Meet The Team

Jamie Ulrey

As General Manager of Illini Media Group, Jamie is thrilled to have launched Chambana Today earlier this year.  She loves the concept of ‘Always Local, Always Free,’ which fills a gap in the local media landscape. Jamie graduated high school in southern Illinois and joined the Marine Corp from there. She is a DIY enthusiast at home and considers herself a “chaos coordinator” at work.

Hometown: Champaign, IL

Local Favorites: When Jamie is not at work, she can be found watching crime shows, eating at El Toro, visiting her favorite salon, Style & Grace, or treating herself to a massage at the iHotel spa.

Connect with Jamie: julrey@chambanatoday.com

Elizabeth Hess

As Editor-In-Chief of Chambana Today, Elizabeth loves covering stories about her hometown. When she left for college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she vowed to never move back home again. After several years hosting radio shows and reporting on news, traffic, and weather in Chicago, Elizabeth packed up her husband, son, cats and fish and bought a house in her hometown.

Hometown: Champaign, IL

Local Favorites: My family rotates who gets to pick where we eat out. If it is my turn, you will find us at Ferren’s, Maize, or Siam Terrace. When I’m not working, I am trying to find a rescue dog to adopt, taking a dance class (which I’m bad at but love) or eating something with family or friends.

Connect with Elizabeth: ehess@chambanatoday.com

Zeno is a News Reporter for Chambana Today and comes to us with almost three years of sports reporting experience. He was a Journalism major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When not working, he enjoys geese watching, playing tennis, watching sports, and spending time with friends. Zeno loves the Hotspur soccer team and U of I sports.

Hometown: Champaign, IL

Local Favorites: You can find Zeno at Panera or any other local coffee shop, or at Riggs in Urbana on some weekends!

Connect with Zeno: zjo@chambanatoday.com

Alice is a contributing reporter covering Vermillion County for Chambana Today. She’s been a lifelong resident of Danville, where she lives with her two youngest children. She’s been involved in journalism and photography in the area for more than 30 years, and her last job was freelancing for the News-Gazette. Alice was also the content director for the Vermilion County Guide.

Hometown: Danville, IL

Local Favorites: In her free time, she enjoys activities with her kids, photographing concerts, and gardening!