The following testimonials are written by Zach’s previous supervisors and colleagues over the years. Ellipses connote material that has been edited out for space or relevancy. The intent of the original testimony remains intact.

PBS MediaShift Associate Editor Desiree Everts

Zach was positively a delight to have at PBS MediaShift. He gladly took on any task, from podcasting to writing stories to wrangling content from our partners. He consistently offered up innovative ideas for coverage; he was quick to jump in and help out any of our editors who needed an extra hand; and the stories he contributed were well-written, in-depth and insightful. He’s sharp, witty, a great reporter, and a pleasure to work with. I could go on and on. But when it comes down to it, I’m grateful for all his hard work, and I think he’d be a welcome asset to any organization.

Former USA Today Assistant Online Producer Charlie Szold

… Zach is an incredibly mature, talented and driven person. He was an asset to USA TODAY and will be an asset to your organization.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Zach my senior year at American University, while serving as editor in chief of AU’s student newspaper, The Eagle. Zach was a freshman and even then impressed me with his writing ability and tenacious reporting. Zach was quickly identified as a future star at the paper, and he has not disappointed. Zach is now the newspaper’s editor in chief, the first college junior to achieve that position in nearly a decade.

At USA TODAY, Zach helped me with online production, writing assignments and editing. He quickly earned my trust and the trust of my boss, Nancy Blair, the online editor for USA TODAY Tech.

We quickly leaned on Zach’s writing talent, and had him produce blog posts daily on a range of tech stories. Most importantly, we asked Zach to produce our “Top 5 stories in Tech,” which was one of USA TODAY’s most popular weekend features.

I have kept in close touch with Zach since his internship came to an end, and am immensely proud and impressed with his performance at The Eagle. He has earned the respect and loyalty of his staff through hard work and natural talent.

Zach keeps an impressively hectic schedule, but he never complains and does it all with a smile. He can be counted on to accomplish whatever task he is given, be it fetching coffee for a harried USA TODAY editor or producing a deeply reported, award-winning piece about veterans on campus.

Zach is a star and will produce outstanding work for any organization lucky enough to have him…

Former Eagle Sports Assistant Josh Paunil

Zach was a fantastic editor-in-chief. I can’t say enough about how he motivated me, improved my lede writing, taught me journalism ethics and edited my articles so thoroughly that no matter what, he always had suggestions for improvement that proved critical in the long run. Even though learning skills like interviewing and editing from him were very important to me, perhaps the best characteristic of Zach was his personality. He created an incredibly welcoming environment at The Eagle and I always felt comfortable coming to him or other editors about problems I had, whether they were relevant to the newspaper or not. I cannot express my gratitude enough for having the pleasure of serving under him and learning from the best. I’m also appreciative of the fact that he taught me the importance of building a large web presence and that he showed me how to do it, whether it was through headline techniques, multimedia options like video and photo galleries or social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

USA Today Director of Standards & Staffing Administration
Brent Jones

Zach Cohen worked for our online tech team as a summer intern. Super bright. Inquisitive. Skillful. Helpful. Enthusiastic. Respected. Committed to great journalism!

TIME Assistant Managing Editor and Washington Bureau Chief Michael Duffy

… He … has been invaluable as a reporter and researcher helping with our coverage of the debt ceiling negotiations and numerous other topics. During his internship he wrote about politics, international and national news events, music and technology, often under a tight deadline.

We sent him on assignments ranging from Senate and House press conferences to reporter breakfasts with high-ranking newsmakers.

He is a good reporter and writer and was willing to contribute in any way that he could. He was a great asset to the bureau.

Reginald A. Stuart, Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, on selection as a Gridiron Fellow

His personal presentation more than validated his application, as the committee judges found him sharp, witty and collegial.

Former Eagle Student Life Editor Samantha Hogan

Zach edited my news articles on a weekly basis while I was reporting for The Eagle as a freshman at American University. His experience with AP style and deep understanding of how to bring the story out of mere facts helped me grow as a reporter. He challenged me to fix my own errors through multiple rounds of edits. He also taught me the key questions I should always ask sources. I went from a contributing writer to a staff reporter in one semester under Zach’s guidance, and I am highly appreciative of what he has taught me.

Scholarships for Burma Executive Director Kirk Acevedo

Running a social capital campaign requires getting “the word” out to solicit gifts. Zach came by way of a recommendation, and created, launched, and built our new media from the ground up. He always went the extra mile–suggesting new ideas and offering to take on new projects. Even after his internship he stayed in touch and continued working in whatever capacity he could. I can’t say enough good things about Zach. He will be a tremendous asset to any team. He’s a team player, and a diligent, intelligent, motivated, and overall passionate worker.