The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) welcomed several new board members and selected its leadership team for the coming year at its recent board and annual general meeting of members held late last month.
The new directors are:
- Najib Asil (he/him) – National Director, Toronto Region
Najib 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, he led the current affairs department at TOLOnews, Afghanistan’s largest news network. - Emily Blake (she/her) – National Director, Northern Canada (Territories) region
Emily is Cabin Radio’s assistant editor and is based in Sǫ̀mbak’è/Yellowknife. She is a multimedia journalist with a master’s of journalism from the University of British Columbia. Her areas of specialization include gender, politics, human rights and media ethics. - Elisha Dacey (she/her) – National Director, Manitoba region
Elisha 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. - Tyler Olsen (he/him) – National Director, B.C. region
Tyler helped start the Fraser Valley Current, and has 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. - Alexander Quon (he/him) – National Director, Saskatchewan region
Alexander 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 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 also hosts the globally acclaimed Newsroom Robots podcast and conducts AI workshops for newsrooms and universities. - Nathalie Sturgeon (she/her) – National Director, Atlantic Canada region
Nathalie 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.
The board’s national directors for regions across Canada provide local representation for members. If local or regional issues arise, these directors should be a member’s first point of contact. Additionally, these directors amplify their region’s voice at the national level, help to guide the CAJ’s policies and practices, support advocacy work, and assist with both regional and national professional development programming.
The CAJ also confirmed its executive committee for the coming year.
Brent Jolly will continue to serve as the association’s president. Julie Sobowale and Fatima Syed have both been re-elected as the CAJ’s vice-presidents. Zane Schwartz will continue to serve as the association’s chair. Paul Schneidereit has stepped down as treasurer and will assume the role of vice-chair. Laurie Few will take over as treasurer. Karyn Pugliese remains as the past president.
The full listing of national directors, and their elected region or appointed role, is:
- Najib Asil, Toronto
- Jameson Berkow, Toronto
- Emily Blake, Northern Canada
- Katrina Clarke, Winnipeg
- Jenna Cocullo, Montreal
- Elisha Dacey, Manitoba
- Laurie Few, Toronto
- Brent Jolly, Southern Ontario
- Jason Markusoff, Alberta
- Tyler Olsen, BC
- Karyn Pugliese, Director-at-large
- Alexander Quon, Saskatchewan
- Nikita Roy, Director-at-large
- Paul Schneidereit, Director-at-large
- Zane Schwartz, Vancouver
- Julie Sobowale, Director-at-large
- Patti Sonntag, Quebec
- Nathalie Sturgeon, Atlantic Canada
- Fatima Syed, Director-at-large
- Paula Tran, Ottawa
Visit caj.ca/about/our-team/ to learn more about the CAJ’s board members and staff.
Want to join the team?
There are currently vacancies for national directors in the Calgary/Edmonton region and in the Northern Ontario region. If you are interested in serving on the CAJ board of directors, want more details on the board election process, or would like to submit a nomination, please visit caj.ca/about/our-team/elections/.
Our thanks to Cision for sponsoring this announcement.
Donate
CAJ Strategic Plan 2024-2027
