Kathleen M. Johnston, founding director

Kathleen Johnston, a 30-year veteran of investigative journalism and a Media School professor of practice, is the center’s founding director.
Johnston, an IU alumna, has worked at numerous national and local news organizations, from The Indianapolis News to CBS, the Birmingham Post-Herald to CNN. Her work spans a breadth of topics and media, but her primary focus is investigative reporting.

She has won numerous regional and national honors, including Emmy, Peabody and Murrow awards. In 2017, she received The Media School’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Craig Lyons, managing editor

Craig Lyons joined the Arnolt Center in November 2021 as its first managing editor. Lyons has spent more than 15 years covering government agencies at the local, state and federal level in Michigan, Indiana, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. He has a bachelor’s degree from Keene State College and a master’s degree from The Media School at Indiana University. Lyons’ work has earned recognition from the Chicago Headline Club, Michigan Press Association, Hoosier State Press Association and the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Barbara Truesdell, program administrator

Barbara Truesdell is the program administrator for the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism. Truesdell administers the center’s projects, events, and grants. She received her doctorate in folklore and American studies from IU in 1996. Truesdell is also the assistant director of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice and an adjunct lecturer at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.