SPJ Oregon members are welcome to attend the Board of Directors’ monthly meetings, which are usually at 6:15 pm on the third Wednesday of the month. Email the board for more information about the next meeting, or view agendas and minutes.

K. RAMBO, PRESIDENT

K. Rambo is the editor-in-chief of Street Roots in Portland. They also covered public safety and Oregon State University for the Mid-Valley Media Group as a staff reporter and completed internships at The Oregonian/OregonLive and IowaWatch. As a trans journalist and someone who used to be homeless, both areas warranting increased coverage and regular reexamination of best practices, they believe the representation and perspective they can bring to the SPJ board is invaluable. They have extensive experience navigating public records laws and teaching workshops on public record requests, both in college and as a professional. They aim to continue advocating for better coverage of homelessness and transgender issues, as well as improved government transparency and sensible public records laws.

JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN, Vice President

Jayati Ramakrishnan is the transportation and housing reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She previously spent the first 5 years of her career working at small newspapers in opposite corners of Oregon — Umatilla and Curry counties. She aims to be a resource for reporters all around the state, and to help boost and encourage reporters of color in this industry in whatever ways she can.

HENRY HOUSTON, Secretary

Henry Houston is a food and culture writer for the Eugene Weekly and works at the University of Oregon. Previously, he was the news editor at the Eugene Weekly. He got his start in journalism at the Santa Maria Sun in California while attending community college at Allan Hancock College. He graduated from California State University, Monterey Bay with a BA in Humanities and Communications in 2013 and from the University of Oregon with a MA in International Studies in 2017.

Katy Sword, TREASURER

Katy Sword is a former government and politics reporter for The Columbian. Previously, she also worked for Pamplin Media, first at the Newberg Graphic and later the Gresham Outlook. She now writes for Portland State University and works as a freelance journalist.

BRYCE DOLE, BOARD MEMBER

Bryce Dole is a crime and public safety reporter with The Bend Bulletin in Central Oregon. He grew up in Grants Pass and has spent the majority of his career writing about communities beyond the I-5 corridor. Since graduating from the University of Oregon journalism school in 2020, he interned at The Oregonian and worked for the East Oregonian in Hermiston and Pendleton. In December 2021, he moved to Bend to take a job as The Bend Bulletin’s education reporter before becoming the paper's crime and public safety reporter. His goal on the board is to represent journalism in rural Oregon and push for improvements in our state's open records law.

JULIA SHUMWAY, BOARD MEMBER

Julia Shumway is the deputy editor of the Oregon Capital Chronicle, a nonprofit news organization founded in 2021 to fill a growing gap in state government and political coverage as corporate outlets cut back. Since December, she has also served as president of the Oregon Legislative Correspondents Association, or Capitol press corps, leading the group's efforts to maintain and expand access to the Legislature, governor and state agencies.

ANTONIO SIERRA BOARD MEMBER

Antonio Sierra is a rural communities reporter for Oregon Public Broadcasting. He first began working as a professional journalist as a freelancer, writing columns for his college town newspaper and posts for a California crime blog. Despite all the challenges journalism faces, he believes we can work together to help level the playing field with the institutions journalists cover through education, advocacy and recognition.

Erin Tierney-Heggenstaller, BOARD MEMBER

Erin Tierney-Heggenstaller is the executive editor of The Chronicle, the only locally owned, subscription-based weekly newspaper serving the southern Willamette Valley. A 2013 graduate of Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Erin was the associate editor for a daily newspaper, The (Lock Haven) Express, before becoming the editor for The Creswell Chronicle in 2016. She now leads a team of four full-time reporters and more than a dozen correspondents and photographers.

LAURA TAYLOR, EDUCATION SEAT

Laura Taylor is an Oregon State University student and works at the Daily Barometer. She got her start in journalism at Tigard High School, where she covered various stories, including local protests and school update policies. That’s when she found her passion for journalism for its value in society, as well as the importance of free speech and the First Amendment.