Marisa Kwiatkowski is an American journalist and former investigative reporter at ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', known for her reporting of the

USA Gymnastics United States of America Gymnastics (USA Gymnastics or USAG) is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. It sets the domestic rules and policies that govern the sport, promotes and develops gymnastics on the grassroots ...

' sexual abuse scandal. As of July 2024, she is a director of journalism programs at the

Knight Foundation The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...

Life and career

Kwiatkowski holds an undergraduate degree from

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...

(B.A., 2005) and began her career in Michigan at the ''

Grand Haven Tribune The ''Grand Haven Tribune'' is a day mailed newspaper in Grand Haven, Michigan. The ''Tribune'' serves the residents of Tri-Cities area, which primarily includes Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg. Its coverage area also includes Nunica, Fr ...

''. From 2013 to 2019, Kwiatkowski worked as a reporter at ''

The Indianapolis Star } ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, whe ...

''. She reported on a variety of investigative stories focused on victims of assault and harassment. During this time, Kwiatkowski completed a night-time masters of business administration degree program at Indiana University. In 2019, she joined USA Today as an investigative reporter based in Indianapolis. In 2020, Kwiatkowski and colleague Tricia Nadolny broke the story that USA Cheer, the governing body of American cheer-leading, knowingly allowed convicted sex offenders to own and operate cheer-leading gyms and otherwise continue to be involved in the sport.

USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal

While at the ''Star'', Kwiatkowski worked on the "Out of Balance" series, which turned into an investigation about how the

organization failed to report many allegations of sexual abuse by coaches. The reporting began in 2016, initially looking at Indiana-based assaults that were not reported to authorities. The reporting grew in scope and showed how predators exploited a lax culture to prey on children. As a result of the series, more than 500 women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against

Larry Nassar Lawrence Gerard Nassar (born August 16, 1963) is an American former family medicine osteopathic physician and convicted sex offender. From 1996 to 2014, he was the team doctor of the United States women's national gymnastics team, where he use ...

, a team physician who worked in four

Olympic games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. The ''Star's'' reporting exposed Nassar as a serial abuser. He was sentenced to 175 years in prison in January 2018 after pleading guilty to sexually abusing seven girls and the CEO of board of directors of USA Gymnastics resigned. The ''Star'''s investigative series also led to the drafting and passage of the

Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017, also known as the Safe Sport Authorization Act, is an American law that establishes protection for young athletes. Among its provisions, it established the ...

, which was signed into law by

President Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021. ...

Later career

In July 2024, Kwiatkowski became a director of journalism programs at the

Reference's

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwiatkowski, Marisa Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American people of Polish descent American women journalists Kelley School of Business alumni American women non-fiction writers Grand Valley State University alumni The Indianapolis Star people USA Today journalists