Myers oversees strategic planning, organizational and operational leadership, fundraising and external outreach. 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, while also perennially garnering honors as the state’s top weekly newspaper. 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
Katie has been helping to keep the Underscore gears turning since the fall of 2019. She believes strongly in the nonprofit journalism model and is building the foundation for Underscore's sustainability by designing and streamlining internal processes informed by data analytics. From building budgets to managing the website to functioning as a one-woman human resources department, Katie’s adaptability and optimism have helped Underscore become a resilient and agile organization primed for its next stage of growth. When she’s not sifting through spreadsheets or finding ways to improve Underscore’s operations you can likely find her tending to her garden or exploring the old growth forests of Oregon with her blue heeler pup Maggie.
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 plies her expertise in audience building, marketing, photography and branding. 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. She's excited to utilize her experience in writing and producing Indigenous news at Underscore and looks forward to engaging with communities across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
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
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.
Email: mlee@underscore.news
Jackleen was the founding Executive Director of Underscore News until she retired in 2022. She currently oversees the Food Sovereignty Project for Underscore and is a Contributing Editor for The Conversation U.S. She was the founding Executive Director of The Metcalf Institute for Marine + Environmental Reporting in Rhode Island and is a former journalist and freelancer: her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Providence Journal and, more recently, Indian Country Today.
Brian Bull has been involved in journalism for 25 years and has filed for National Public Radio, the BBC, and other broadcast outlets. A proud citizen of the Nez Perce Tribe, Bull mentors up and coming journalists of color through NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project. When not covering news in the Pacific Northwest, he’s either spending time with his family or looking for hidden patches of huckleberries.
Brian Oaster (they/them) is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and a freelance reporter working in the Pacific Northwest. Their stories have appeared in papers like Street Roots, Portland's award winning non-profit weekly that focuses on social justice, and Indian Country Today, the nation's most widely read Native newspaper. Brian also occasionally does radio work for KBOO Community Radio Portland. They have a particular interest in Native issues where they intersect with environmental and racial justice, urban development, housing issues, and representation in the arts.
Chris previously covered tribal affairs in the Pacific Northwest for Underscore and ICT. He is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and descendant of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Chris covered Indian Country for two years as a Report for America corps member for Casper Star-Tribune and Montana Free Press. He won a Wyoming Press Association Pacemaker award for an investigation he wrote with a colleague at the Casper Star-Tribune about a secretive lobbying effort by a Wyoming tribe to derail gaming legislation that would have negatively affected tribal gaming revenue.
Twitter: @cjaadland
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Christen McCurdy (@CMcCurdyPDX) is a journalist in Portland, Ore. She has written for Street Roots, Pacific Standard, Bitch, Willamette Week, and other publications, and served as the news editor of The Skanner from 2015 to 2019.
Dalton Walker is the managing editor for Indian Country Today. He started as a national correspondent in January 2020.
Walker, Red Lake Anishinaabe, is an award-winning journalist based in Phoenix.
Walker has written for The New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Duluth News Tribune, Omaha World-Herald, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Colorado Springs Gazette and SRPMIC's Oodham Action News.
Follow him on Twitter: @daltonwalker.
David G. Lewis, Ph.D, is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and an instructor in Anthropology and Ethnic Studies at Oregon State University. His contact information, essays, and posts about the history of indigenous people of Oregon can be found at ndnhistoryresearch.com
Dawn Stover is a freelance science and environmental writer based in White Salmon, Washington, and a contributing editor and columnist at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Previously, she was a staff editor at Harper’s and Popular Science magazines, and an adjunct instructor in the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University.
Heather is a scientist and freelance writer with a passion for the outdoors. A Seattle native, she is currently a graduate student at the University of Oregon's Multimedia Journalism Program while working in environmental conservation. Click here to view Heather's writing portfolio.
Jourdan Bennett-Begaye is the editor of ICT. She is the first woman to be the chief news executive and top editor of the 40-year-old newspaper and website. She's also a Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) board member. She is a Diné citizen of the Navajo Nation. She identifies as the Towering House Clan, the Coyote Pass Clan of Jemez, the Mexican Clan, and the Hopi with Red Running Into the Water Clan.
Kalle Benallie, Navajo, is a reporter-producer at ICT's Phoenix bureau. Follow her on Twitter: @kallebenallie or email her at kalle@ictnews.org. Benallie was once the opening act for a Cirque Du Soleil show in Las Vegas.
Kevin Abourezk serves as managing editor for Indianz.com, a Native American news website. He has spent 21 years as a professional journalist, including 18 years as a reporter and editor for the Lincoln Journal Star. He is an enrolled citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and a married father of five children. He lives and works in Lincoln, Nebraska. Indianz.com is owned and operated by Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development corporation for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.
Lucy Sherriff is a freelance multimedia journalist based in California. She reports on conservation and environmental justice stories, and has been published in BBC, Al Jazeera, TIME, NBC, The Washington Post, and more. Prior to moving to the United States, Lucy was based in Colombia, and won a United Nations Correspondents Award for her reporting on indigenous tribes facing water shortages, and deforestation in rural areas post conflict.
Mark Trahant is editor-at-large for ICT and is based in Phoenix. He has been a professor at the University of North Dakota, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Idaho and the University of Colorado. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Trahant has been a reporter for PBS’ Frontline series and was the editorial page editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He has also worked for The Arizona Republic, Salt Lake Tribune, The Seattle Times, the Navajo Times Today, and the Sho-Ban News. He is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and can be found on Twitter @TrahantReports.
Melorie Begay is a member of the Navajo Nation and a freelance reporter based in Eugene, OR. Though most of her experience is in public radio, as a multimedia journalist she enjoys exploring all mediums. She has bylines with KLCC Public Radio, KUNM Public Radio, and New Mexico In Depth. She has reported on a range of subjects including the environment, government, education, race & racism, and housing & homeless among other topics.
Pauly Denetclaw, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is Haltsooí (Meadow People) born for Kinyaa’áanii (Towering House People). An award-winning reporter based in Gallup, New Mexico, she has worked for the Navajo Times and Texas Observer covering Indigenous communities, and her radio pieces have aired on KYAT, National Native News, NPR’s Latino USA and Texas Public Radio. She is a board member of the Native American Journalists Association. Follow her on Twitter, @pdineclah.
Wil Phinney has been a reporter and editor for more than 40 years at newspapers in Oregon, Wyoming and Montana. He recently retired after 24 years as editor of the Confederated Umatilla Journal, the award-winning monthly newspaper on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in eastern Oregon. He lives in Pendleton, Oregon, with Carrie, his wife; they have three daughters.
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 October 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.
