See Also: Founders
Julia Luz Betancourt, Audience Development Specialist
Julia is the audience development specialist at 精东影业 Media, where she drives efforts to build an audience-first organization, expand the newsroom’s multimedia journalism, and grow the outlet’s audience and donor base. She is also an independent journalist with bylines in 精东影业 Magazine,听Truthout,听Latin Times,听GEN-ZiNE,听Financial Times,听Scheerpost,听and听Z Network. After graduating with a B.S. in Journalism and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies from St. John’s University, Julia worked as an audience engagement intern at the听贵颈苍补苍肠颈补濒听Times. They have produced work for multiple mediums, including e-newsletters, social media, digital, and print. Julia believes journalism can bring about justice and works to amplify narratives that are underreported.
Evette Dionne, Executive Editor
Evette is a culture journalist, critic, and editor who serves as the executive editor at 精东影业. Lifting as We Climb: Black Women鈥檚 Battle for the Ballot听Box, her middle-grade nonfiction book, was nominated for a National Book Award and won a Coretta Scott King Honor author. Her next book,听Weightless, was released by Ecco in December 2022. You can find her across the web at @freeblackgirl.
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Breanna Draxler, Senior Editor
Breanna is a senior editor at 精东影业, where she has led coverage of environmental justice since she joined the team in November 2019. An award-winning journalist with nearly a decade of experience editing, reporting, and writing for national magazines, she won a 2020 National Magazine Award for a collaborative climate action guide that she published with Audubon Magazine. Breanna also writes, reports and edits for听National Geographic听online,听Grist, and听Audubon Magazine, among others. She serves as a board member for the Society of Environmental Journalists and the Northwest Science Writers Association.听She also has a Master鈥檚 degree in environmental journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder. Breanna is based out of Seattle, but has worked in newsrooms on both coasts and in between. Her previous staff positions include editing at听bioGraphic, Popular Science, and听Discover Magazine.
Khalilah Elliott, Interim Executive Director
Khalilah Elliott is an accomplished marketing & communications executive whose career reflects an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunities and access for marginalized groups and underrepresented people. As the Founder and Chief Disruptor of Gafford Communications, LLC, a dynamic social impact consulting firm, Khalilah partners with nonprofits, artistic institutions, philanthropic organizations, and socially conscious brands to drive transformative change. Her work sits at the intersection of art/culture, social justice, and philanthropy鈥攂ridging clients from diverse backgrounds.Khalilah’s extensive portfolio includes serving as a marketing executive for legacy brands such as Disney and the Apollo Theater. A self-proclaimed 鈥渢heater geek,鈥� she has facilitated strategic partnerships as well as developed multicultural marketing and audience engagement strategies for numerous live events and Broadway productions including the Tony-award winner Hadestown and Disney鈥檚 Aladdin. She has also led major fundraising campaigns, securing millions in funding support for non profit organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC) and Reproductive Health Impact (RH Impact) advocating for Black maternal health/infant mortality and reproductive justice issues.
As 精东影业 Media鈥檚 Interim Executive Director, Khalilah brings her expertise in executive leadership, communications, fundraising, and organizational culture to the role. She holds a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Communications and Theater Arts from Dillard University and a Master鈥檚 degree in Performing Arts Administration from New York University with concentrated studies in marketing and non-profit management. Khalilah splits her time these days between Dallas, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Doug Indrick, Technology Manager
Doug is a musician, photographer, and nonprofit IT manager and consultant. He originally hails from snowy upstate New York, where he previously worked in the solar energy and building efficiency industries. Doug has been living in the Pacific Northwest since 2014, where he greatly enjoys Seattle鈥檚 excellent music scene and bike paths. Doug is also on the board of Salish Sea Cooperative Finance, a co-op focused on reimagining student debt.
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Sonali Kolhatkar, Senior Editor
Sonali joined 精东影业 in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of听精东影业 Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also a senior correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice听(2023) and听Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence听(2005). Her forthcoming book is called听Talking About Abolition (Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission, which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014听听of the same name.
Michael Luong, Associate Art Director
Michael joined 精东影业 as the associate art director in the summer of 2021. He has worked in publishing over the past seven years and has a passion for bringing stories to life with visuals. He has worked as a digital art manager for Out Magazine, The Advocate, Pride.com, and HIV Plus Magazine. He鈥檚 also worked as a freelance designer for the nonprofit publication, Next City. His most recent experience in publishing was as an editorial and marketing designer for Deadline. In his free time he enjoys morning hikes, and engaging in everything creative.
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Kimi Mehlinger, Donor and Subscriber Support Specialist
Kimi鈥檚 professional background is in customer service, executive administration, and mortgage lending. She started working at 13 with a family business, where she helped with manufacturing, sales, and accounting. She attended junior college at Saddleback and Irvine Valley in the 鈥�90s and lived most of her life in Orange County, California. She鈥檚 married, with one son, and because of this child, she says, 鈥淚 feel the need to be a part of something greater than myself that is impacting this world in a positive way, especially when there is so much going on that threatens to destroy the America I once knew, the world I once wanted to explore and the quality of life that is quickly becoming more and more difficult for the next generation to enjoy. This magazine and its authors and editors and staff are working hard to inspire, reach, and teach how to maintain, sustain and heal our world on a daily basis; and to be a part of that, to know that it even exists, gives my heart hope.鈥�
Kathy Murphy, Accounting Manager
Kathy joined 精东影业 in the summer of 2019 following a varied career contributing to organizations trying to impact their communities in a positive way. Kathy graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Elementary Education. After a year of classroom teaching in public schools, Kathy decided that was not her thing, so she embarked on a decade working for alternative education programs. She worked for residential programs, leading horse-packing and hiking trips and aboard traditional sailing vessels. All of these experiences were based around showing students that strangers can come together, build a community and together successfully accomplish new things. Curiosity about the world outside the U.S. led to Peace Corps West Africa, where she taught in a bush school and facilitated development projects. After returning, she co-founded two businesses, the nonprofit Salish Sea Expeditions and a local veterinary practice. Kathy also volunteered as a mentor for a refugee family, an assistant providing vet care for pets of the homeless, and as a K9 handler for the county search and rescue unit.
Paula Murphy, Fulfillment Manager
Paula joined 精东影业 Magazine in December 2007. Growing up landlocked in the Midwest, Paula always had a strong desire to get to know the wet half of our planet鈥攚hich she satisfied by studying oceanography and marine biology, and by becoming a certified master scuba diver. Her time on dry land is spent raising her children, Christopher, Emerson, and Marina, advocating for cloth diapers, attachment parenting, and the family bed. She is a strong supporter of the Waldorf school on Bainbridge Island and also volunteers as a seamstress for local theater productions. Being a part of the staff at 精东影业 supports Paula鈥檚 interests in making the earth a cleaner, more sustainable planet for her children and future generations.
Natalie Pryor, Art Director
Natalie was named Art Director at 精东影业 in November of 2021. She previously worked at The Justice Collaborative and The Appeal as their Design Coordinator. She held the same title at Lambda Legal, where she was responsible for national campaigns, editorial and donor-specific projects such as annual reports. Her experience in publishing includes positions from Designer to Art Director for trade, news, and special interest publications, including Parade Magazine, Emergency Medicine, and Black Enterprise. She has been featured in Print Magazine as one of the Top 50 People To Watch and has received awards from Print Magazine and The Rx Club. Natalie is passionate about issues around equality and racial justice. She loves to stay grounded by taking long walks in the forest, surrounded by trees and the sounds of nature.听