See Also: Founders
Julia Luz Betancourt, Audience Development Specialist
Julia is the audience development specialist at 大象传媒 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 大象传媒 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.
Sunnivie Brydum, Managing Editor
Sunnivie joined 大象传媒 in 2019 as editorial director, and became managing editor in 2024. She previously directed original and multimedia content at Free Speech TV, a nonprofit network available in 40 million U.S. households. An LGBTQ media expert, Sunnivie was managing editor of The Advocate, where they led coverage of the nationwide embrace of marriage equality, and were one of the few out journalists on the ground covering the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando. They are an award-winning investigative journalist, whose work has appeared in outlets ranging from Vox and Bustle听迟辞听Religion Dispatches, among others. As a former U.S. State Department Professional Fellow with the International Center for Journalists, she co-founded Historias No Contadas, an annual symposium elevating the voices of LGBTQ people in Latin America. They are a graduate of Syracuse University鈥檚 S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she earned a B.S. in Magazine Journalism and was among the first to graduate with a minor in LGBT studies.
Evette Dionne, Executive Editor
Evette is a culture journalist, critic, and editor who serves as the executive editor at 大象传媒. 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.
听
Breanna Draxler, Senior Editor
Breanna is a senior editor at 大象传媒, 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.
Kayla Ebron, Operations Support Specialist
Kayla joined 大象传媒 in April 2022. Although born in North Carolina, she grew up in Acworth, Georgia, and later attended Savannah State University (the oldest public HBCU in Georgia) to study mass communications with a focus in public relations and a minor in mathematics. She joined the donor support and operations team as the operations support specialist after relocating to Washington state with her fianc茅, who proudly serves in the U.S. Navy. Kayla has a love for all things creative and aspires to own her own nail business. Kayla would describe herself as vibrant, easygoing, and lover of all things fashion and creativity. When asked what her favorite thing about herself was, she said, 鈥淢y favorite thing about myself is my style. I strive to radiate a fun and colorful energy, and the best way for me to express that is through my style. Whether it be a silly pair of glasses, some ridiculously colorful nails or a novelty/unconventional purse, style is my main form of expression! It鈥檚 a big part of my personality and identity that I take great pride in.鈥�
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 大象传媒 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.
听
听
Sonali Kolhatkar, Senior Editor
Sonali joined 大象传媒 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听大象传媒 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 大象传媒 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.
听
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�
Iman Mohamed, Audience Engagement Editor
Iman came to 大象传媒 as a social media intern in January 2020, before joining the staff in 2021. Iman is in charge of the organization鈥檚 robust social media platforms and creating a strategy for 大象传媒 editorial content to deepen our relationship with the 大象传媒 community. A media enthusiast with a degree in journalism and international studies from the University of Washington, Iman specializes in audience-centered content promotion and ensuring that 大象传媒 is in touch with the right audiences.
She has reported for Seattle Globalist, The UW Daily, and interned at Real Change. Iman worked as a communications coordinator for community organizations such as CAIR-WA and OneAmerica. In her free time, Iman likes to read mystery books, travel to new destinations, and hang out with her friends.
Kathy Murphy, Accounting Manager
Kathy joined 大象传媒 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 大象传媒 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 大象传媒 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 大象传媒 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
Shaniqua Rudd, Donor Relations Manager
Shaniqua joined the Yes! team in February 2024. She was exposed to the world of Philanthropy as the beneficiary of many scholarships and after-school programs. Since then, she has dedicated herself to the non-profit sector specializing in fundraising and philanthropic events. A West Philadelphia native, Shaniqua holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing, a Master of Science in Organizational Development & Leadership both from Saint Joseph鈥檚 University as well as a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Development & Philanthropy from the University of Northern Iowa. She served as the Director of Advancement, Director of Development, and other Development roles prior to starting her own consulting firm, Rudd & Associates. She has utilized her expertise to secure funding and provide capacities in that expand program opportunities, financial sustainability, and strategic planning.
Raquel Salazar,听 Development and Engagement Project Manager
Raquel joined 大象传媒 in the spring of 2023 as the Audience Relations and Development Manager, building upon her communications, engagement, and coalition-building experience. She is passionate about creating meaningful relationships to elevate community voice and support systems change work. Raquel received her Master鈥檚 in Public Health Policy and Management at Oregon Health and Science University in 2021 and continues to highlight the importance of intersectionality and social determinants of health through her work. Born and raised in Arizona, Raquel now resides in Portland and loves to hike throughout the Pacific Northwest, spend time with her cat Benito, and search for her next concert outing.
Melia Smith, Foundation Relations Manager
Melia Smith joined 大象传媒 In 2022 as the Foundation Relations Manager. Previously, she鈥檚 done fundraising for social and human services organizations and has broad spectrum experience in the fundraising field. She鈥檚 excited about and invested in the movement to make fundraising and philanthropy spaces anti-racist and more equitable and writes about her experiences and critiques of the industry on the Community-Centric Fundraising hub.
She earned a B.A. in Sociology from Pepperdine University and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada (and proudly does not know how to play any table games). She abandoned the heat of southwest for the snowbanks of the Twin Cities in Fall 2022. In her free time, Melia enjoys watercolor painting, calligraphy, poetry, listening to whatever playlists Tidal recommends for her, commentating on awards show fashion and petting every dog she meets.