Thin Air Community Radio Board of Directors

Jay McConnaughey, Chair
Karla Childs, Treasurer
Theresa Sanderson, Secretary                
Twa-le Abrahamson
Susana Lopez              
Debra Reed, Vice Chair
Bill Barrington               
Ric Conner               
John Orr                                  
Fred Strange

 
Paid Staff
Lupito Flores, Station Manager

Zoe Bunin, Development Director/Membership

Volunteer Staff

Angela Johnson, Program Director
Sarah Tinkle, Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator
Theresa Sanderson, Music Librarian
Justine and Lilia, Music Librarians
Jamie Borgan, Rosie Ennis, John Waite, News Loaders

Underwriting Coordinator
Michael Moon Bear

Contact the station at: 509-747-3012
or email <info at kyrs dot org>

Thin Air Radio Board Bios

Susana López has lived and worked in the Spokane area for 30 years. She is a graduate of UC, Davis and is currently affiliated with the EWU College of Business and Public Administration at the Riverpoint campus. Leisure activities include spending time with her daughter and grandchildren and friends, gourmet cooking, camping, and philanthropic work.

 Debra Reed: I am dedicated to serve the community that I live in. I appreciate people’s differences. I value family and cherish my close friends. I have served on several boards, President of Onyx Theatre, Treasurer of the NAACP, and President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. I have worked with the same company for 17 years, currently in an upper management position. 

 Bill Barrington is a life-long Spokanite, married, home owner, semi-professional song writer and musician, member of the Latah Valley Neighborhood Council, employed by a local bookkeeping and tax preparation firm.

 Fred Strange is a  long time partisan of the station and its mission. Fred is a part-time poet and professor of social theory and anthropology, and a full-time domestic worker caring for seven and eight year-old grandchildren.

My name is Karla Childs. I made Spokane my home 27 years ago.  I believe we must treat all people equally and that all voices should be heard.  I believe in KYRS.  It's our duty to keep the community informed, especially of the news underreported by the mainstream media.  I hope to contribute to OUR station.

Twa-le Abrahamson, a Spokane Tribal member, is the youth coordinator for SHAWL (Sovereignty, Health, Air, Water, Land) Society based on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Eastern Washington.  SHAWL’s main focus is the historical uranium mining activities on the Reservation and its effects to an indigenous community.  SHAWL also oversees a youth media training program on the Reservation.  She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in environmental studies.  She has been organizing on social and environmental justice issues for four years and is currently active in many national and international organizations and networks such as Indigenous Environmental Network, Third World Majority’s Media Justice Network, and the Western Mining Action Network.

Jay McConnaughey. I am employed by a tribal government (sovereign) as an ecologist working on Hanford superfund issues. I am a founding member of KYRS, a major donor to KYRS and the Spokane Translator Association, and have been an active volunteer beginning with the barnraising of KYRS in 2003. Activities I enjoy include steelhead and trout flyfishing, yoga, pilates, and hanging out in Spokane with friends.

 Theresa Sanderson: I am a trustworthy and honest person.  I am a person who acts in the interest of others with a spiritual grounding. My work experience is in the legal field.  I am excited about being a part of the KYRS family and sharing the opportunities it provides.

 John Orr: A large percentage of my adult life has been in management positions (Computer systems development, Sales and Marketing) with various companies in California for 10 years and in Spokane for the last 35 years. I have extensive experience in the management of organizations from an operational as well as a financial perspective. For the past 15 years I have been a Real Estate sales agent. In 1999 after reading Robert McChesney’s book “Rich Media, Poor Democracy” I became convinced that media democracy is one of, if not THE core, issues facing our society. I am passionate about the loss of a free and open media in this country and convinced that without a critical media our Democracy will not survive. I am very happy to have the opportunity to apply my energy in support of this station and the advancement of free media in our country.

Ric Conner is a long-time supporter of KYRS and has lived in Spokane for 20 years. He has a degree in Environmental Science and travels extensively. He co-owns Ganesh Himal fair trading company with his wife Denise. Ric has a passion for environmental and social justice, devoting much of his life to building a more just and sustainable world.