Jess Starr joins the Freshwater Cleveland team with nearly two decades of experience working in the media and communications fields, and a passion for telling good news stories.
Starr spent years in Erie, Pennsylvania as senior news reporter for the television stations ABC affiliate JET24 and FOX66. She covered general assignment news and beat reporting for Millcreek Township, turning up to six stories daily.
Prior to reporting, Starr spent six years at WKYC-TV3 in Cleveland, working in both production and news. While at Channel 3, she was the supervising floor director and a fill-in producer. She was in charge of the studio while on-air, and also field produced for many of Channel 3's specials.
Most recently, Starr proudly spent the past eight years as director of communications at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM), an advocacy and social services nonprofit in Cleveland, where she led the external communications for the agency.
A native Clevelander, she attended college at Kent State University and has a BA in public communication with a focus in mass media.
Starr lives in North Ridgeville with her husband Dan, and three-year-old daughter, Layla.
FreshWater exclusive: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and
author Connie Schultz captivated a packed audience at the Cuyahoga County
Public Library’s Parma-Snow branch last Saturday with a reading of her first
children’s book, "Lola and the Troll." Schultz talked with
FreshWater's Jess Starr about how her grandchildren inspired her venture into
picture books, and the lessons on kindness and bravery learned.