The Maine Monitor and its publisher, the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, announced a trio of personnel moves this week.
Editor Kate Cough returned Tuesday from her maternity leave and announced that Interim Deputy Editor Erin Rhoda will remain with the newsroom as a deputy editor alongside Stephanie McFeeters. Cough thanked McFeeters for her excellent leadership of the newsroom during Cough’s leave.
In addition, MCPIR Executive Director Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm announced that Patrick Sweeney has joined the organization as its first Director of Finance and Operations.
Rhoda spent 13 years at the Bangor Daily News, starting as the BDN’s editorial page editor before helping form the newspaper’s investigative team, Maine Focus, in 2014. In addition to being the editor of Maine Focus, she also wrote stories centering on domestic and sexual violence, addiction, police accountability, public health and the future of rural communities.
The Maine Press Association named her its Journalist of the Year in 2016, and two years later her peers selected her as one of Maine’s 10 most trusted journalists. In 2025, the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault named an award after her to recognize her long-term focus on improving and deepening coverage of sexual violence in Maine.
Her team’s journalism frequently drove change. In one example, their in-depth reporting on how county law enforcement officers and a sheriff kept their certifications despite sexually harassing colleagues and prisoners resulted in the greatest expansion in police oversight in Maine in years.
Rhoda’s reporting often drew on the power of human stories. Her two-year project chronicling the life and death of a young man addicted to heroin was cited on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and kicked off community organizing and fundraising that saved lives.
“Erin has been a wonderful addition to the newsroom these past months and I’m thrilled that she is going to stay on at The Monitor. We will all benefit from her wealth of reporting experience and editorial skill,” said Cough.
Sweeney has served as chief financial officer for several privately held Maine companies over the past 17 years, one of which was the Portland Press Herald. He has previously served as a director on the boards of GWI and Lanco Integrated.
“In the last three years, MCPIR has grown in size and impact. The organization now has 18 staff employees and publishes not only the investigative work of The Monitor but also Monitor Local, an initiative launched last year to fill news gaps in downeast and western Maine,” noted Schweitzer-Bluhm. “Bringing on someone of Pat’s experience and caliber will help us manage this robust growth, enhance our operational resilience and further improve our fiscal accountability and sustainability. I’m delighted to have him on board.”
As director of finance and operations, Sweeney will play a critical role in MCPIR, overseeing the operational and financial systems needed to support strategic objectives for the organization.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to be part of a well-respected, high-impact news organization making a difference in Maine,” Sweeney said. “I look forward to bringing my experience in finance and operations to strengthen the capacity of MCPIR and The Maine Monitor.”
