Interim Executive Director
Jennifer Royer
317-361-4134
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Jennifer became interim executive director in September 2022. She joined SPJ HQ in August 2014 as the Society’s first communications strategist, developing and implementing overall strategy for SPJ’s communication and marketing efforts, proactively promoting journalism advocacy and SPJ’s role in the profession and democracy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana State University. After working as a newspaper reporter and editor for several years, she made the transition to public relations, working for ISU and later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Her career has taken her from being up close and personal with a caged lion, to becoming airsick in a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, to meeting a U.S. President, to working several NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four tournaments.

Membership Specialist
Chrystal O'Keefe
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Chrystal originally started SPJ in 2015 to assist with membership part-time. By 2018, when she parted ways with the organization, she was the Manager of Membership and Chapters. Now back with SPJ, Chrystal is here to improve the experience for members and focus on the soul of SPJ, the vast number of chapters across the country. Read More

Outside of SPJ, Chrystal is a managing editor and beat writer for South Side Sox, through SB Nation, and Willets Pen. She also is a weekly columnist for Pitcher List and co-hosts two baseball podcasts that are all women-led. She has previously had articles in Sports Illustrated, Overtime Heroics and The Say It Again Network.

With her institutional knowledge of SPJ, Chrystal is ready to provide a friendly face and excellent communication once again with everyone and keep SPJ great.

Director of Education
Karyn Nishimura Sneath
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Karyn strategizes and manages the educational offerings of SPJ. The primary programs include annual convention content planning, the Future Leaders Academy (sponsored by the SPJ Foundation), various webinars for members at large and resources specific to chapter success.  Read More Prior to SPJ, she facilitated strategic planning, created educational experiences and presented day to week-long leadership development training sessions with her association-focused consulting firm, Npower. Prior to that, she worked at Wichita State University, the North American Interfraternity Conference and the National Association for Community Leadership. She is a serial volunteer for organizations focused on leadership, women’s empowerment and AAPI issues.

Director of Ethics and Diversity
Rod Hicks
317-954-0025
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Rod has experience at numerous news organizations across the country. Most recently, he served as an editor for The Associated Press at its Philadelphia-based East Regional Desk. In this role, he worked on several major national stories including the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut, the Boston Marathon bombing and the sexual assault trials of Bill Cosby. Read More Hicks previously held editing positions at newspapers in New Jersey, Alabama, Michigan and Missouri. He managed the St. Louis Post-Dispatch news operation at night. He was working the night a gunman entered a suburban city council meeting and killed the mayor, two council members, a police officer and two other people. The coverage was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News. Before that he was a suburban editor for The Detroit News.

Quill Editor/Manager of Publications and Awards
Lou Harry
317-920-4786
Email
@LouHarry

Lou Harry’s journalism career includes editing stints at Philadelphia magazine, Indianapolis Monthly and the Indianapolis Business Journal along with freelance work for more than 50 publications and websites. Read More The winner of multiple SPJ awards, Harry has taught writing classes at Temple University, the University of Indianapolis and the Midwest Writers Workshop. He has served as emcee for many fundraisers, has organized conferences and once took a pie in the face from Soupy Sales. During downtime, he enjoys writing plays and trying new board games with friends, family and strangers.

Communications Specialist & Quill Assistant Editor
Zoë Berg
317-920-4785
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Zoë joined staff in May 2019 as the Communications Coordinator to assist with communication and marketing efforts. She graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a bachelor’s degree in communication with concentrations in journalism and public relations. Read More During her time at the university, she worked on the campus newspaper and for the student-run public relations firm where she deepened her passion for journalism and developed her communication and marketing skills. When she isn’t working, she enjoys traveling, baking and spending time with her friends and pet rabbit.

Communications Post-Graduate Intern
Kimberly Tsuyuki
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Kimberly joined SPJ in January 2023. She graduated in May 2022 from Whittier College with a degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing and a Film Studies minor. During her time in college, she worked for the school newspaper as Arts & Entertainment Editor, where she combined her passion for journalism and entertainment. She enjoys picking the green sour skittles out of the bag and watching movies in her spare time.

Chief Event Strategist
Katie Riggs
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LinkedIn

Creative professional with expertise in all aspects of successful conference/tradeshow planning and execution. Proven ability to develop, manage and motivate effective teams that execute flawless events. Strong ability to negotiate contracts with vendors and manage budgets. Advanced organizational skills and techniques, backed by an education in Tourism Conventions Event Management and 15 years in the industry. Additional skills include: interviewing, hiring, training and development, as well as volunteer management and leadership.

Interim Web Administrator
Billy O’Keefe
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LinkedIn

From the separate days he learned to (a) write, (b) draw and (c) compile code in BASIC on an Apple IIc, it has been Billy’s mission to create things that make people happy in exchange for being allowed to make a living doing things he enjoys. To that end, he’s honed a strange multi-pack of careers in which he builds and manages lovely websites and database-driven projects for some, writes lovely words for others, draws lovely illustrations for others, and, when he’s truly lucky, combines all these disciplines and more into projects that delight people on multiple levels.