Ana Graciela Méndez is a Panamanian-American journalist, and the Special Projects Editor for the Lenfest Local Lab. In this role, she leads strategic research to support new product development and experimentation, and manages strategic newsroom and academic and collaborations. Méndez began as an investigative reporter in Panama and co-founded Nueva Nación, a digital news platform in her native country. Méndez has freelanced for The New York Times since 2012, and was part of a team of journalists who were awarded a 2017 Gerald Loeb Award for an investigation into the construction of the Panama Canal’s new set of locks.