Meet your SPJ Oregon board candidates

These are the candidates for the 2025 SPJ Oregon board elections. Below is some information about each of the candidates and why they want to earn your vote. 

These candidates are running for four at-large seats. Ballots will go out to voters over email on Monday, Oct. 13. The voting period will end at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 17. 

Note: Since only three candidates ran for four at-large seats and no candidates filed for the education seat for journalism students and faculty, the board will decide how to fill these positions at a later date. 

Nick Budnick 

I'm a reporter turned editor who's running for reelection to the SPJ board to help continue its nationally recognized advocacy for open government at the state Legislature and elsewhere. SPJ continues to make a difference with this work by employing a crowdfunded lobbyist who helps respond to bills that promote secrecy and undermine public-service journalism.

This work has been a group effort, powered by ideas and contributions from journalists and supporters of good government around the state. We helped craft major records-law reforms in 2017 and followed up two years later with Oregon’s first-ever financial penalty for public agencies that delay disclosure of records. We continue to battle bad bills in Salem with victories outnumbering our defeats.

Over the next year I hope to help document our lessons learned so this work continues regardless; It’d be easier to accomplish this as a board member and I'd appreciate your vote.

I am proud of the board’s principled work to help and support our hard-working, underpaid community across Oregon through scholarships, gatherings, resources and trainings — like our upcoming Build a Better Journalist conference in Eugene! Hope to see you there.

Julia Shumway 

As a current SPJ board member and treasurer, I'm proud of SPJ's recent work rebuilding post-pandemic and look forward to continuing our trainings, legislative efforts and partnership with AAJA-Portland to place an intern or two from an underrepresented background in an Oregon newsroom each year. Given SPJ's post-pandemic turnover and the ever-changing nature of Oregon journalism, I'd like to continue on the board for another two years to provide some stability and institutional knowledge.  

In my day job, I'm the editor-in-chief of the Oregon Capital Chronicle, a nonprofit news organization I joined at its launch in 2021. In that role, I lead a team of three talented reporters covering state government and politics, with articles available for all other outlets to republish for free. I've also served since December of 2022 as president of the Oregon Legislative Correspondents Association, or Capitol Press Corps, leading that group's efforts to maintain and expand access to the Legislature, governor and state agencies. 

I first came to Oregon in 2017 to cover city government for The Bulletin. My experiences in Bend and Salem, as well as in small newsrooms in Iowa, Nebraska and Arizona, contribute to my passion for supporting journalism and journalists outside the metro. 

Steven White

I am running for a seat on the board with over 20 years in the industry. I am currently the News Operations Manager for KATU-TV in Portland. 

With the Dynamics of journalism changing so rapidly, whether it’s on air, in the public perception, or with the current laws that are shaping how we need to our job. We need people who can speak up for all journalists to be able to do their jobs and continue to tell the stories that shape our communities, culture, & our state. 

That’s why I’m running to be on the board.