Myers has led Underscore News since May 2022, overseeing a period of sustained organizational growth, including the hiring of all personnel, fundraising, strategic planning, program development and community relationship building. Before joining Underscore, he was a founding member and managing editor of the Flathead Beacon, which was called the "best newsroom in Montana" in the Columbia Journalism Review and named one of the "Best Places to Work" in the U.S. by Outside magazine. His award-winning journalism and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and literary journals across the country, as well as two anthologies. He is the president of the Portland chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). He lives in Portland with his wife and two sons, who occasionally let him sneak away to fly fish or embark on a trail run.
Email: mreece@underscore.news
As managing editor, Karina guides Underscore’s mission to illuminate the strength and vibrancy of Indigenous communities as well as the challenges they face. She oversees and assists Underscore’s talented reporters on a wide variety of projects, strategizes about long-term story choices, manages our organization’s collaborations and partnerships, and does her own reporting for Underscore. Karina started out in journalism in 2005, covering courts in Oregon. She has reported from a wide spectrum of places, from the chaos of far-right extremist rallies to the hushed decorum of federal courtrooms, and has focused her coverage on environmental issues, policing and tribal sovereignty. She likes to relax with a run in the woods, a ballet class, or by drawing and painting.
Twitter: karinapdx
Email: kbrown@underscore.news
Sabrina joined Underscore News in 2023 as the Operations Director and is excited to use their background in nonprofit fundraising to help Underscore achieve new heights. An ardent believer in amplifying and uplifting BIPOC communities to tell their own stories, Sabrina brings years of experience leading workplace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts to their role as Operations Director. In between budget meetings, strategic planning sessions, and serving as a one-person HR department, Sabrina can be found digging through the funk, soul, and disco sections of record stores or cuddling with their furry family, Midnight and Joy.
Jes Abeita, a member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna, brings a diverse media background to Underscore, where she leads a range of efforts to grow our readership, strengthen our online presence and engage with the communities we serve. She has previously worked at Native America Calling and the Vancouver Sun, among other organizations. Her photos have been published by outlets such as NPR.org, the Vancouver Observer, OregonLive.com and Portland Monthly, as well as commercial clients.
The Community Engagement Director position is funded through generous support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.
Jarrette is a multimedia journalist with experience in digital news, audio reporting and photojournalism. He joined Underscore in June 2022 as a staff reporter and photographer, in partnership with the national Report for America program. Originally from Montana, Jarrette is a proud member of the Aaniiih and Nakoda Tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Prior to joining Underscore, he served as an associate producer for Nevada Public Radio’s (KNPR) “Native Nevada Podcast,” an eight-part podcast series highlighting the culture, issues and perseverance of the 27 tribal nations in present-day Nevada. He has been a member of the Native American Journalists Association since 2017 and has participated as a Native American Journalist Fellow four times, including once as a mentor-in-training. He has earned a national Hearst Journalism Award and regional Edward R. Murrow Award for his reporting.
Twitter: @Jarrette_Werk
Email: jwerk@underscore.news
Nika is a journalist with a passion for working to provide platforms for the voices and experiences of communities often left behind in mainstream media coverage. Most recently, she worked as the health and social services reporter at The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington. Prior to working at The Columbian, Nika spent the summer of 2022, after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism, working as a Snowden Intern at The News-Review in Roseburg, Oregon. A descendant of the Osage and Oneida Nations, Nika was born and raised in Portland. Her favorite way to unwind is by trying a new recipe, curling up with a good book or taking a hike in one of the many green spaces around Portland.
Twitter: @BartooNika
Email: nbartoosmith@underscore.news
Carrie Johnson is Chickasaw and Pawnee from southern Oklahoma. A senior at Austin College, she is double majoring in English and Media Studies. She has been a fellow for the Native American Journalists Association, a mentee for NPR’s Next Generation Radio: Indigenous, an intern for the Chickasaw Press and a freelance sportswriter for the Sherman Herald Democrat. At Austin College, Carrie is a staff writer for The Observer (the student newspaper), an intern for Institutional Marketing and Communications, a Posey Leadership fellow and a member of the women’s softball team. She is excited to join Underscore News this summer as the 2023 recipient of the Underscore Indigenous Journalism Fellowship.
McKayla Lee (Diné) is the first recipient of the Underscore Indigenous Journalism Fellowship. After completing the fellowship in the summer of 2022, she returned to the University of Montana, where she is an undergraduate student double majoring in Journalism and Native American Studies. She was born and raised in Whale Rock, Arizona on the Navajo Nation and is an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation. McKayla spent four years as a reporter at the Southern Ute Drum in Colorado and has won awards for her writing and photography from the Native American Journalists Association, Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Press Association and the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
An enrolled citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes, Stone is a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest. In the past, he has overseen government relations to tribes on behalf of U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer and the City of Portland, where he worked for two years in the Tribal Relations Program. A recent graduate with his Master of Social Work from Portland State University, Stone currently serves as Program Officer to tribal communities for Meyer Memorial Trust, where he plans to use his experience in government to better inform public-private funding partnerships.
Marcella is an organizational culture and equity analyst with the Oregon Department of Human Services. Her well rounded experience in nonprofit management, community direct service, and organizational development has spanned dozens of organizations and communities across Nebraska, Oregon and national projects.
Casey Pearlman (Iñupiaq descendant) is the Business Development Specialist for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation. She has a decade of experience in Portland's startup scene working with founders and funders in emerging industries. She joined the Underscore board of directors in 2022 and serves as board treasurer.
Mago Torres is an investigative journalist who specializes in research, access to public records and project leadership. She is the Research Project Director at Open News and data editor with CLIP. She worked for ICIJ on the investigations for the Pandora Papers, FinCEN Files, Luanda Leaks and Pulitzer prize-winning Panama Papers. She was a JSK Fellow at Stanford University and holds a Ph.D. in Humanistic Studies.
Erin is a Program Associate at Meyer Memorial Trust who advocates for journalism's role in supporting transformational, systems-level change that shifts power imbalances and creates and sustains equitable conditions.
Stacey L. McQuade-Eger, JD, is the Executive Director of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation (ATNI-EDC). With a wealth of experience in staff management, operations planning, organizational development, and financial management, Stacey graduated from the University of Montana School of Law with a Juris Doctorate degree in transactional law and Indian law. She is also an enrolled tribal member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in northwestern Montana.
Dr. Lee Francis IV (Pueblo of Laguna) is an Albuquerque-based activist, educator and comic creator. Dr. Francis is the Executive Director of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, owner and CEO of Native Realities Publishing, and founder of the Indigenous Comic Con (now called IndigiPop X) and Red Planet Books & Comics. He brings invaluable insights and perspectives to our team.
