A 1976 CSU journalism graduate and CSU Media Hall of Fame member, David Freed is a produced Hollywood screenwriter, author of the critically acclaimed Cordell Logan series of mystery-thriller novels, and a former investigative journalist for The Los Angeles Times. He served as The Times' lead police reporter, was an individual finalist for the Pulitzer Prize’s Gold Medal for Public Service, the most prestigious award in American journalism, and shared in a Pulitzer Prize for the newspaper’s coverage of the 1992 Rodney King riots. He reported from the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm. An instrument-rated pilot, David is also a frequent contributor to national magazines, including the Atlantic, Pacific Standard, and Air & Space Smithsonian, where he is a contributing editor. He holds a master of arts degree in extension studies from Harvard University. In 2018, he was honored by the CSU Alumni Association as the College of Liberal Arts' Distinguished Alumnus.