JD Pells

JD is a news reporter for Maui Now. He has contributed stories to TCU 360, Fort Worth Report and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. In 2021, he did his internship at Maui Now. He graduated from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at Texas Christian University, with a bachelor's in journalism and business in 2022, before coming back home to Maui with the purpose of serving his community. He can be reached at jdpells@pmghawaii.com.

JD first came to Maui Now in 2021 as an intern. From 2021 to 2022, as executive editor of TCU 360, he received awards for his narrative writing and multimedia stories, and a grant to cover the environmental and humanitarian impacts of illegal gold mining in Ghana. His stories and photos are published on the Pulitzer Center website and local Ghana publications. At Maui Now, he hopes to serve his community through journalism. In his free time, JD is working on getting curbside recycling started upcountry.