Emily founded Floodlight in 2021, after more than a decade as an environment reporter in Washington, D.C. She reported for The Guardian, Politico, E&E News and CQ Roll Call. Her work has also been published in The Arizona Republic, the Baton Rouge Advocate, the Houston Chronicle and Gannett newspapers. She is a winner of the 2022 SEAL Environmental Journalism Award.

Emily covered the White House, federal agencies, Congress, the courts and electricity regulation through the Obama and Trump administrations. She grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.