New reporter joins Review staff

Published 11:12 am Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Bainbridge Island Review welcomes Jessica Shelton as the paper’s newest reporter.

Shelton comes to the Pacific Northwest by way of Charleston, South Carolina, where she served as an editorial assistant with Charleston magazine, overseeing content for seven monthly departments and the magazine’s internship program.

“We are tremendously fortunate to have someone of Jessy’s caliber join the team,” said Review editor Brian Kelly.

“She has an incredible knack for connecting with people and is a very talented storyteller. And her enthusiasm is really contagious,” he said.

A foreign affairs and sociology graduate of the University of Virginia, Shelton actually has the Navy to thank for her venture into journalism. After getting married last April, Shelton left her job at a human rights nonprofit in Washington, D.C. to accompany her husband, Navy Lt. j.g. Creigh Greensmith, to Groton, Connecticut for a two-month submarine training school.

“I had this awkward window of time during which I knew it would be difficult to find a job in my field,” Shelton said.

“However, my hiatus from work turned out to be a watershed moment; I was able to reflect and realize how much satisfaction I gained from listening to and sharing peoples’ stories.”

Shelton and Greensmith came to the island in April, after receiving orders for the USS Henry M. Jackson, which is based out of Bangor.

With four moves in the last year, the Virginia native is relieved to settle down and excited to dive into newswriting.

“I’ve loved exploring Bainbridge during the last three months; it’s a very dynamic community,” Shelton said. “I’m looking forward to capturing the conversations that shape the city.”

In her free time, Shelton enjoys whipping up culinary masterpieces inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi, obsessing about home decor, and trail-running, for sanity. She can’t decide between coffee and books as her vice of choice.