Hawthorne James leads coverage at the Cronkite News – Phoenix Bureau, in which students cover important stories across the state. She most recently led reporters and editors in the Republic's Community Watchdog operation, dedicated to accountability coverage of city government, growth and development, public safety, K-12 education and reader-contributed content in communities across the Phoenix metropolitan area. She also is a former chapter president and regional director of the National Association of Black Journalists and an alumnus of Leadership West.