We are pleased to announce the results of the 2026 National Association of Science Writers board election. The new NASW Board of Directors officially begins its term on Friday, September 25 with a full-day meeting at ScienceWriters2026 in Corvallis, OR.
NASW is a volunteer-led professional membership organization. Running for board leadership reflects a commitment to volunteer service that has successfully guided the organization for 92 years. We are grateful to each of the candidates who took part in these elections and to the NASW Nominating Committee for working tirelessly over the course of many months to recruit candidates and support the biennial election process. The Nominating Committee consisted of: Sandeep Ravindran (chair and outgoing President), Ashley Smart, Cassandra Willyard, Emily Sohn, Matt Shipman, Siri Carpenter and Sujata Gupta.
The 2026-2028 NASW Board of Directors:
NASW PRESIDENT
(Credit: Nitya Rao)
Freelance
With past career stops at Science, Nieman Journalism Lab, STAT, and Nature Medicine, Shraddha enters her fourth term on the NASW Board, having served as vice president and chair of the NASW Programs Committee, board treasurer and chair of the NASW Finance and Audit Committee, and co-chair of the Diversity Committee from 2016-2019.
“As President, I’m interested in ensuring the future success of NASW as an organization, especially since the nonprofit sector is also experiencing challenges. The Finance Committee has been hard at work on setting NASW up for a sustainable financial future, and I plan to work closely with the group to help with that goal. I also want to strengthen our ties with peer organizations, within science writing and across journalism more broadly. As we look to the World Conference of Science Journalists in 2027, I’m especially interested in forging stronger ties with international peer organizations. With foundational values such as press freedom, the free flow of information and respect for scientific expertise under threat everywhere, finding strength in numbers will not only provide a sense of community but also help us use our limited resources more effectively.”
NASW VICE PRESIDENT
Association of Health Care Journalists
Jyoti is currently a program manager for fellowships at Association of Health Care Journalists. She freelanced for more than 12 years, covering science and health for the New York Times, Scientific American, Nature, Undark magazine, and many other outlets. A co-chair of the NASW Awards Committee from 2018 to 2022 and a past member of the Standing Ethics committee, Jyoti now enters her third term serving on the NASW Board, most recently serving as treasurer and chair of NASW’s Finance Committee.
NASW SECRETARY
Freelance
Robin writes and produces feature articles, documentaries, and podcasts on science, health, medicine, and technology. Her projects have appeared in news outlets, broadcast on NPR stations, on PBS, shown at international film festivals, and as part of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s "Science on Screen." She has served as a Ferriss — UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellow and a film envoy for American Film Showcase. Since joining NASW in 2023, Robin has volunteered with the Freelance Committee, co-produced four Pitch Slams, served as a mentor in the David Perlman Virtual Mentoring Program, and led ongoing initiatives to update and improve visibility of freelance resources on the NASW website. This is her first term on the NASW Board.
NASW TREASURER
(Credit: Supplied by Marilynn Marchione)
Chief Medical Writer (Retired) for The Associated Press
Bringing 17 years of experience with AP plus past careers with large urban newspapers and a university news service, Marilynn continues her NASW board service for a fourth term, now leading the NASW Finance Committee as treasurer, a committee that she has been part of since before joining the board six years ago. Marilynn brings a wealth of insights and ideas from working in and observing the news media industry over many decades.
BOARD MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Bushraa Khatib | she/her
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Bushraa is a Maryland-based science writer and editor with 15 years of experience working for non-profit, public health, and research organizations. She currently serves as Director of Science Communications for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a non-profit that drives research on treatments for inherited blinding diseases. She has worked in the past for the National Institutes of Health, Truth Initiative, and the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, among others. She is a past member of the NASW Programs Committee. This is her first term serving on the NASW board.
Jennifer Cox | she/her
(Credit: Becky Kirkland, NC State Univ
Jenny has served on the NASW Program Committee for the last 10 years and helped plan two ScienceWriters conferences in Raleigh, NC where she is a board member of SCONC (Science Communicators of North Carolina). She chaired the Communications Committee for the 10th World Conference of Science Journalists in San Francisco in 2017 and received NASW’s Diane McGurgan Service Award. Before retiring in 2018, Jenny was the director of Engineering Communications at NC State University. She was previously elected to the NASW board as part of a mid-term special election in 2019.
Kate Travis | she/her
Kate is currently the managing editor of Retraction Watch and formerly worked for the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing and Science News. As a member of the NASW Awards Committee for four years, Kate coordinates NASW’s Science in Society Journalism Awards. She is also a member of the Online News Association and an active participant in the News Product Alliance community. Kate has been a member of NASW for more than 25 years, and she is beginning her first term on the board.
Katie Mast | she/her
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An active volunteer on the NASW Programs Committee and past volunteer with the NASW Conflict of Interest Working Group and recipient of the NASW Peggy Girshman Idea Grant, Katie begins her second term on the NASW Board. She launched her science-writing career at High Country News before taking on magazine, nonprofit contracts, and fact-checking assignments as a freelancer. She now leads institutional communications at the Santa Fe Institute.
Kelly Tyrrell | she/her
(Credit: Althea Dotzour, UW–Madison)
Kelly begins her third term on the NASW Board, having first stepped into volunteerism with the organization in 2014 when she co-led NASW's social media outreach for the World Conference of Science Journalists. She has since worn many other hats: serving on and volunteering for multiple committees (Diversity, Institutional Communicators — formerly PIO, Education), winning and also judging the Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards, and organizing and participating in annual meeting sessions, Her varied career stops have spanned regional newspapers, freelancing, and higher education leadership. She is a member of the editorial team at The Open Notebook, a science journalism non-profit.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry | she/her
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Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is a science writer and currently the Content Manager at Live Science. She is the author of “Octopus X” and has also worked as a freelance journalist. Kenna's beats include animals and animal intelligence, corvids, cephalopods, environmentalism, plants, and technology. She served as a board member for SWARM (the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains) for four years. This is her first term serving on the NASW board.
Marla Broadfoot | she/her
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Marla is beginning her third board term. She has helped develop virtual programming in response to changes in the journalism industry, moderated discussions on mental health and self-care for journalists, and contributed to membership and governance initiatives as NASW has continued to evolve. As a member of the ScienceWriters 2024 Steering Committee and a past president of the Science Communicators of North Carolina, she helped to bring the annual meeting to Raleigh. Marla co-founded the SciWriCongress, a network of regional science writing and communication groups that fosters collaboration and information-sharing. Marla’s work has appeared in Scientific American, Science, STAT, Smithsonian, Knowable, Discover, Nature News, and Science News, among others.
Priyanka Runwal | she/her
(Credit: Priyanka Runwal)
Priyanka moved from India to the United States in 2018 to pursue a career in science journalism. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, and National Geographic. She has served on the Finance Committee, helping draft NASW's fiscal policy. As the Board's liaison to the Diversity Committee, she has assisted in running the NASW Diversity Summer Fellowship. Priyanka recently co- launched the Upskilling Series--a six-part program aimed at helping NASW members build their multimedia skillset. Priyanka is beginning her second term on the NASW Board.
Rachel Zamzow | she/her
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Rachel is currently the deputy executive director of The Open Notebook (TON), a nonprofit organization supporting the global community journalists who cover science. She also covers neuroscience and the inner workings of scientific communities for outlets including Science, Science News, The Transmitter, and others. Rachel has volunteered as a mentor through NASW and other organizations and was a volunteer for the NASW Awards Committee in 2024 and 2025. She is beginning her first term on the NASW Board.
Saugat Bolakhe | he/him
Saugat Bolakhe is a freelance journalist and a science communicator, who regularly writes for Scientific American, Nature, Science News, National Geographic and Knowable. He is finishing a stint as a Welcome Coordinator for the annual ScienceWriters meeting. In 2024, he was awarded with the science journalism award by the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). He also serves as a program assistant at The Open Notebook where he manages an international Student Slack Community, advising early career science journalists. This is his first term serving on the NASW board.
Virginia Gewin | she/her
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Based in Portland, Oregon, Virginia writes about climate, agriculture, public health, and biodiversity for a variety of outlets including Nature, Science, Popular Science, Bloomberg, Civil Eats, and others and is the recipient of an Alicia Patterson Foundation fellowship among others. Virginia is currently the chair of the NASW Freelance Committee and has organized the popular ScienceWriters Pitch Slam event for the last six years. She has been a board member of the Northwest Science Writers Association for more than two years and is a long-time member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. This is her first term serving on the NASW board.
NASW extends its sincere appreciation to these departing board members: Alla Katsnelson, first elected in 2024; Amanda Heidt first elected in 2024; Ariana Remmel, first elected in 2024; Kat Eschner, first elected in 2022; Leah Shaffer, first elected in 2024; Ramin Skibba, first elected in 2020; Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, first elected in 2020; and Sandeep Ravindran, first elected in 2018 and finishing his service as President. Their combined 32 years of service represent a dedication to the organization and NASW’s mission. Finally, thank you to the nearly 200 NASW Professional Members who participated in this year’s election to helpchart the future of NASW.
