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Founder, Publisher, and Board Co-President
Marcus Harrison Green is the publisher of the South Seattle Emerald™ and a columnist with The Stranger. Growing up in South Seattle, he experienced firsthand the impact of one-dimensional stories on marginalized communities, which taught him the value of authentic narratives.
After an unfulfilling stint in the investment world during his twenties, Marcus returned to his community with a newfound purpose of telling stories with nuance, complexity, and multidimensionality with the hope of advancing social change. This led him to become a writer and found the South Seattle Emerald™.
An award-winning storyteller, he received the Seattle Human Rights Commission’s Individual Human Rights Leader Award in 2020 and was named the inaugural James Baldwin Fellow by the Northwest African American Museum in 2022.
Board Co-President
Andrew (AJ) Johnston (he/him) joined the Emerald board shortly after the publication’s first anniversary. He is a South Seattle–based architect specializing in residential and commercial projects.
Andrew is an outspoken supporter of Black-led, community-centered media as a way to speak truth to power and inspire positive change within communities in need.
He is also a passionate volunteer and organizer with Social Justice Fund NW (SJF), where he works to foster a network of BIPOC donors in Seattle and across the Northwest.
Board Secretary
Jini Palmer (she/her) is a podcaster, musician, and filmmaker whose work is rooted in writing and inspired by the power of media to communicate, inform, and inspire change.
She is the digital media manager for Town Hall Seattle, where she serves as creative video lead and host and producer of the In the Moment, Civics, Science, and Arts & Culture podcast series.
She has been a joyful resident of Seattle since 2009, originally hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Board Director
Brian Mannion works at King County Metro, supporting teams that build and sustain the region’s public transportation system. His background includes group facilitation, organizational development, and participatory public involvement.
Brian began his career as a newspaper journalist, a profession that instilled a lifelong belief in the power of stories to share knowledge, build trust, and imagine better futures.
Board Director
Nikki Barron is the founder of Casita Azul Creative, a Seattle-based marketing and creative studio with more than 15 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations move people to action.
Beyond client work, Nikki is also a practicing visual artist and vinyl DJ performing as Elf Off The Shelf, spinning high-energy funk, disco, dance, and R&B holiday deep cuts across Seattle each December.
Board Director
Sarah Stuteville is a co-founder of the Seattle Globalist and a mental health counselor working with individuals and both monogamous and non-monogamous relationships.
With a background in journalism and social justice reporting, Sarah brings a compassionate, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive lens to her work and community service.
Board Director
Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor brings a background in dance, storytelling, and activism to the board. A former award-winning journalist, they now serve as senior director of communications at Plymouth Housing.
Gabrielle has performed throughout Seattle’s contemporary dance scene and previously served on the boards of KUOW and the Japanese American Citizens League.
