Katie Oyan, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, has been named chief executive officer of IndiJ Public Media, the largest news organization serving Indigenous communities. The 20-year veteran of The Associated Press starts her new role on June 23. 

Oyan, who will also serve as president and chief editorial officer, brings more than two decades of editorial leadership and national experience to the position. She not only returns to her former news organization with this move, but she also steps into the executive role at a time when public service journalism is facing economic and political pressures.  

“I am humbled and honored to be returning to this storied institution, which has its roots in my homeland of South Dakota and has served as a connective tissue to so many Indigenous people in so many places over the years. I look forward to the vitally important stories we will tell and the communities we will serve in the months and years ahead,” said Oyan, who is AP’s outgoing deputy director of local news success, based in Phoenix. Read the full news release.