Skylar Browning, Board Chair— Skylar is an award-winning writer and editor, published author, and communications director for one of the nation’s leading multifamily real estate firms. His work has been honored by the Montana Newspaper Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, and he received an NEA fellowship from the Arts Journalism Institute at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “Montana Baseball History,” his first book, co-authored by Jeremy Watterson, was published in 2015.

Anne Avis, Board Vice Chair — Anne is an experienced board leader in independent nonprofit journalism. She co-chairs the boards of Internews, a global media development organization, and KQED, public media in the Bay Area. She also serves on the board of Tinworks Art in Bozeman. Since 1994, Anne and her husband, Greg, have split their time between the Bay Area and Clyde Park, MT.

Susan Fox, Board Treasurer — Susan grew up in Billings and recently retired from the Montana Legislative Services Division.  She retired after 16 years as executive director. Prior to that, she worked 14 years as a research analyst and spent the 1989 and 1991 sessions working for the Senate and House, respectively. She also worked for the Department of Institutions and Board of Crime Control from 1987-1991. A University of Montana graduate with a master’s degree in sociology, Fox lives in Helena and enjoys time with her family on the Stillwater River.

Alexis Bonogofsky, Board Secretary — Alexis is a rancher, organizer and freelance writer and photographer who lives and works along the Yellowstone River in southeastern Montana on her family’s ranch. For eleven years, she managed the Tribal Lands Partnership Program, where she worked with Montana tribes and inter-tribal organizations on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, bison restoration to tribal lands, protection of sacred and historical sites and wildlife conservation. In 2014 Alexis was awarded a Cultural Freedom Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation.

Mark Huber, Board Member — Mark grew up in Kalispell, graduated from Northwestern University and received a master’s degree with majors from John Hopkins University in International Economics, European Studies and American Foreign Policy. Mark’s career in banking began at Chase Manhattan, where he moved from New York City to Hong Kong, spending 23 years with Chase and one year with Citibank before returning to Montana to serve as Market President for US Bank in Helena. Now in retirement, Mark splits his time between Helena and Redmond, Oregon, where his wife, Christina, is a nurse practitioner. He has two grown children — a software engineer in Chicago and an American History teacher in New Jersey.

Heather Dietrick, Board Member —  Heather is an experienced media executive, currently serving as Outside, Inc.’s chief media officer, previously as the CEO of the Daily Beast, and before that, president and general counsel of Gawker Media. She started her career practicing First Amendment law, defending digital, print, and TV news journalists for their stories. She also clerked in the Eastern District of New York and holds a JD and an MBA from the University of Michigan, and a BA from Georgetown University. Heather, who deeply believes in the power of true and impactful journalism, lives in Whitefish and is an avid skier and dog lover.

Jason Begay, Board Member — Begay joined the faculty of the University of Montana School of Journalism in 2010 after spending six years as a full-time reporter for The Navajo Times in Window Rock, Ariz. He teaches courses in reporting and diversity and co-teaches the school’s award-winning Native News Project, which produces an annual publication and website that covers issues facing Montana tribal communities. He has served on the board of directors for the Native American Journalists Association as its vice president, treasurer and president. Jason is a 2002 graduate of the School of Journalism. He won a prestigious New York Times internship, and worked as a reporter for Portland’s Oregonian before returning to his home, the Navajo reservation on the Arizona-New Mexico border, to work for The Navajo Times. Jason grew up in Gallup, N.M., and interned for the Times at age 19. As a journalism student at UM, he interned at newspapers in Duluth, Minn., and Oakland, Calif. He earned a Masters in Business Administration in 2015.

Mike Dennison, Board Member — Dennison has been a reporter, primarily in Montana, for the past four decades, including 30 years as a full-time political and state-government reporter. He retired from full-time reporting in 2022 as chief political reporter for the Montana Television Network, moving to television in 2015 after spending 23 years as a political reporter for Lee Newspapers and the Great Falls Tribune. Since retiring, Mike has worked part-time as a TV political analyst and reporter for various publications. He also serves as treasurer and board member for the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline. During his reporting career, he has specialized in coverage of health care, energy, tax policy, campaigns, elections and the Legislature. Mike is a 1981 graduate of the University of Montana, with degrees in English and journalism.

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