Jes Abeita is an award-winning journalist and photographer whose work bridges Indigenous communities and broader audiences through explanatory storytelling and audience engagement. As Audience Engagement Director at Underscore News, an Indigenous-focused news outlet, she produced newsletters and led social media strategy that grew reach within Native communities across the Pacific Northwest. Her reporting has appeared in outlets including the National Post and Vancouver Sun, with stories picked up by Boing Boing and distributed through Tribune News Service.

Jes began her journalism career as an Associate Producer at Native America Calling, a national Native American radio program, and later reported general assignment news covering everything from breaking news to human interest features. As part of the UBC School of Journalism’s International Reporting Program, she contributed to the Pain Project, an award-winning documentary on global access to pain medication that aired on Al Jazeera English and won second place in the 2011 Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.

A member of Isleta Pueblo and descendant of Laguna Pueblo, Jes brings cultural knowledge and community trust to her work covering Indigenous issues, while her background in general assignment reporting allows her to find fresh angles on stories that resonate across audiences. She is skilled at translating complex policy and cultural stories into accessible, engaging content that humanizes and informs without overwhelming readers.