Professional Experience

2016 to present: Investigative reporter, WINK News. Previously worked as a producer at KPRC-TV in Houston, WKMG-TV in Orlando and WINK News.

Awards & Recognition

  • Florida Associated Press Finalist for Investigative Reporting, 2018
  • Suncoast Regional Emmy Nominee for Crime News, 2017
  • Lonestar Emmy Awards, winner for Best Investigative Story, nominee for Best Business/Consumer Story, 2016.
  • Houston Press Club, first place for TV Consumer News, 2016.
  • Texas Associated Press Broadcasters, second place for news series, 2016.
  • National Press Club Award, third place for investigative reporting, 2012.
  • IRE/NICAR, Holly Wisenhunt Stephen Fellowship recipient, 2011.
  • Suncoast Emmy Awards, winner for Crime Story, 2008. Five-time nominee, 2010 - 2014.
  • Edward R Murrow Awards, 2008 and 2009 regional winner for Investigative Reporting.

Hobbies, Interests & Community Service

Cooking, fitness, running, yoga, scrapbooking,  reading the New York Times' travel section, dreaming about places to travel and sometimes going there, watching my husband golf, taking the dog to the beach, rooting for the Steelers and Nittany Lions, and spoiling my nieces and little ‘sister’. I'm also a Big Brothers & Big Sister mentor, volunteer at PACE school for girls and WGCU's radio reading for blind and visually impaired.

Education

Penn State University

Likes best about Southwest Florida

"The people."

Birthplace

Western Pennsylvania.

Fort Myers woman reconnects with her mother amidst worldwide pandemic

At a time of social distancing, Jennifer Czech said she’s the closest to her mother that she has been in four years. Czech’s mother lives in Chicago, has no social media and no smartphone, just a landline telephone. When Czech picked up the phone to call her mother as news of the pandemic spread, she […]

Lee Health seeks donations of N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment

Lee Health is seeking donations of N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment such as face shields and gloves. “We don’t have a critical shortage today we’re planning for the future trying to get ahead of the curve,” said Chris Simoneau, Chief Foundation and Development Officer Lee Health. Simoneau explained that just as people […]

Businesses likely to stay open until they are required to shut down

It’s business as usual until it’s not. And the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has ensured the unusual. The latest executive order from the Florida governor’s office for restaurants means one less option for people looking to still get out. We found businesses are probably not going to shut down until they are told they must. Southwest […]

Testing supply shortage limits who can get a COVID-19 test

Concerns about access to testing remain high as more and more positive cases of COVID-19 are announced across Southwest Florida and the United States. Florida Governor Ron Desantis said Wednesday that swabs used to collect samples were in short supply.  On Thursday, he said the swabs were starting to trickle into the state. But, the […]

COVID-19 moves therapy for special needs children online

Children with special needs will be getting crucial therapies in a much different way until further notice. Focus, which offers specialized physical, behavioral and speech therapy for children, decided to shut its doors Monday amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “We really can’t ensure that they’re going to be not exposed to something so we decided […]

Concerns over getting a doctor’s order for coronavirus testing

Providers now have the discretion to order a test to patients who they feel should be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19), but some say they are having a difficult time getting an order for a test. “I’m like shocked I find it unbelievable,” said a Lee Health nurse who wanted to be called “Mary” for anonymity. […]

Are already crowded hospitals in Southwest Florida ready for a COVID-19 outbreak?

Joann Cozzolino has congestive heart failure and renal failure. She ends up in the hospital several times a year. “Sometimes I am there and then two weeks later I’m back again,” she said. Her husband, Gary Atherton, is her full-time caretaker. He diligently counts out her pills, drives her to her dialysis appointments and advocates […]

How a trip to the doctor can cost 3 times more than you expect

When Jan Trefzer went to a doctor for back pain, she expected to pay $45—her insurance copay for specialist care. But Lee Health billed her insurance for facility charges both times Trefzer went to the doctor at the Sanctuary, an outpatient center in Fort Myers. Those facility charges added $550 to Trefzer’s total out-of-pocket cost […]