Catherine Rentz is an award-winning investigative journalist and producer based in the Baltimore – Washington region. She spent nearly a decade as an independent producer and reporter on long-form investigations for PBS FRONTLINE, Al Jazeera, New York Times and other outlets. She co-produced PBS FRONTLINE documentaries “Lost in Detention,” “Flying Cheap,” “Flying Cheaper” and field produced “Poisoned Waters” about the Chesapeake Bay. Her work has won numerous awards such as the IRE Award for Investigations Triggered by Breaking News, the Online News Association Award for Explanatory Journalism, and the Society for Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Documentary. 

Catherine joined The Baltimore Sun’s investigative desk in 2014 where she delved deep into underreported criminal justice issues such as hate crimes and sexual assault. Her newsroom projects, both enterprise and breaking stories, have led to multiple reforms. She is now producing a short documentary as a fellow with John Hopkins University’s Saul Zaentz’s Innovation Fund program, among other longer-form print and video projects through Rentz Productions, LLC. Catherine sometimes guest lectures for college courses, serves as a judge in journalism contests and does consulting work.

She has degrees in journalism from The University of Missouri (MA) and finance from The University of Texas at Austin (BBA with a minor in French). Catherine began her career at a company called Enron, where she developed a special appreciation of financial footnotes, whistleblowers and “the bigger picture.” Her experience there is one reason why she moved into investigative journalism. While getting her master’s, Catherine worked at IRE’s National Institute of Computer-Assisted Reporting and at the Indianapolis Star with a Pulliam fellowship. Born and raised in Texas, she’s lived in the Baltimore - Washington region since 2006.