Lee Edwards is a multimedia/digital journalist who recently became the program manager of The Real Chi, an experimental “learning newsroom” based in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood for enterprising young adult journalists.

Prior to joining the Free Spirit Media, Lee spent the last six years as a digital journalist covering a wide spectrum of news beats across the Chicagoland region as a former reporter with Block Club Chicago, The Chicago Defender, Austin Weekly News, and Times Republic.

Lee’s passion for storytelling and mentoring the next generation of journalists to reach their full potential have been central themes throughout his professional career dating all the way to his time as a student at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where he earned a bachelor’s in Journalism/Electronic Media.