As a photojournalist based in both Boston, Mass., and rural Prince Edward Island, Canada, I am running for a seat on the SEJ board to increase and maintain membership diversity by continuing outreach efforts and programming that is inclusive and fosters a sense of belonging among all members.
After 16 years on staff at a major Boston newspaper, where I covered immigration, human rights issues, and politics, I was thrust back into freelancing during the height of the pandemic. Environmental issues and how they impact agriculture and fishing, housing, economics, migration, and daily life have long been an interest, so I began a documentary project examining the intersection of culture and climate on Prince Edward Island. The climate crisis became even more evident to residents when post-tropical storm Fiona decimated at least 40% of the forests and knocked out power for 95% of the remote, rural island in September 2022. One of my goals is to ensure journalists in similar situations have financial and networking resources available to connect with others so they may continue to do important, in-depth work in our field. Photojournalists are often welcome but sometimes an afterthought in programming for journalists. As more photographers are encouraged to conduct interviews and write, and more reporters are pressed to take photos, it is important that training reflects these changes to maintain strong ethics and quality of work, and to ensure freelancers understand contracts and are paid fairly for their expertise.
As vice president of the Boston Press Photographers Association, and a member of BPPA’s annual photography contest committee, I have worked to increase the diversity of our judging panels. For the past three years, my participation on our exhibition committee has brought hundreds of award-winning images by New England photojournalists to outdoor displays on the Boston Common, Copley Square, and various other neighborhoods. I hope to bring my event and programming skills and increased DEI outreach to the SEJ board as well.
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