Board Members

Mike Dennison

President

Mike Dennison, president: A board member since 2021, Dennison has spent 40-plus years as a reporter, primarily in Montana, covering politics and public affairs. He worked 34 years reporting for the state’s major newspapers, The Associated Press and United Press International, and then 6.5 years for the Montana Television Network, retiring from full-time journalism in 2022.  Mikedennison5@gmail.com.  

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Lee Banville

Vice President

Banville has been director of the University of Montana School of Journalism in Missoula since 2022 and on the J-School faculty since 2009. He previously spent 13 years at PBS NewsHour, where he was editor-in-chief of the OnLine NewsHour. He teaches courses at UM that include covering elections, the First Amendment and journalism law.  Lee.banville@mso.umt.edu.

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Keila Szpaller

Board Member

Szpaller is deputy editor for the Daily Montanan, an outlet of States Newsroom focused on state government and politics in the Treasure State. Previously, she worked at the Missoulian, the Great Falls Tribune and the Missoula Independent. She lives in Missoula with her husband, a bad cat and a stubborn wiener dog cross.  kszpaller@dailymontanan.com.

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Dewey Bruce

Board Member

Dewey Bruce, board member: Bruce is president/CEO of the Montana Broadcasters Association. He began his career at KGVO-Radio in Missoula as an account executive and has worked in broadcasting for more than 40 years, in sales and station management. He has also served on numerous local and national boards and was named Business Person of the Year in 2012 by the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce.  dbruce@mtbroadcasters.org.

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Ellis Juhlin

Board Member

Juhlin is the environmental reporter for Montana Public Radio, based in Missoula. She has a master’s degree in ecology from Utah State University. Prior to working for MTPR, she was at Utah Public Radio and Yellowstone Public Radio in Billings. She says her life is run by her three dogs, one of which is afraid of birds. She joined the MTFOIC board in 2022.  ellis.juhlin@mtpr.org.

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Jim Strauss

Board Member

Strauss worked as an editor and publisher in Montana for more than 30 years, at newspapers in Billings, Great Falls, Hamilton and Missoula. The Great Falls Tribune, under his leadership, was named best daily newspaper in the state eight times and won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism, for its yearlong series on alcohol abuse. He is currently the communications and development director for the Montana Newspaper Association. straussjamesv@gmail.com.

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Jim Clarke

Board Member

Jim Clarke, board member: Clarke is director of membership and major accounts for The Associated Press. He has reported and worked for AP in Montana, Alaska, Missouri, Utah and Colorado and covered everything from the Iditarod in Alaska to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City to serial killers in Kansas. He has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Arvada, Colo.  jclarke@ap.org

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Addie Slanger

Board Member

Addie Slanger, board member: Slanger, born and raised in Helena, is a law student at the University of Montana. A graduate of UM’s journalism program, Slanger is passionate about media and First Amendment law. Slanger also loves to travel in her free time and hopes to visit all seven modern Wonders of the World. addie@montanatransparencyproject.org.

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