Kali Venable is an ambitious and curious reporter who has dedicated her life to telling stories that empower people to engage with their communities and make educated decisions for themselves and their families.

Expresso, FOIA, archives, ethics and data are a few of her favorite things.

She currently works as an investigative and environmental reporter at the Victoria Advocate, an award-winning, daily newspaper that covers seven counties along the Middle Texas Coast.

Kali worked on the public safety beat, covering courts, crime and breaking news for the Advocate before moving over to the environmental beat and becoming the investigative lead.

As an environmental journalist, she covers many issues, including water rights and quality, air and water pollution, coastal resiliency, hurricanes, invasive and endangered species, wildlife conservation and the impacts of industry build up and climate change.

The Houston-native graduated from The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Communication with a bachelor’s degree in journalism as a Senior Fellows honors student and a certificate in creative writing.

Prior to graduation, she helped install water systems in rural Nicaragua and worked as an editorial intern for several publications.

Kali continues to build upon her skills through conferences, fellowships and online training sessions. At the end of every work day, all she really wants is to leave the newsroom knowing she gave her all to tell the stories her community needs most.