Background
Pfeiffer was born in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Janet (née Preskenis) and Richard Pfeiffer. Her father, a former state senator, is currently the city attorney for Columbus, Ohio, and her mother is a retired teacher.
Pfeiffer was born in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Janet (née Preskenis) and Richard Pfeiffer. Her father, a former state senator, is currently the city attorney for Columbus, Ohio, and her mother is a retired teacher.
She is known for her work with the Spotlight team run by the The Boston Globe. She has a younger sister, Sonya, and a younger brother, Seth. Her mother is of Lithuanian descent.
Her grandmother was Alice Preskenis, a devout Catholic, and a lifelong resident of South Boston who spent forty years working at Pober"s Clothing Store, and specialized in dressing children.
She left Ohio for college, moving to Boston. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Boston University.
In 2005, she was named a John South. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. She started her journalism career at the Dedham Times in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Pfeiffer originally joined the Boston Globe as a reporter in 1995, left in 2008 to work for WBUR-FM in Boston and National Public Radio, returning to the Boston Globe in 2014.
During her nearly seven years in public radio, Pfeiffer was a local host of All Things Considered and Radio Boston at WBUR, as well as a guest host of National Public Radio"s nationally syndicated On Point and Here & Now. Pfeiffer currently writes at the Boston Globe about wealth, philanthropy, and non profits, and has also covered travel, legal affairs, and the Massachusetts State Courts. She speaks several languages and volunteers as an English-as-second-language teacher.
After the Spotlight team published its work, the team created a book about the events.
Pfeiffer has also worked as an adjunct Communications and Journalism professor In the 2015 film Spotlight, Pfeiffer is portrayed by Canadian actress Rachel McAdams.
McAdams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Pfeiffer.