Meet the team
Discover the voices behind the Agenda family of newsletters.
Hank Stephenson
Hank Stephenson used to cover Arizona politics for lobbyists and insiders. In 2021, he started the Arizona Agenda for everyone else. Since then, he helped launch the Tucson Agenda to ensure Southern Arizona politicians don’t go unwatched. He also co-founded Skywolf, which builds legislative intelligence tools for those unfortunate souls who have to follow the Capitol for a living. He’s been covering Arizona for nearly 20 years, including for The New York Times, Politico Magazine and Columbia Journalism Review. But he's a community reporter at heart — he started out bouncing around small-town papers from Nogales to North Dakota. He enjoys political gossip, public records and comeuppances. Contact: [email protected]
Nicole Ludden
Nicole Ludden took over her high school newspaper in Nebraska and never looked back. She graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 2020, entering the industry during the chaos of COVID-19. After stints in the Arizona Republic newsroom and at the Tucson Weekly, she covered local government for the Arizona Daily Star. She joined the Agenda in 2023, where she digs into the antics of Arizona’s Legislature and the policy fights shaping the state. She loves falling down a good internet rabbit hole, making weird polymer clay creations and her two cats, Helly and Burt. Contact: [email protected]
TJ L'Heureux
TJ L’Heureux is a recovering political communications professional with inside knowledge of how the sausage is made. After briefly working for political candidates, TJ decided to switch teams — he got his master’s degree in investigative journalism from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and subsequently went to work for the Phoenix New Times, reporting on police, politics, courts and metro news. A 2025 winner of the Agenda’s “Young Guns” media award, TJ was poached by the Agenda team in January 2026 to report on the Capitol and municipal government. He loves animals, history, playing guitar and exploring the American Southwest. Contact: [email protected]
Curt Prendergast
Curt Prendergast spent a dozen years covering the border, federal courts and local government at the Nogales International and the Arizona Daily Star. Along the way, he won a bevy of awards, from community journalist of the year in 2014 to best news story in 2021. After getting laid off as the Star’s opinion editor, he co-founded the Tucson Agenda and ended up in the best job he’s ever had. These days, he focuses on the twists and turns of local politics, and ways to innovate the craft of journalism. He also writes the daily “In Other News” sections and makes sure the newsletters go out on time. When he’s not typing away, he’s hanging out with his wife and spoiling their three dogs: Mozzie, Althea and Pigeon. Contact: [email protected].
Joe Ferguson
Joe Ferguson got his first big break covering the Arizona Legislature as the Don Bolles Fellow for the University of Arizona School of Journalism. From there, he spent seven years at the Arizona Daily Sun before returning to Tucson to cover politics and local government for the Arizona Daily Star for another seven years. He joined the Tucson Agenda in 2025, where — surprise — he covers politics and local government. Along the way, Joe has picked up numerous awards from the Arizona Press Club and Arizona Newspapers Association, including the Press Club’s Sledgehammer Award in 2019. A lifelong Trekkie, Joe spends his free time with his family and remains disappointed that the 21st century has produced neither transporters nor replicators. [email protected]