About Tessa
Tessa is a reporter, producer, and narrative storyteller. Her work spans narrative podcasts, documentary films, TV segments, and multimedia projects.
She got her start working on two documentaries: The Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, and Death Row Stories for Jigsaw Productions and CNN. These formative experiences sparked her passion for exploring history, culture, and the criminal justice system through long-form storytelling.
Tessa’s reporting has taken her around the world, covering everything from Japan’s declining birth rate to paleoanthropological research in South Africa. Closer to home, she’s investigated cold cases and con artists, and produced Spotify’s Webby Award-winning podcast An Oral History of The Office.
In 2019, Tessa earned a master's degree from Columbia Journalism School, in a program for experienced journalists looking to specialize in political and social issues. Her master's thesis – an investigation into misconduct by a former Virginia crime lab analyst – won an award for continued reporting on a subject in the public interest. In 2023, Tessa released the story as a 12-part podcast called Admissible: Shreds of Evidence.
The series was named an Editor’s Pick on Spotify, and won several awards including a Regional Murrow Award, the Signal Award for Best Documentary Podcast, the NETA Public Media Award for Best Podcast, and a PMJA Award for Best Narrative Podcast. Tessa received the Excellence in Journalism Award from the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association for her reporting.
Admissible has prompted the enactment of new legislation and an ongoing review of more than 4,000 criminal cases in Virginia.
Coverage of Admissible
“Admissible is a meticulously reported, often-infuriating story about how easily forensic analysis can be corrupted, how bias is built into the system by design, and how the criminal justice system has decided that its integrity and public image hinge not on fixing its mistakes, but on keeping them hidden. … It’s as haunting and damning an indictment of the criminal justice system as you’ll find.”
— Radley Balko, The Watch (Apr. 26, 2023)
“Consider picking Admissible. … More of a criminal justice documentary than anything else, the series roots itself in a fundamental complication of an arena that’s become central to many wrongful conviction efforts: DNA evidence.”
— Nick Quah, Vulture’s 1.5x Speed (Mar. 1, 2023)
“…a really thoughtful podcast. … Big time thumbs up for Tessa and her whole crew. I think that this was great and I hope to hear more from this crew.”
— Kevin Flynn, Crime Writers On (Apr. 10, 2023)
A crime lab scientist's work exonerated 13 people. But some say she altered evidence — NPR’s All Things Considered (Oct. 23, 2023)
Virginia crime lab scientist who was hailed as a hero faces allegations of altering evidence — Axios (Nov. 3, 2023)
“Bonkers powerful and fascinating podcast. … This is podcasting at its best, bravo to Tessa and the team. Would listen to anything you do next.”