Christopher Allen joined PBN in 2022 as a staff writer. He covers hospitality, tourism and state government. He previously worked as a staff writer for Newport This Week, focusing on municipal government, education policy and commercial development. He holds a master’s in creative writing from Rhode Island College and an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. He resides in Middletown.

James Bessette joined Providence Business News as a researcher in 2018, and currently serves as PBN’s special projects editor. Prior to joining PBN, he worked as a reporter for The Independent and as a copy editor for The Newport Daily News.  James also worked as a sports reporter for Southern Rhode Island Newspapers and as news editor for The East Greenwich Pendulum. He also served four years as the Rhode Island Press Association’s board president. In his spare time, James bowls competitively around New England and enjoys watching sports – particularly the Boston Bruins and Providence Bruins.

Matt Bower joined Providence Business News as the copy editor in 2016. Prior to joining PBN, he was a reporter and production assistant for the Warwick Beacon, Cranston Herald and Johnston Sun Rise at Beacon Communications in Warwick. He’s also worked as a reporter for the Warwick Daily Times and Kent County Daily Times in West Warwick. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.

Katie Castellani joined PBN in 2023 as a staff writer. She covers health care, real estate/development and government. Before joining PBN, she completed reporting internships at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Henrico Citizen. Katie earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Va. While in college, she was a writer, copy editor and city and state editor for The Collegian, the University of Richmond’s independent student newspaper. She also wrote for The Capital News Service and freelanced for The Chesterfield Observer. In her free time, Katie enjoys running and riding horses.

William Hamilton became PBN managing editor in 2019, having previously served as special projects editor. Before that, he was a content editor and Sunday business editor at The Providence Journal. He was a PBN staff writer from 2007 to 2011 and had previously written and edited for Fall River-based The Herald News, the Pawtucket Times and the Kent County Daily Times.

Chip LeClerc joined PBN as web editor in 2022. He has worked in journalism 28 years, including stops at the Westfield Evening News of Westfield, Mass., The News-Times of Danbury, Conn., The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, Conn., and most recently, The Republican of Springfield, Mass. A lifelong resident of western Massachusetts., he has an associate degree in television production from Springfield Technical Community College and bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University, which allowed him to intern at CNN in Atlanta. Chip is an avid, yet always frustrated, golfer as well as huge fan of all-things hockey, the New England Patriots and Calgary Stampeders (Go Stamps!).

Matthew McNulty joined PBN as a staff writer in 2025. He covers financial services, energy/environment and government. An experienced journalist of over 12 years, he has previously covered business for Fox Business News, as well as crime and breaking news for the New York Post, New York Daily News, PEOPLE Magazine, and the Daily Mail. Matt is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a bachelor’s degree in English. In his spare time, he enjoys watching MMA and playing poker.

Mike Mello was named PBN editor in 2019. He began his journalism career in Massachusetts, where he worked as a staff writer for The Standard-Times in New Bedford before becoming a regional correspondent for Ottaway News Service in Washington, D.C. He later worked as a reporter and editor for The Providence Journal and The Associated Press in Rhode Island before joining PBN in 2007 as managing editor. He enjoys spending time with family and following the fortunes of the region’s professional sports teams.

Jacquelyn Voghel joined PBN as a staff writer in 2021. She covers the workforce, entrepreneurship and manufacturing. Prior to joining PBN, she reported on higher education and western Massachusetts communities for the Daily Hampshire Gazette, wrote for the New Britain Herald in central Connecticut and worked in the editorial department at Yale University Press. A Roger Williams University alumna and lifelong writer, she discovered a passion for journalism on the student newspaper, where she eventually served as editor-in-chief. Jacquelyn holds degrees in English literature and international relations. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cycling and exploring the outdoors.