Destinée-Charisse Royal is a senior staff editor in the Graphics Department at The New York Times, where she shapes visual storytelling. As a wordsmith on a team of cartographers, programmers and data visualization specialists, Royal also coaches in writing. She elevates stories by making sure graphics reporting, narrative writing and data analysis work in concert for the best reader experience.

In 2012, Royal joined The Times as a copy editor and has worked as a leader on a project that seeks to improve journalists’ career development. Previously, she was an editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. She is an alumna of Boston University, the Dow Jones News Fund editing program, the ASNE Emerging Leaders Institute and the Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media, where she returned as a guest faculty member this spring. A Bronx native, Royal has rehabbed a rowhouse in Philadelphia and enjoys being sawdusty and paint-splattered.