An introduction from the Henrico Citizen's new community vitality reporter

Greetings, Henrico Citizen readers!

I am Dina Weinstein, and I'm excited to take on the new community vitality reporting position here at the Citizen, beginning today.

In this role, I will explore and explain the challenges, opportunities and potential government, corporate and nonprofit solutions stemming from the inter-related issues of housing, health and transportation in Henrico County – Virginia's sixth-largest locality. In this role, I am also a Report for America corps member, which means I will benefit from that organization’s support and training resources.

I previously worked as a writer at Virginia Commonwealth University covering events and writing profiles of students, staff and programs there for VCU News. I also have freelanced for numerous local and national publications including the New York Times, Richmond magazine, Style Weekly and the Henrico Citizen, with an ongoing series on this site on refugees living here and the nonprofits that serve them.

As part of another award-winning series of articles for the Citizen, I reported extensively during the pandemic about the issues of evictions and housing. 

I also recently completed a year-long fellowship funded by Virginia Humanities, researching the first Black graduate of the Medical College of Virginia’s School of Nursing, Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard, which allowed me to take a deep dive into this region’s history.

The chance to do in-depth reporting on crucial issues in Henrico County, while developing my data journalism and mapping skills is what drew me to this opportunity. I earned a bachelor’s in art from Boston University and a master’s from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. I’m drawn to journalism because I love interviewing, researching, writing and editing equally.

In my spare time, I enjoy swimming and eating my way around the region as well as attending cultural events. 

I look forward to meeting residents and those folks who work in Henrico County to hear your stories and takes on the beats I am covering. 

Please reach out to me at dina@henricocitizen.com with news tips, article ideas or if you have first-hand experience, insight or expertise in the fields of housing, health or transportation in Henrico County.

Editor's note: You may also help support this position by making a tax-deductible contribution through Report for America; RFA will match your donation dollar for dollar, up to $25,000.