Newsroom Staff
Caroline James
News Editor
Caroline James is the News Editor of the Cayman Compass, responsible for managing news and editorial content across all platforms.
Originally from the UK, she was part of the award-winning international team at Sky News as Foreign News Editor. She produced major global stories from the field, including US and European elections, as well as leading the news desk, covering stories spanning Islamic State terror, Brexit, and Nelson Mandela’s death. She was also a producer at the channel, working on the flagship foreign news programme where she reported on the Arab Spring and Eurozone debt crisis.
Prior to that, she served in various roles in newsgathering and TV production at the Associated Press, based out of London.
She holds a MA in TV Journalism from City University, London, and a BA (Hons) in Arabic, French and German from Durham University.
James Whittaker
Editor (Issues)
James Whittaker is the Cayman Compass Issues Editor, with responsibility for leading the organisation’s enterprise journalism.
The Issues section focuses on starting constructive conversations on key areas of national importance, investigating wrongdoing, and exposing concerns that are often swept under the carpet.
James has been a journalist with the Cayman Compass for more than a decade. He was previously news editor at the Bermuda Sun newspaper and has also worked as a reporter for several titles in the UK.
Stephanie Ditta
Digital Editor
Stephanie Ditta is the Digital Editor for the Cayman Compass, and is responsible for the digital presentation of news, audience engagement and online editorial strategy.
She is passionate about the opportunities technology offers in the dissemination of news, and aims to complement the Compass journalism with interpretative data analysis, social media and interactive elements that better help explain the stories that matter to the community.
Originally from Toronto, Stephanie has over 20 years of experience in digital newsrooms, including editorial roles at Reuters, The Globe and Mail and the Canadian Press. She has been at the forefront of online coverage for major events and breaking news and was recognised as a Reuters Journalist of the Year for her multimedia work as part of the team covering the 2008 US Election.
An annual visitor to Cayman since 2007, Stephanie relocated to the island in 2018 and was delighted to return to her journalism roots at the Compass in 2020.
She holds a BA (Hons) in Mass Communications and Political Science from York University, and a post-graduate diploma in Print Journalism from Sheridan College.
Norma Connolly
Editor (Reporting)
Norma Connolly has worked in a variety of roles at the Cayman Compass since joining the publication in 2008, including managing editor, news editor and reporter.
As well as editing the weekly print edition of the newspaper, she reports on a wide range of subjects – including the environment, politics, development, crime and social issues.
Prior to moving to Cayman – a few weeks after a ‘brief’ trip to the islands to learn how to scuba dive – she worked in national and regional newspapers in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.
She enjoys human interest stories that celebrate success or delve into weird and wonderful new worlds, as much as hard-hitting articles that hold the powerful to account.
Iris Stoner
Journalist/Copy Editor
Iris Stoner has been a journalist at the Cayman Compass since 2019, and copy editor for the Compass website and the newspaper since 2021.
Over her career as a journalist, she has worked as both a reporter and editor – in the US, China, and Hong Kong – before coming to Cayman in 2005. Her jobs have included Washington, DC correspondent for several small-market newspapers, copy editing and teaching journalism at the New China News Agency in Beijing, and editing and writing for magazines in Hong Kong covering such diverse subjects as business, science and technology, and the stock market.
Iris has a master’s degree from the Missouri School of Journalism, and a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University.
Outside of journalism, she has worked to give back to the community through her involvement with the non-profit Save Our Youth Foundation since 2007.
Reshma Ragoonath
Journalist (news)
Reshma Ragoonath is a Cayman Compass journalist with over 24 years of experience in journalism.
Previously, Reshma worked as a journalist, news producer and co-anchor at the former Cayman 27 television station. Reshma is originally from Trinidad and Tobago where she graduated from the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago with a BA in Mass Communications and an Associate degree in Journalism and Public Relations.
Her successful series Compass Cold Case Files highlighted unsolved crimes in Cayman, two of which have moved forward through to the arrest stage, and through her talkshow ‘The Resh Hour’ she shone the light on topical issues in the community.
Reshma is passionate about covering stories that matter to the community ranging from politics to crime to personalities that make Cayman a unique and special place to live.
Sarah Bridge
Journalist (news)
Sarah Bridge is a journalist for the Cayman Compass and has many years experience in UK newspapers and magazines.
Originally from the UK, Sarah is the former Leisure Correspondent and Deputy Personal Finance Editor of The Mail on Sunday newspaper, and has also worked for the Daily Mail and Mail Online, The Guardian and The Express newspapers. Most recently, she was Senior Consumer Writer for Good Housekeeping magazine.
Over the years, Sarah has written for The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The National, Travel Weekly, Forbes and CN Traveller UK among others. She is also the founder of travel reviews website ALadyofLeisure.com and has reviewed more than 250 hotels and destinations in the UK and around the world, including Egypt, Antarctica, Papua New Guinea, Morocco, Greenland, Jamaica and Japan.
Sarah holds a BA Dual Hons degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Sheffield.
She is passionate about travel, tourism and the hospitality industry and is excited about discovering everything the Cayman Islands has to offer.
Shanda Gallego
Journalist (living, arts, culture, entertainment)
Shanda Gallego is the Cayman Compass’ journalist and division head for Living, which comprises entertainment, arts, lifestyle, culture and community news. She is also the anchor for Compass Media’s radio news.
Shanda graduated from the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, Media and Film, also earning a minor in Sociology.
Before joining Compass Media, Shanda worked as a local government reporter and anchor for Radio Cayman News for ten years, where she covered local news, sports, business, weather, campaigns and elections, and national broadcasts, including Heroes Day celebrations, CIGTV News broadcasts and press briefings. She was also the producer for a feature show, Cayman Up Close, which celebrated Cayman’s newsmakers, artists, and cultural icons.
She is passionate about the culture and community and producing stories that uplift, inspire and celebrate the people, achievements and beauty of the Cayman Islands.
In her free time, Shanda is a public speaking and communications coach, a mentor, a digital content creator; enjoys travelling, poetry and singing.
Seaford Russell Jr.
Journalist: Sports
Seaford Russell Jr has over seven years of experience as a journalist with a background in news print, radio and TV. He currently leads the sport section at the Cayman Compass and has covered every possible sport taught or played in Cayman.
Over his reporting career, he has interviewed everyone from legendary cricketers Michael Holding and David Warner to American boxer Roy Jones Jr. His extensive network of sources has allowed him to break news relating to Caymanians competing overseas in major events like the Olympics.
Though Seaford has covered a variety of sports, he is known throughout the Caribbean for his coverage of football – highlighting the good, bad and the ugly under the Cayman association, which ultimately prompted changes to the sport’s national teams and domestic clubs. He has been referenced in several publications in the Bahamas, Bermuda and Jamaica, in addition to CONCACAF and FIFA articles.
He has also had the opportunity to cover regional events like the CARIFTA Games in Curaçao and international competitions such as the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Aside from reporting on sports, he has studied the psychology of addiction online through Stanford University – something he uses to assist underprivileged boys through the Boyz2Men Programme where he serves as Director.
srussell@compassmedia.ky
Alvaro Serey
Video and social media
Alvaro Serey is the video editor of the Cayman Compass.
During his journalistic career, he has worked in television, newspapers and the web in South America, the United States and the Caribbean. Video and photography help readers better understand the issues and news that affect us all as a community.
Kayla Young
Copy editor and reporter
Kayla Young is a copy editor and reporter for Cayman Compass.
She is an award-winning, bilingual journalist with experience in the US, Latin America and Cayman.
She was a Report for America corps member for WFAE News (NPR) and La Noticia in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she covered immigration issues in English and Spanish.
