About

Mauricio Peña is an award-winning writer, editor, and newsroom leader with more than a decade of experience in journalism.

Over the past two years, Mauricio served as editorial director and chief of staff at Borderless Magazine, where he led the team's investigative reporting on inhumane conditions inside Chicago's city-run migrant shelter system.

That investigative series earned Peña and Borderless Magazine recognition from the Chicago Journalists Association, the Institute for Nonprofit News, and LION Publishers. During his tenure, he also worked alongside Borderless' cofounder to raise more than $2.5 million to support the organization's operations and community-focused reporting.

In 2025, Mauricio received the Studs Terkel Award, which honors excellence in coverage of Chicago's diverse communities and authentic storytelling in the spirit of Terkel's gift for elevating everyday voices.

Previously, Mauricio was a Southwest Side reporter and a founding staff member at Block Club Chicago. He has also served as an education reporter at Chalkbeat Chicago, an associate digital editor at Chicago Magazine, an investigative reporter for the Desert Sun, and a crime reporter at DNAinfo Chicago.

His work has been recognized by the Chicago Headline Club's Peter Lisagor Awards, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and the National City and Regional Magazine Association.

Mauricio holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.