Faculty
Lee Banville, Director and Professor
Office: DAH 205
Phone: (406) 243-5250
Email: lee.banville@mso.umt.edu
Director and Professor Lee Banville joined the University of Montana faculty in 2009 after 13 years at PBS NewsHour, where he was editor-in-chief of the Online NewsHour.
With a background in political reporting and digital and social media, Lee teaches courses that include covering elections and the First Amendment and journalism law. He also often teaches the introductory Journalism and American Society class and an information literacy class, “Calling Bullsh*t.”
He received his bachelor of arts in English and government from the College of William & Mary and earned his master’s degree in political science from the University of Montana. Before joining the PBS NewsHour, Lee worked briefly in public relations and as a stringer at the Virginian-Pilot. He is the author of "Debating Our Destiny: Presidential Debate Moments that Shaped History," written for MacNeil/Lehrer Productions in 2012 and updated in 2013. He also authored a two-volume encyclopedia, "Covering American Politics in the 21st Century: An Encyclopedia of News Media Titans, Trends, and Controversies," that was published in January 2017 by ABC-CLIO. He appears often in the press analyzing Montana politics and the media.
He is married to faculty member Jule Banville, and they have two girls. When not pacing nervously in front of a class with a Diet Dr. Pepper, he can usually be found curling or reading the latest Irish crime fiction.
Jule Banville, Professor
Office: DAH 427
Phone: (406) 243-2237
Email: jule.banville@mso.umt.edu
Professor Jule Banville began teaching at the School of Journalism in 2009 as an adjunct professor before joining the full-time faculty in the fall of 2011. She teaches basic and advanced courses, including intro to audio storytelling, advanced audio, elements of news writing, opinion writing and feature writing.
In 2026, she launched, edited and co-hosted the narrative podcast, “The Obit Project,” with “Radiolab” founder Jad Abumrad as a production of the Montana Media Lab housed at the Journalism School. It was named by Apple Podcasts as “Best So Far” that summer and included work by several of her students and former students.
In October 2021, Jule launched the seven-episode crime serial, "An Absurd Result," which tells the story of a 1987 assault on an 8-year-old girl in Billings, Montana, and the investigation and fallout that followed. It was recognized by Slate magazine as among the best “true crime that won’t make you feel gross.”
She continues to write and edit for The Pulp, a Missoula-based alternative newspaper and website, mostly about movies and sometimes about investigations.
Before she began teaching, Jule worked for newspapers, public radio and ran the editorial for a website covering the Rocky Mountain West. Before moving to Missoula, she was the assistant managing editor at Washington City Paper, the alternative newsweekly serving the District of Columbia. She was a daily news reporter at the Erie Times-News in Erie, PA, for a decade. She also worked as a radio producer for WNYC, the New York NPR station, as part of the original staff that launched “The Next Big Thing.”
She earned her bachelor’s degree in political journalism from Mercyhurst University in Erie and her master’s in journalism from Columbia University in New York. She is the mom of two girls, a dog and a cat.
Jacob Baynham, Assistant Clinical Professor
Email: jacob.baynham@mso.umt.edu
Jacob Baynham is a graduate of the UM School of Journalism ('07) and has taught here as an adjunct and as the T. Anthony Pollner Professor in 2022.
During his career in magazine writing, he has won writing awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of American Travel Writers. In 2020 he won a National Magazine Award in profile writing. He has reported from around the world—about post-Taliban Afghanistan, on underground political artists in Myanmar, and about the legacy of the Soviet nuclear testing in Kazakhstan—and also around the U.S.
He writes for local publications, including The Pulp, and national outlets like Outside, National Parks, Noema and others.
Jason Begay, Professor
Office: DAH 410
Phone: (406) 243-2191
Email: jason.begay@umontana.edu
Curriculum Vitae: View/Download CV
Professor Jason Begay joined the faculty in 2010 after spending six years as a full-time reporter for The Navajo Times in Window Rock, Ariz.
He teaches courses in reporting and diversity and co-teaches the school’s award-winning Native News Project, which produces an annual publication and website that covers issues facing Montana tribal communities. He has served on the board of directors for the Native American Journalists Association as its vice president, treasurer and president.
Jason is a 2002 graduate of the School of Journalism. He won a prestigious New York Times internship, and worked as a reporter for Portland’s Oregonian before returning to his home, the Navajo reservation on the Arizona-New Mexico border, to work for The Navjao Times.
Jason grew up in Gallup, N.M., and interned for the Times at age 19. As a journalism student at UM, he interned at newspapers in Duluth, Minn., and Oakland, Calif.
He earned a Masters in Business Administration in 2015.
Denise Dowling, Professor
Office: DAH 407
Phone: (406) 243-4143
Email: denise.dowling@mso.umt.edu
Denise Dowling began teaching at the School of Journalism in 2000. She has served as chair of the school’s Radio-TV Department and as the interim dean from 2012-2014 and from 2018-2019. Most recently, she served as the Journalism School's director.
Denise teaches courses in journalism ethics, television writing, anchoring and producing, and radio reporting and hosting. Her students produce content for commercial and public television and radio stations and she serves on the Board of Directors for KBGA College Radio.
In 2018, Dowling’s sabbatical project earned her the Society of Professional Journalists national award for excellence in radio documentary. The program about a pre-teen Montanan making a gender transition also won the regional Edward R. Murrow award that year.
She came to UM after 20 years in TV news, first at KPAX-TV while an undergrad at UM. She moved on to stations in Montana, Colorado and Washington, working as a director, technical director, producer, executive producer and managing editor.
Denise spent 17 years working in Spokane, working at both the ABC and NBC affiliates. She won a number of Emmy, SPJ and Edward R. Murrow awards as part of teams that covered a firestorm, flooding, an ice storm and the arrest of a serial killer.
Dowling earned her bachelor’s degree in radio-television from the University of Montana and a master’s in learning and technology. She’s earned a number of awards from UM including the Tom Boone Town and Gown award for fostering deeper understanding between Missoula and UM. She serves on the Accrediting Committee for the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications and has served as a site team member for journalism programs around the country.
Denise describes herself as an enthusiastic tennis player, a mediocre golfer and an avid hiker. She is married to attorney Chris Johnson and has two children, both grown and out of the house, but still on her health insurance.
Joe Eaton, Professor and interim Director, Master's Program in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism
Office: DAH 409
Email: joe.eaton@mso.umt.edu
Professor Joe Eaton joined the school’s faculty in the fall of 2013. He is a freelance writer for magazines and websites including National Geographic, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard and Wired.
Eaton teaches courses in public affairs reporting, investigative reporting and editing.
Before joining the faculty, he worked as an investigative reporter at the Washington, D.C.- based Center for Public Integrity. He has also been a reporter at the Roanoke Times in Virginia and Washington City Paper.
Eaton graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in English and earned his master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.
In his spare time he enjoys being with his wife and young son and tinkering with old sports cars.
Ray Fanning, Professor and Assistant Director
Office: DAH 405
Phone: (406) 243-4747
Email: ray.fanning@mso.umt.edu
Associate Professor Ray Fanning joined the University of Montana faculty in 2007 after a career in broadcast news and a stint teaching broadcast journalism courses at Columbia College Chicago.
Fanning teaches a variety of broadcast journalism courses as well as the curriculum in the lower division core, including online courses.
Fanning worked for almost 20 years in local broadcast news, most recently as a special project manager at KGW in Portland, Ore. He’s also worked for TV stations in Salt Lake City; Spokane, Wash., and Boise, Idaho. A native of Idaho Falls, Fanning received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho, master of fine arts from Brandeis University and master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.
His series of radio reports for Montana Public Radio on wrongful convictions in Montana won a international ‘Best of Festival-News’ award from the Broadcast Education Association, a regional Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio- Television Digital News Association and a Non-Commercial Radio Program of the Year award from the Montana Broadcasters Association. In 2017, Fanning also reported and produced an hour-long documentary for Montana Public Radio called “Facing Race in Montana.”
Jeremy Lurgio, Professor
Phone: (406) 243-2601
Email: jeremy.lurgio@mso.umt.edu
Professor Jeremy Lurgio began teaching photojournalism and multimedia classes at the School of Journalism in 2007. He teaches classes in still photojournalism, video journalism, mini-documentaries and outdoor adventure storytelling. He is best known as a co-teacher of the school’s award-winning Native News Project. Before joining the School of Journalism, Lurgio worked as a photographer and photo editor at community newspapers in Montana and he had a career as a freelance photographer.
Lurgio continues work as a freelance photographer and his work has appeared in newspapers and magazines that include the the Guardian, the New York Times, The Boston Globe, Washington Post, USA Today, High Country News, National Geographic Adventure, Men’s Journal, Northwest Fly Fishing, Montana Quarterly, Montana Magazine and Big Sky Journal.
Lurigo recently finished an immersive multimedia and photo gallery project for the Guardian about the water quality and the Whanganui River in New Zealand, the first river in the world to be granted legal personhood. Additionally, Lurgio has produced award-winning documentaries and films including:
“The Hard Way,” - the film, which documents the story of 89-year-old ultra-runner Bob Hayes, aired with Montana PBS and traveled around the world with film festivals including the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Mountainfilm, and Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.
“River Queens: Highlight My Strengths” - the 15-minute film documents the story of 76-year-old waka ama coach, Howard Hyland, who retired from international paddling to return to his home river in New Zealand to start a competitive waka ama (outrigger canoe) club for youth on the Whanganui River - the first river in the world to be granted personhood. The film was an official selection at the 2020 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. See trailer here.
“Lost & Found Montana,” - the multimedia project tells the stories of 18 towns that nearly disappeared from the Montana state map. The interactive exhibit traveled nationally and was featured in three magazines including the High Country News and Montana Magazine.
He has also worked as a cinematography assistant director, editor, and drone operator on the following award winning short films:
“Paradise,” about An unlikely environmentalist, Bryan Wells, finds himself standing between Yellowstone National Park and an industrial-scale gold mine.
“The Ride”, about the sport of skoring, which combines fast horses and daredevil skiing.
“A Few Step Further,’ which follows the trials of a big game hunter and 100 mile running competitor.
In his free time he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, cyclocross racing, fly fishing and exploring the wilds of Montana with his family and dogs.
Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
Bronwen Dickey, T. Anthony Pollner Professor, Fall 2026
Bronwen Dickey is the author of Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon and a contributing editor at The Oxford American. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Outside, Men's Journal, Popular Mechanics, Slate, and The Virginia Quarterly Review, among others, and she has been featured as a guest on NPR's Fresh Air, All Things Considered, Code Switch, and 1A. In 2017, she was a finalist for the National Magazine Award in feature writing.
Read about about the Distinguished T. Anthony Pollner Professorship and meet past professors here.
Katie Hill, Adjunct Instructor
Katie Hill is a Missoula-based freelance environmental journalist. Originally from Connecticut, Katie studied journalism with a minor in environmental studies at Emerson College (‘18) before relocating to Missoula and completing her Master’s degree in the Environmental Science and Natural Resources Journalism program (‘21).
Post-UM, Katie cut her teeth in writing and editing roles with MeatEater and Outdoor Life, covering wildlife science and conservation, public lands, environmental policy, and outdoor recreation. In 2023 she became the youngest and first female recipient of the National Deer Association’s Signpost Communicator of the Year Award for her reporting on chronic wasting disease and other deer conservation issues.
In May 2024, she began freelancing full-time and has since written for The Guardian, High Country News, Field & Stream, Offrange, National Wildlife Magazine, Modern Huntsman, and other regional and national publications. She is currently serving a three-year board term with the Outdoor Writers Association of America and working with Atmos on a six-part series about environmental wins across rural America.
In her free time, Katie can be found running, hiking, hunting, snowboarding, and indie-bookstore-hopping around the West with her husband, Austin.
Tailyr Irvine, Instructor
Tailyr Irvine is a Montana-based journalist covering Indigenous communities and the social, political and environmental issues shaping the West.
Irvine graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in 2018 and worked at the Dallas Morning News and Tampa Bay Times before launching her career as an independent journalist. Her work has since appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic, ESPN, CNN and the Smithsonian, among other prominent outlets.
A 2019 National Geographic Explorer, Irvine is also co-founder of Indigenous Photograph, a global database dedicated to supporting the media industry in hiring more Indigenous photographers to tell the stories of their communities.
Chris Johns, Adjunct Instructor
Chris Johns was editor-in-chief of National Geographic from 2005-2014. He began his National Geographic career in 1995 as a photographer and had a variety of positions at the magazine before he became its editor. While he was editor, the magazine won 23 National Magazine Awards, and in 2008 he was named magazine editor of the year.
Subsequent to that job, he was chief content officer and director of the Centers of Excellence for National Geographic Media and now serves as program leader for National Geographic Society’s “Beyond Yellowstone” program, an assignment that will conclude at the end of this year.
Johns is teaching a course in conservation journalism, examining the powerful impact visual storytelling has had in the conservation movement. He also served at the T. Anthony Pollner Professor as the School of Journalism in 2019.
Molly Kordares, Adjunct Instructor
Molly Kordares is an award-winning news leader who has run national broadcasts, produced interviews with presidents and world leaders, and guided coverage of some of the biggest stories of the past decade. With more than a dozen years of network and cable news experience, she most recently served as a Senior Producer at CNBC's The News with Shepard Smith. Prior to that, she spent more than a decade at CBS News, where she ran the CBS Weekend News, and led broadcasts as a Senior Producer at the CBS Evening News and a Supervising Producer at CBS This Morning. While at the morning show, she spearheaded the coverage that won it an Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast -- a historic first for a network morning show. She also won a Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Investigative Reporting and has been nominated for multiple News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
Throughout her career at CBS News, Molly managed dozens of worldwide remote broadcasts and produced high-profile interviews. She helped lead network coverage of major historic events, including the Mueller Report, the Kavanaugh hearings, and multiple U.S.–North Korea summits. She also led breaking news coverage from the front lines of numerous mass shootings and natural disasters.
In 2020, Molly helped create and launch the first-ever general news show at CNBC. In her leadership role at The News with Shepard Smith, she oversaw the cable network’s coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Presidential election, the January 6th Capitol attack and the war in Ukraine.
Molly holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. in English from the University of Georgia, where she was selected as one of their “40 Under 40” alumni. She now lives in Bozeman, Montana with her partner and refuses to learn to ski.
Seaborn Larson, Adjunct Instructor
Seaborn Larson has been writing daily news in Montana for more than 10 years. He’s covered state government and politics for Lee Newspapers’ state news bureau since 2020 and joined “Campaign Beat,” Montana Public Radio’s political analysis show, in 2026.
His earlier work includes local cops and courts reporting at the Missoulian and Great Falls Tribune, and daily news reporting at the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell.
Seaborn’s investigative reporting has brought federal probes down on state facilities, exposed ethics violations at the Montana Legislature and driven prison officials to implement more transparent policies. In recent years, he won awards for reporting on politics, teen treatment centers and Montana’s emerging marijuana industry.
Seaborn graduated from UM’s School of Journalism in 2014.
Breanna McCabe, Adjunct Instructor
Breanna McCabe is a producer at Montana PBS where she researches, photographs, writes and edits stories about Montana history, land, culture and public affairs. Her longform program “Ghost Forests” describes the plight of whitebark pine, and her latest documentary, “Higgins Ridge” shares a story of 20 smokejumpers surrounded in a 1961 wildfire. Additionally, she produces human interest stories for the popular series “Backroads of Montana” and reports for Montana PBS’ public affairs program, “Impact."
Before joining Montana PBS, McCabe reported local news as a multimedia journalist for CBS affiliates in Missoula (KPAX-TV) and Spokane (KREM 2 News). She also worked as a news editor and videographer for the University of Montana’s communications team.
McCabe graduated from UM’s School of Journalism in 2009, and earned her master’s degree in environmental science and natural resource journalism from UM in 2020. She is a Missoula native with a ceaseless appetite for small-town cafes.
McCabe has taught introductory newswriting courses at UM intermittently since 2015.
John Twiggs, Adjunct Instructor
Office: COR 153
Phone: (406) 243-4640
Email: john.twiggs@mso.umt.edu
Adjunct Professor John Twiggs began teaching at the University of Montana in 1994 and joined Montana PBS in 1996. Twiggs is currently the television producer at Montana PBS and prior to was a sports reporter/anchor for eight years throughout Indiana, Montana and New Mexico. Twiggs graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast communications and earned his master’s degree in journalism from the University of Montana.
His expertise lies in producing a variety of television programs from historical documentaries to political programs and children’s education shows. Which involves research, writing, photography, editing and post-production to get the program distributed to the public. The programs have earned national awards such as CINE Golden Eagle, Parents Choice Foundation and also received six regional Emmy awards.
Tom Zeller Jr., Adjunct Instructor
Tom Zeller Jr. is a former staff writer and editor for The New York Times and the current editor in chief of the digital science magazine Undark. As both a writer and newsroom leader, he has spent nearly three decades cultivating prizewinning coverage on a diverse range of topics at the intersection of science and society, from energy policy, climate change, and environmental justice, to internet culture, technology innovation, structural poverty, and health and medicine. In addition to the Times, his work has been published by National Geographic magazine, The Washington Post, Forbes, Bloomberg View, and Al Jazeera, among other publications.
Tom co-founded Undark in 2016. Under his leadership, the magazine’s work has been anthologized in the Best American Science & Nature Writing book series and honored with numerous awards, including the Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award from the Online News Association; the Kavli/AAAS Gold Award; and the George Polk Award for Environmental Reporting. Undark is also a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award.
Tom is a co-editor and contributing author of A Tactical Guide to Science Journalism (Oxford, 2023). His first narrative nonfiction book, The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction, was published by HarperCollins/Mariner in 2025.
Staff
Mary Auld, Director, Montana Media Lab and Adjunct Instructor
Phone: (406) 243-4401
Email: mary.auld@umontana.edu
Mary is a journalist and teacher living in Missoula. She has written and created radio stories for outlets across Montana and Alaska.
She currently reports on the environment and Indigenous affairs for KUAC-FM in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Before becoming a journalist, she worked as a preschool teacher, environmental educator, and farmer.
She has a bachelor's degree in English from SUNY Geneseo and a master's degree in journalism from UM.
Beth Burman Frazee, Director of Development
Office: (406) 243-5354
Email: beth.burman-frazee@supportum.org
Beth joined the University of Montana Foundation in January of 2024 to serve as the Development Director for The School of Journalism and the Creative Writing Program. She brings more than ten years of experience working in the Missoula nonprofit sector, serving as the development director for The Missoula Children’s Theatre and United Way of Missoula County.
Beth graduated from the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California. After moving to Missoula in 2006, she attended graduate school at UM, studying literature. Beth and her husband enjoy spending time outdoors with their two kids and two dogs; whitewater rafting, skiing, exploring, and enjoying all our great state has to offer.
Robyn Berg, Program Coordinator II, Office Manager
Office: DAH201
Email: robyn.berg@mso.umt.edu
Robyn Berg joined the School of Journalism staff in February 2023. Her background includes being the Assistant to the Chair, Admin IV, Office Manager and Advisor in the Computer Science department at UM for 12 years and being a Student Advisor for Computer Science, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics, and Pre-Engineering for 5 years. Additionally, she lived and worked in Europe for 10 years before moving to Montana.
>Robyn graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s degree from the School of Business in Financial Management.
Robyn and her partner Allen enjoy traveling and photography and the natural beauty of Montana. You will often find them at a local ghost town.
Hannah Evans, Budget Analyst III
Office: DAH203
Email: hannah.evans@mso.umt.edu
Hannah joined the School of Journalism in January 2025 as the schools Budget Analyst. Originally from Berkeley, California, she moved to Missoula in 2013 to attend UM. After taking a brief break to work at an eco-lodge in Northern Thailand, she graduated from the University of Montana in 2018 with a BA in Psychology.
Outside of work, Hannah enjoys spending time outdoors and staying active with her dog George and partner Lukas, making sourdough bread, knitting and enjoying Missoula throughout the seasons.