Jill-Marie Gavin hired as reporter in February
MISSION – A CTUIR member has rejoined the staff of the Confederated Umatilla Journal after serving as a Board of Trustees At-Large member for the past two years. Jill-Marie Gavin was hired by the CUJ as a reporter in late January and started on Feb. 2. “It was an honor to serve my People in the role of an elected official this past two years,” she said. “I took my voice to our staff. Her experience as a BOT member will allow us to better understand the complexities of the CTUIR.” Gavin’s work history includes being a Reporter and Interim Editor for the CUJ, a Reporter for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Advocate. She studied journalism at Mt. Hood Community College. Gavin is the recipient of several Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) awards, including General Excellence in 2021 for a radio program at KCUW as a Board Member seriously and was grateful for the team I was fortunate enough to serve amongst. When I ran for Board Member at Large in 2017 I had a list of changes I had hoped to see our Tribe make in order to reduce the barriers for Tribal Members in their every day lives. I am beyond thankful to say that each of those items were addressed and passed over the last two years, thanks to the like-minded group I was elected with. The staff of CTUIR have continued to exceed expectations and their execution of the work needed to address these barriers was nothing short of amazing. Removing the THC drug testing requirement for Housing, quadrupling the amount of emergency assistance for CTUIR Members, the response of financial assistance to Tribal Members during this pandemic and increasing our emergency assistance service area to all CTUIR Tribal Members across the country are some of the policy adjustments I was most thankful to be a part of. “She added, “Returning the CUJ will surely be different for me now having learned and connected more deeply with our Tribal government than I have before in the last nine years of working for our Tribe. I am grateful to have a strong trust relationship with the community and do not take for granted the confidence that our People have in sharing their stories with me. I look forward to telling the stories of our People once again.” Editor Cary Rosenbaum said he is excited for the potential of the Tribal newspaper after bringing on Gavin. “We’re extremely excited to bring back Jill-Marie, who has showcased a passion for local Tribal journalism that will greatly enhance the our offerings,” he said. “She brings an award-winning background and an important Tribal voice to our staff. Her experience as a BOT member will allow us to better understand the complexities of the CTUIR.” Gavin’s work history includes being a Reporter and Interim Editor for the CUJ, a Reporter for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Advocate. She studied journalism at Mt. Hood Community College. Gavin is the recipient of several Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) awards, including General Excellence in 2021 for a radio program at KCUW.
