The Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) held its board of directors election from August 1 to 14.
Angel Moore (Peguis First Nation) was re-elected, while Eden Fineday (Sweetgrass First Nation) and Bryan Pollard (Cherokee Nation) were elected to new three-year terms running from 2025 to 2028.
Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi (Diné), Angel Ellis (Muscogee Nation), Joseph Lee (Aquinnah Wampanoag), Alyssa London (Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes), and Roselynn Yazzie (Shoshone-Bannock / Diné) will continue serving their current terms.
Following the IMC25 Media Awards Banquet, the board elected its 2025–2026 executive committee during a meeting on August 15. The officers are:
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President: Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi (Diné)
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Vice President: Angel Ellis (Muscogee Nation)
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Treasurer: Joseph Lee (Aquinnah Wampanoag)
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Secretary: Roselynn Yazzie (Shoshone-Bannock / Diné)
Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi is Diné from Tiis’ NásBąs, Arizona, and serves as the Indigenous Affairs editor at High Country News. Her journalism has earned numerous accolades, including the Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship from the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. In 2022, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the North American Indigenous Hall of Fame for her contributions to sports writing. Clahchischiligi also teaches at Arizona State University and earned a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing from the University of New Mexico in 2023.
“I am incredibly honored and overjoyed to serve as IJA president,” said Clahchischiligi. “We look forward to continuing the work of those who came before us and to advancing the organization and supporting Native journalists everywhere.”
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