Vote for Your 2026 SPJ Oregon Board Members
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 and internships. Meet the candidates running for the board.
Ballots will be sent to SPJ Oregon chapter members via email, and the election runs through Nov. 6.
General Board Seat
There are four board seats up for election; two-year terms. Note: No one applied for the Education Seat this year. The SPJ Oregon board will decide how to fill the vacant seat at a later date.
KENT FRIEL
I’m a journalist covering education for Salem Reporter. I’m seeking to join the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Oregon board in one of the professional seats. If elected, I’d bring lots of ideas and energy directed towards building more community among Oregon journalists and expanding SPJ Oregon’s work to support local newspapers around the state. I have ideas for more networking and training opportunities, for example, that I think would be fun and beneficial for reporters in Oregon.
Though I'm early in my journalism career, I believe my experience, which ranges from student journalism at Dartmouth to working at a local twice-weekly newspaper in Idaho to now working at Salem Reporter, would be useful to the board. I grew up in the West (California and Idaho) and after four years in New England, I’m back, though I am new to Salem. I love Oregon and really care about the future of Oregon journalism. I want to build community, support journalists just starting, and help local newspapers around the state. We’ve seen some really sad stories of local newspapers in Oregon closing recently, such as the Chronicle, and I am really passionate about figuring out ways in which we can support local newspapers.
I am also a part of a national program called Report for America (RFA), which funds and supports my journalism at Salem Reporter. I think it would be valuable for the SPJ board to have an RFA reporter on the board, as this could bring connections and experience that would be valuable as RFA continues to expand and serve as an important source of support for local news all around the country in the coming years.
branden andersen
I'm Branden Andersen, founder and editor of Newsberg, a digital-first newsroom serving Newberg and Dundee, and I'm running for a professional seat.
I started Newsberg in 2023 in a town divided by political controversy. As a resident, I saw basic questions go unanswered, public information go unreported, and community events scattered across the internet. Newsberg was built to fix that: clear, service-first reporting on city government, schools, parks, and local life, without adding heat to a divided conversation.
Newsberg has since grown beyond a one-person operation, with a part-time hire who started as an intern and several freelancers. Mentorship is central to how I work: I started my career fact-checking without a mentor, and I don't want others to start that way.
On the board, I'd focus on helping people who are starting, or thinking about starting, independent local outlets: practical guidance on structure, revenue, and distribution, plus connections to the mentors and internships Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Oregon already supports. I'd also bring a small-newsroom perspective to the contest, training, and Salem advocacy work.
JOE SEISS
My name is Joe Siess, and I cover City Hall for Salem Reporter. I’m seeking one of the professional seats on the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Oregon board because I hope to contribute my perspective as a working local journalist to help advocate for journalism across the state.
Over the past seven years, I’ve reported in Malheur, Klamath, Deschutes and Marion counties, covering everything from natural disasters, hunger and homelessness to government and corruption. As a fluent Spanish speaker and a former general assignment reporter, I’ve had the opportunity to work across beats and in communities with different needs and perspectives.
My current job covering local government in Salem has me focused on transparency, access to public records and holding officials accountable. I’d bring that experience to the board, along with a strong interest in helping my peers navigate the current challenges in the industry. I’d also like to contribute to SPJ Oregon by sharing what I’ve learned with newer reporters while learning from journalists across the state.
I see the board as an opportunity to strengthen journalism in Oregon and help support the kind of local journalism communities rely on.
Yasser MArte
After serving on the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Oregon board, I would love the opportunity to continue that work and serve another term.
My time on the board has given me a deeper understanding of the work and dedication it takes to advocate for a free press. It has also reinforced something I believed throughout school and my career: Journalism is not only about reporting what happens. It is about helping people understand their communities and giving the next generation of journalists the tools and encouragement to carry that work forward.
I also serve as editor of the Confederated Umatilla Journal, the newspaper of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. I cover a wide range of topics, including First Foods, Tribal traditions, wildlife and fish restoration efforts, tribal government, wildfires and other stories that are important to the community. No story is too big or too small here.
Community newspapers preserve the history of people who live on the reservation. They hold leaders accountable. They give families a place to celebrate victories, mourn losses and remember those who came before them. They also tell difficult stories alongside joyful ones because communities deserve both honesty and hope.
Since working here, I have learned a lot about the kind of journalist I want to be and the kind of board member I want to continue being.
SPJ has always been an important part of my path as a journalist, including during my education. I attended Santa Monica College in California while interning at newspapers. I later transferred to Florida International University in Miami, where I continued learning and finding my place in the field. During that time, organizations like SPJ showed me I was not alone. They gave students a chance to meet professional journalists, learn the craft and understand the field. Now that I am working in the field, I want to give that same support to other journalists.
If elected again, I would continue to advocate for and protect the free press, while also helping local journalists. I want SPJ Oregon to be a place where journalists at every stage of their careers know they have support and a community that has their back. I would love the opportunity to serve again and build on the work we have started.