Kiah Collier

about me

Welcome — I’m Kiah Collier, a national award–winning journalist based in Austin and a seventh-generation Texan.

Since 2010, I’ve reported and edited for publications across my home state including ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and the Houston Chronicle. I currently work as the metro editor at the Austin American-Statesman, where I oversee local investigations and guide coverage of the people, policies and decisions shaping Central Texas.

I'm deeply committed to accountability journalism, to elevating underrepresented voices and to telling consequential stories.

As a reporter, my work spurred the passage of state and federal laws, the termination of harmful corporate practices and the resignation of a state district court judge. Though less important than positive impact, that reporting also garnered some of the most prestigious national journalism awards including a Peabody in 2017.

As an editor, I've led coverage that pushed the Austin City Council to overhaul lax discretionary spending policies and helped edit a series that received the Education Writers Association's top prize in 2025, among other national awards.

The Specifics

My Experience

Metro Editor, Austin American-Statesman (2024-Present)

Personal sabbatical (2023-2024)

Investigative Reporter, ProPublica/Texas Tribune (2020-2023)

Reporter + Associate Editor, The Texas Tribune (2015-2020)

Capitol Reporter, Austin American-Statesman (2014-2015)

County Reporter, Houston Chronicle (2013-2014)

Business Reporter, Houston Chronicle (2012-2013)

Stringer, Reuters America Service (2012)

Government Reporter + Columnist, San Angelo Standard-Times (2010-2012)

My Awards +Honors

As editor:

Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting (EWA) 2025

First Place in Series/Project Category (Society of Features Journalism) 2025

Investigative Journalism (Finalist, NAHJ/UF, 2025)

As reporter:

Texas Managing Editors, Star Investigative Report 3A (2024)

Headliners Foundation, Charles E. Green Award (2024)

Investigative Reporters & Editors, Breaking News (2022)

Scripps Howard Foundation, Environmental Reporting (2022)

Society of Environmental Journalists, Best Investigation (2022)

SABEW, Innovation (2022, 2017)

Edward R. Murrow, Best Investigation (2022, 2017)

NIHCM, Data-Driven Storytelling (2022)

Gerald Loeb Award, Finalist, Consumer Reporting + Visual Storytelling (2022, 2021)

Goldsmith Prize, Finalist, Investigative Reporting (2022)

New America Weather Eye Award for Local Reporting (2018-2019)

SPJ D.C. Chapter Dateline Award (2019)

Pulitzer Center and New America grantee (2018)

AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award (2018)

Peabody Award, Innovation (2017)

Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism (2017)

Livingston Award for Young Journalists, Finalist (2017)

National Magazine Award, Finalist (2017)

My Training

Knight Center for Journalism in the America's, Investigative Reporting in the Digital Age (2020)

American Association for the Advancement of Science's SciLine bootcamp on political reporting (2019)

AAAS's SciLine bootcamp on the community impacts of oil and gas development (2019)

Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at CUNY (2018)

MIT Knight Science Journalism Program's

science editing workshop (2017, 2018)

Metcalf Institute's climate workshop (2015)

Investigative Reporters & Editors, private training (2015)

Various IRE and Society of Environmental Journalists conferences (2013-2023)

My Education

I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in multimedia journalism and philosophy.