Los Angeles Bureau Chief

Previously, Rob reported for KPCC (Southern California Public Radio), where he covered Orange County, as well as for Minnesota Public Radio, where he covered rural issues. He is a regular contributor to National Public Radio, Marketplace, and PRI’s "The World.”

Schmitz is also a freelance video journalist. He’s worked on documentaries in China for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and New York Times Television. Schmitz was also a freelance writer in China, where he lived for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer and nearly another year as a journalist. His work has appeared on The Learning Channel, the CBC, and in publications including The New York Times, The Star-Ledger and The Christian Science Monitor.

He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Spanish from the University of Minnesota.