Carolyn Byerly

Carolyn M. Byerly, Ph.D., has worked as a news reporter, editor and journalism instructor. She retired from the faculty of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she had served for the last 17 years of her academic life, including seven years as chair of the graduate-level Department of Communication, Culture & Media Studies. Her research expertise is in media policy. She moved back to Olympia with her spouse, Kay, in 2022, a community where she had lived previously, because she loves the climate of the Pacific Northwest and missed old friends and the PNW way of life. Her role as a member of The JOLT News Organization's board lets her unify her commitment to local journalism as well as community service.