Steve Horn (he/him), Senior Research Program Manager

Steve Horn serves as Sunstone’s research lead, providing strategically tailored research products for campaigns’ earned, owned, and paid media efforts, as well as philanthropic advisory efforts and public affairs campaigns.

Steve began his career working as an award-winning investigative reporter for over a decade, notably part of a team that won the prestigious Izzy Award — similar to a Pulitzer but in independent journalism and awarded by Ithaca College’s Park Center for Independent Media. He’s also worked as an opposition researcher, due diligence pro, content writer, and editor, with a heavy emphasis on climate/energy policy — always maintaining a wide intersectional view — also with experience working for labor unions and on criminal justice/prison reform.

As a journalist, his bylined experience spanned from non-profit and for-profit newsrooms, local and national print and broadcast journalism across beat focuses, cited widely in scholarship, in civic affairs, a major federal court case, in a widely acclaimed documentary, and a U.S. Senate report. As a speaker over the years, Steve has shared his research insights with stakeholders including the Ottawa Power Authority, undergraduate and law school students, high school kids, community groups, on national and international radio/broadcast networks, at major national conferences, and to other senior government officials.

His timely research and public affairs output has helped pass favorable policies and kill bad ones, equipping lawmakers with actionable intelligence. It has also spurred tier-one media coverage in spots such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Inside Climate News, The Guardian, ProPublica, LA Times, SF Chronicle, The New Yorker, Politico, CalMatters, Inside Philanthropy, and others. He also worked as researcher for the award-winning and bestselling 2024 book "By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land" by Rebecca Nagle.

Steve is also an outdoors guy and former competitive/collegiate runner. His personal best time is 2:43 at The Boston Marathon (228th place out of 22,849 runners), running 2:44 at the Chicago Marathon (236th place out of 36,159 runners) and seven sub-3 marathons (doing nine total). Beyond loving long distance runs and hiking, in his free time he studies his Polish/Lithuanian Jewish ancestry, fitting into my broader love of studying history. He’s also a museum fiend and cinephile, formerly serving on two different film fest screening committees. Mostly though, he loves spending time with his cat Gucci. 

An adjunct professor at the University of Florida, teaching a self-created course called Investigations for Social Change, Steve also serves as Board President of the California Streets Initiative (overseer of StreetsBlog CA), and on Sunstone’s DEI Committee.