Apply for a spot on the SPJ Oregon board

Thanks to all who voted in the 2025 SPJ Oregon board elections. Congratulations to our newest board member, Steven White, and our re-elected board members Julia Shumway and Nick Budnick.

However, we ended this election cycle with two vacant seats – one professional seat and our educational seat dedicated to journalism students and faculty. The board has decided to fill these vacancies by making an appointment for each seat. 

To apply, please send us an email to info@spjoregon.com specifying which seat you're applying for and 150-200 words explaining why you want to join the board. Applications are due Monday, Nov. 17 at 11:59 p.m. The board will consider all the applicants at its regular Nov. 19 meeting and inform all the candidates of the results by the end of the week. 

A quick refresher on why you might want to join the board. Our nine-member board of volunteers meets monthly to plan events, such as the annual regional contest, training opportunities and fundraisers to fund our lobbying efforts in Salem. You’ll have a hand in deciding which projects we focus on, and which policies we’d like to address to best support journalists in our region.

Our professional seats – current or former journalists working in Oregon or southwest Washington – serve two year terms. SPJ Oregon's board also has a seat reserved for journalism faculty members and students. We encourage any college student actively studying or participating in journalism — whether or not your school has a journalism program — to apply for the seat. This board member serves a one-year term. 

If you have any questions about applying to these seats or the board appointment process, please email info@spjoregon.com and a board member will be in touch to answer your questions.