Evans has been a journalist for 20 years. She worked as a reporter for several newspapers, including DFM papers The Argus (Fremont, Calif.), The Sun (Lowell, Mass.) and the Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.), before joining the Long Beach Press-Telegram as an editor in November 2012.

She graduated from San Diego State University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 2013 with a master’s degree in theology. She spent the bulk of her career covering religion and health, and has completed a number of fellowships in these specialized areas.

As an editor at the Press-Telegram, she led the Long Beach staff to award-winning coverage of the Toyota Grand Prix last spring, along with coverage of the California State University education system and breaking news coverage of a mass shooting in Downey, Calif.

Articles

Hospitals Under Stress

Melissa Evans examines the extent of Southern California's hospital backup and emergency room overcrowding.