhea

Deputy Shopping Editor

As Deputy Shopping Editor, Reina is dedicated to finding the very best products in every category the Reader’s Digest audience shops. Her decade of experience in branded content and service journalism means she knows how to spot the purchases that will truly make life easier (and tell you where to find them). A digital content native, she’s written for brands across industries, including for household names such as Kroger, Canon Camera, Smucker’s, Footlocker and Samsung. She received her B.A. in English from UCLA.

Caitlyn Fitzpatrick

Senior Shopping Editor

Caitlyn has been a professional writer and editor since 2014 and has worked in the commerce editorial world since 2017. She is currently at Reader’s Digest, covering everything from Amazon must-haves to gifts for all sorts of holidays. Caitlyn is passionate about discovering and testing products that solve a problem and make life a bit easier. She also freelances for a variety of publications, including U.S. News 360 Reviews, Betches, The Everygirl, WhatToWatch.com and more. When she’s not working, Caitlyn is playing with her daughter, organizing some part of her home or testing out the latest TikTok beauty-product craze.

Stephanie Hope

Shopping Editor

As Shopping Editor for Reader’s Digest, Stephanie has her finger on the pulse of the best products in fashion, beauty, home and other general areas of interest. Her work can be seen in publications like BuzzFeed, InStyle, USAToday, Yahoo and more. Her expertise is built on years of experience and passion for helping readers simplify and improve their lives. Stephanie is also a romance author, represented by The Knight Agency. Find her on all social platforms @imstephaniehope.

Daria Smith

Senior Editor, Newsletters

As Senior Editor for Newsletters, Daria manages sales content and newsletters for Reader’s Digest. An avid shopper, Daria is always on the lookout for innovative, high-quality products. She has written shopping, lifestyle and travel content for Forbes, Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens and Eating Well. This Charleston-based editor enjoys an Aperol spritz on a warm afternoon and spending time outdoors with her German shorthaired pointer. Follow along on Instagram @dariarosesmith.

Want to join our team? Look for openings on the Trusted Media Brands careers page.