Who is behind The JOLT?

Who is behind The JOLT?

STAFF

Allie Baker

Publishing Associate

Alexis Rae Baker grew up in Thurston County and earned her Bachelors Degree at The Evergreen State College. As a student she studied psychology, business, and evolutionary biology and has spent years developing new philosophies about life and human behavior. After two years traveling the country as a semi-truck driver, she took an early sabbatical to focus on writing and, in November 2019, she joined Pareto-Curve Marketing as Publishing Associate for Coffee News, and continues with its new publication, JOLT.

Toobee Determined

Reporter

Also Toobeefound

Managing Editor

Danny Stusser

Publisher

Danny Stusser has been a news junkie since age 12 when he started writing for his middle-school newspaper. He continued to write for publication through college and beyond, generally for industry trade magazines. From January 2005 until COVID-19 he published Coffee News in separate editions for Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and State Offices. Also an inventor, he holds two U.S. utility patents for an advertising innovation that became UpRightCards™.  He lives with his family in Olympia.

BOARD OF ADVISORS

Ken Balsley

Ken Balsley is Thurston County's most experienced journalist and columnist.  He has published "Ken's Corner" in several different local newspapers.  He's done it on the air for several local radio stations - currently KGY FM 95.3 and has published it in his blog "Ken's Corner & The Real News" which can be found at  kenbalsley.com. He has been in the media, journalism, radio, social media business for 49 years. 

Linda Bremer

Linda Bremer grew up speaking Spanish in Mission, TX.  The first member of her family to earn a college degree, she worked in a series of progressively more challenging consulting and management roles in business and government, eventually serving as a Cabinet member under Governor Christine Gregoire as Director of General Administration (now the Department of Enterprise Services).  She lives in Thurston County.

Janine Gates

Janine Gates has published more than 500 articles covering land use in Thurston County, local government, social, economic, racial and environmental justice, business, politics, and individuals and organizations making a difference in the blog she started in 2009, Janine's Little Hollywood. She lives in her 1914-built house in Olympia.

Meta Hogan

Meta Hogan has been a promoter of local and citizen journalism since 2001, when she started as a copyeditor at the Cooper Point Journal.  She founded the Voice of Olympia street newspaper in 2003, actively participated in the heyday of OlyBlog, and co-owned and published Olympia Power & Light newspaper 2009-2016.

Bob Jacobs

Bob Jacobs describes himself as a "full-time advocate for good government and a positive future."  He served on the Olympia City Council and as mayor of Olympia from 1993-1999. Surrounding those years he was a policy and budget analyst for the states of Washington and Alaska.  He owns and manages residential rental properties, serves on non-profit boards and is a U.S. Army veteran.

Jenna Mason

Jenna Mason was born in Pennsylvania where she studied Broadcast Journalism at Penn State University. She moved to Olympia in 2015 to study environmental journalism through videography at The Evergreen State College, graduating in 2018. She is a digital media producer, operating Jenna Mason Media LLC. She is also the Outreach & Digital Media Consultant for Olympia Community Solar. 

Eileen McKenzieSullivan

Eileen McKenzieSullivan retired in April 2020 after serving for 24 years as Executive Director of Senior Services for the South Sound, a  multi-program agency serving older adults in Mason and Thurston Counties. She decided as a teenager to dedicate her life to working with seniors. After earning a BA in Sociology/Social work at Seattle University she began a career in geriatrics, working in Alaska, Iowa, Seattle and finally Olympia. Eileen and her husband live near Tenino.

Paul Pickett

Paul Pickett enjoyed a long career as an environmental engineer, retiring in 2019 after 30 years with the Department of Ecology.  He is a consultant for the Squaxin Island Tribe. He has served as a Thurston Public Utility District Commissioner and a Thurston Conservation District Supervisor. Paul taught water management and climate change at The Evergreen State College and has written articles for local and national publications. He lives with his wife in Thurston County, along with cats, chickens, blueberries, fruit trees and noxious weeds.

Graeme Sackrison

Graeme Sackrison is serving his second term on the board of North Thurston Public Schools. Following two years on the Lacey Planning Commission, Graeme spent thirteen years on the Lacey City Council, six as Mayor. A graduate of North Thurston High School, he attended Centralia Community College and Western Washington State College. After college graduation, he served four years in the U.S Air Force.  He worked for the Employment Security Department for 28 years. Graeme’s married with a daughter, a granddaughter and great-grandson.

Bill Will

Bill Will is Industry Growth & Development Coordinator for Solar Installers of Washington, a trade association. He is a former newspaper reporter and editor and was executive director of Washington Newspaper Publishers Association from 2005 to 2014. He lives in Olympia.

Lynda Zeman

Lynda Zeman