Our team

Brent Jolly (He/Him)

President; National director, Southern Ontario region

Brent Jolly is the managing director of the National NewsMedia Council of Canada. He has worked as a journalist with a variety of news outlets both as a writer and editor. He regularly wears too many hats.

Fatima Syed (She/Her)

Vice-President; Director-at-large

Fatima Syed is a reporter with The Narwhal’s Ontario bureau. She has worked for The Walrus, the Toronto Star, The Logic and National Observer. She is the recipient of the 2022 World Press Freedom Canada Award.

Laurie Few (She/Her)

Treasurer; National director, Toronto region

Laurie Few is the Executive Producer of Digital at TVO. Formerly she held positions as Managing Editor at the National Observer, Director of Digital Content at CPAC, Executive Producer of Global New’s investigative current affairs show 16×9, and investigative Producer at CTV’s WFive. She started her career as a lawyer.

Zane Schwartz (He/Him)

Board Chair; National director, Vancouver region

Zane Schwartz is an award-winning investigative journalist and the editor-in-chief of the Investigative Journalism Foundation. He founded and leads the CAJ’s annual diversity survey, co-leads its mentorship program, and contributes to fights on press freedom issues like freeing jailed journalists.

Paul Schneidereit (He/Him)

Board Vice-Chair; Director-at-Large

Paul Schneidereit was a senior columnist at The Chronicle Herald (SaltWire Network), in Halifax. A Montreal native, Paul had been at the Herald for 39 years before taking a buyout in late 2022. He’s now working on a non-fiction, true crime book to be published in 2026. Paul has been on the national board of the CAJ since September 1997. He served as president from 2003 to 2007.

Karyn Pugliese (She/Her)

Past-President; Director-at-large

Karyn (Pabàmàdiz) is an award winning and highly esteemed Indigenous journalist from the Pikwàkanagàn First Nation. She is the Host Producer of APTN’s political Affairs show, Nation to Nation, an Instructor at Carleton University, and a contributor to the Tyee and a board member of Canadian Journalists of for Free Expression.

Najib Asil (He/Him)

National Director, Toronto Region

Najib Asil is the Founder and Executive Director of the Free Speech Centre, a Toronto-based independent nonprofit dedicated to advocating for exiled journalists, supporting journalists, and defending press freedom. Before the fall of Kabul, Mr. Asil led the Current Affairs department at TOLOnews, Afghanistan’s largest news network. He has also contributed to BBC World News, France 24, NPR, and The Walrus. Since arriving in Canada, he has served as a Journalism Fellow at CBC through Journalists for Human Rights (JHR). Mr. Asil holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Jameson Berkow (He/Him)

National Director, Toronto Region

Jameson Berkow is a business reporter for The Globe and Mail. He was previously an anchor for BNN Bloomberg (formerly the Business News Network) and a reporter for the Financial Post. Jameson got his start in journalism in 2007 as a fact-checker for Toronto Life magazine, where his first byline was for a story about two dogs getting married.

Emily Blake (She/Her)

National director, Northern Canada (Territories) region

Emily Blake is the senior reporter with Cabin Radio based in Sǫ̀mbak’è/Yellowknife on Chief Drygese Territory. She is passionate about the North, local news, press freedom and media ethics. She covers politics, justice, and everything in between across the Northwest Territories. She was awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal in June 2025 for her work with the Cabin Radio team covering the 2023 wildfires in the Northwest Territories. Emily has previously worked for the Whitehorse Star, CBC and the Canadian Press and her work has appeared in Ricochet Media, This Magazine, Xtra,The Tyee and Vancouver Courier among other publications.

Thomas Chabot (He/Him)

National Director, Montreal Region

I have worked in media at the community level in various leadership positions, including general manager, director, and editor-in-chief. My experience includes working in the Northwest Territories, starting three media outlets, building a network among student newspapers in Québec, and being tasked with a comprehensive restructuring of Quartier Libre, the independent newspaper at the Université de Montréal. I shifted my career from journalism to focus on the administrative side of media and have served on several boards of directors before joining the CAJ. I hold a B.Sc. in Law, Political Science, and Economics, and I am currently preparing for my MBA.

Katrina Clarke (She/Her)

Director-at-large

Katrina Clarke is an award-winning investigative reporter with the Investigative Journalism Foundation. She has nearly 15 years of experience in journalism across Canada including at the Winnipeg Free Press, Toronto Star and Hamilton Spectator. She was the co-winner of the CAJ’s top prize, the Don McGillivray Award, in 2024 for an investigation into childcare in Manitoba. She has received fellowships and grants that have taken her to Thailand, Australia, Germany, Poland and remote parts of Labrador. She lives in B.C.’s East Kootenay region and in her spare time, you can find her hiking, biking or skiing.

Elisha Dacey (She/Her)

National Director, Winnipeg Region

Elisha Dacey is the Managing Editor of the independent media site Future of Good. Over her 25-year career, she has worked in newsrooms big and small, from rural Manitoba weeklies and town dailies to CBC to Global News, as a writer, editor and photographer.

Linton Garner (He/Him)

National director, Ottawa region

Linton Garner has been principally involved in community development, education, youth, sports, journalism, within the English-speaking and Black communities in Quebec. He has acted in many leadership roles in government and community and authored reports for federal and provincial governments on race relations, police relations, education, and minority linguistic community relations. Linton is the former host of City Life for nine seasons on the MAtv Videotron cable network and sits on the Western Quebec School Board, the federal Cross-cultural Round Table on Security, the Court Challenges Program of the Official Languages Commission, the Canadian Association of Journalists Awards Committee, the National Newspaper Awards Board of Directors, and the Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations Board of Directors.

Mandeep Pujara (He/Him)

National director, Calgary/Edmonton region

Mandeep Pujara is an Edmonton-based journalist, television host, and media leader dedicated to advancing ethical journalism and strengthening the representation of diverse communities in Canadian news media. His journalism career spans television hosting Prime Canada with Prime Asia TV and Focus Punjabi on OMNI Television, where he has covered issues affecting multicultural communities across Canada through public affairs programming and community-focused journalism. His reporting covers public policy, government, immigration, public safety, business, and community affairs, with a commitment to accurate, balanced, and community-centred journalism. Throughout his career, he has interviewed political leaders, policymakers, business executives, and community advocates while covering major regional and national events. As National Director for the Edmonton/Calgary region of the Canadian Association of Journalists, Mandeep is committed to strengthening collaboration between mainstream and ethnic media, promoting professional excellence, and advancing greater diversity and inclusion within Canadian journalism. Drawing on his experience across both sectors, he works to build stronger connections between newsrooms, amplify underrepresented voices, and foster greater public trust in journalism. He also serves on the Edmonton Police Service Chief’s Community Council, contributing to dialogue among the media, public institutions, and the communities they serve.

Jason Markusoff (He/Him)

National director, Alberta region

Jason Markusoff writes and edits at CBC Calgary. He’s reported in Alberta for nearly two decades, previously writing for Maclean’s, Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. At CAJ, he’s most passionate about the CAJ Awards, the mentorship program and gathering with fellow journalists for hours and hours of shop talk.

Tyler Olsen (He/Him)

National director, BC region

Tyler is a senior editor at The Tyee. He helped start the Fraser Valley Current, and led the publication for four years. He previously worked at community newspapers in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Vernon. He has reported extensively on a range of issues, including health care, climate-related disasters, municipal affairs, and many other things. Tyler has won four Jack Webster Awards and been a finalist for a National Newspaper Award three consecutive years, winning once.

Alexander Quon (He/Him)

National director, Saskatchewan region

Alexander Quon writes and edits for CBC Saskatchewan. He has reported in Saskatchewan for nearly five years and is happy to be working in the province where he was born and raised. He’s passionate about improving diversity in journalism.

Nikita Roy (She/Her)

Director at large

Nikita Roy is a data scientist, journalist, and Harvard-recognized AI futurist. As a Knight Fellow at the International Center for Journalists and the lead of the AI Journalism Lab at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, she focuses on AI literacy in the news industry. Nikita is also the host of the globally acclaimed Newsroom Robots podcast incubated at Harvard Innovation Labs. She conducts AI workshops for newsrooms and universities, including The Economist, The Boston Globe, Stanford University, and the University of Toronto. Her insights have been featured on BBC, CBC, Nieman Lab, Quartz and Yahoo Finance. An alumna of Harvard University and the University of Toronto, Nikita develops AI products and advises on AI strategy.

Nathalie Sturgeon (She/Her)

National director, Atlantic Canada region

Nathalie Sturgeon is CHCO TV’s senior producer and Editor-in-Chief of The Courier in Saint Andrews, N.B. She has over 10 years experience in the industry and was formerly a digital broadcast journalist with Global News in New Brunswick. She has past experience as the editor of the Kings County Record in Sussex, N.B., and CBC New Brunswick. Nathalie is a strong supporter of local and community news.

Jon Thompson (He/Him)

National director, Northern Ontario region

I’m Jon Thompson and I represent Northern Ontario. I love the land and I believe in its peoples. My award-winning work has spanned this vast region and across all mediums over the past 24 years. I’m based in Thunder Bay and my latest work appears on Ricochet.media.

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National Director, Manitoba Region

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National Director, Quebec Region

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Monique Durette (She/Her)

Operations Manager

Monique Durette brings 20+ years of finance, admin, & leadership experience to the CAJ, holding a BA in Political Science with a focus on Women, Gender, and Indigenous Studies. In her spare time, she can be found working on her acreage with her husband. She is also a homeschooling mom with many passions and interests.

Jenna Cocullo (She/Her)

Program Coordinator

As a part-time program coordinator, Jenna Cocullo helps develop and run the CAJ’s peer support program (CNIPS) and inclusive journalism training program while supporting other facets of the CAJ’s programming. Jenna is currently freelance writing. She worked as editor at The Wire Report and as a community news reporter in coastal British Columbia and southern Ontario. She previously served on the CAJ board. When she’s not working, you can find her hiking in the mountains or at the rock climbing gym.

Emelia Fournier (She/They)

Program Coordinator

In addition to her work for the CAJ, Emelia Fournier is a contributor for The Rover and La Converse, based in Montreal. She covers community issues like housing, nightlife and Indigenous stories. She has also worked for APTN reporting on First Nations in Quebec. Originally from Winnipeg, Fournier is a member of the Métis Nation.

Tahara Guitard (She/Her)

Program Administrator

Tahara provides critical support in both French and English across all of CAJ’s programs, initiatives, and operations. Originally from Ontario and raised in Quebec, she brings a diverse perspective and strong adaptability to her work, along with a solid background in administration, client relations, and operational management. Recently relocated to New Brunswick, Tahara enjoys quality time with her family and exploring creative activities.

Sara King-Abadi (She/Her)

Program Coordinator

Sara King-Abadi is a freelance journalist raised in Montreal and now based in Canmore, Alberta on Treaty 7 Territory where you can find her climbing, hiking and reporting on the natural world. Sara has put voices on the radio for CBC Montreal and Quebec, and has written words for The Narwhal, The Tyee and more.

Nour Hafid (She/Her)

Fellow: Lawyers for Reporters Canada program

Nour Hafid holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, as well as a BA in Business and Finance. With a professional background in project management within the non-profit sector, she has coordinated initiatives focused on creating meaningful social impact.
Nour is passionate about writing and is particularly drawn to creative non-fiction. She enjoys exploring personal narratives, whether through profile writing or podcasts that highlight nuanced human experiences. Outside of her professional work, Nour enjoys foreign languages and travelling.