Patti Epler

Many years ago, Patti Epler lived on a 41-foot sailboat in Keehi Lagoon and worked for Honolulu Magazine when not varnishing teak and swabbing the deck. She returned to Hawaii after stints as a reporter and editor in Alaska, Washington state, Arizona and Oregon. She was surprised — and happy — to see Tony Roma's barbecue joint is still an anchor for Waikiki.

Patti has been a reporter and editor since 1976. She has covered everything from politics and government to energy and the environment to cops and courts. Personal favorites include an amazing ride in the back seat of an F-4 fighter jet, spending eight months riding with the Phoenix police SWAT team, and covering the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound. She has won numerous state, regional and national awards for her work, both as a writer and editor. Most recently, Patti edited and directed a series on the immigration enforcement practices of a colorful Arizona sheriff that was awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

She was hired as Civil Beat's deputy editor in September 2011 and was named Editor when former editor John Temple left to take a job as managing editor of the Washington Post in April 2012.

Patti has a daughter who's a registered nurse in Arizona and two pugs, Kate and Leo. She's always available to grab a cup of coffee and talk about Hawaii and story ideas.

You can follow Patti on twitter @PattiatCB. You can also email her at pepler@civilbeat.com.

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