Chris Essig
Data Visuals Editor
Austin, Texas, United States
Summary
👤
Senior🎓
Top SchoolChris Essig is a data visuals editor with 13 years of newsroom experience who leads a developer team at The Texas Tribune building charts, public databases, and data-driven reporting that holds elected officials accountable. He has a track record of turning complex public records into high-impact projects—from a widely viewed coronavirus tracker to a redesigned state salaries database and maps exposing gerrymandering. Comfortable across back end systems, mapping/GIS, and newsroom collaboration, he mentors reporters and developers to turn investigative questions into interactive tools. A former adjunct professor who taught open-source GIS to thousands worldwide, he blends practical teaching with production engineering to make data accessible to broad audiences. Based in Austin, he combines investigative instincts with technical stewardship to deliver measurable civic impact.
13 years of coding experience
7 years of employment as a software developer
Rochester High SchoolBachelor of Arts, Journalism, English, Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, English at Eastern Illinois UniversityMaster's Degree, Public Affairs Reporting, Master's Degree, Public Affairs Reporting at University of Illinois Springfield
English
Github Skills (41)
visuals10
converting9
row9
secretary8
tabletop8
scaffolding8
leaflet8
python-data7
open-data6
typescript6
cal6
crossword6
machine-learning5
spreadsheet5
python5
Programming languages (4)
Github contributions (5)
texastribune/data-visuals-guides
Jul 2019 - Jan 2023
A collection of guides for the Texas Tribune Data Visuals team.
Contributions:88 commits, 4 PRs, 85 pushes in 3 years 6 months
texasvisualstribune
csessig86/leaflet-maps-intro
Jan 2016 - Mar 2017
Contributions:104 commits, 95 pushes, 6 branches in 1 year 1 month
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