Board

SPJ Las Vegas is run by a volunteer board:

PRESIDENT: Michael Scott Davidson

Michael Scott Davidson is a Nevada-based investigative reporter for Newsweek. Before that, he spent six years writing for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2013.

VICE PRESIDENT: Howard Stutz

Howard Stutz is a senior reporter for The Nevada Independent, covering the gaming and tourism industries. Howard, who has spent nearly four decades in Las Vegas and is an award-winning journalist, joined The Nevada Independent in May 2021. Prior to his hiring, Howard freelanced numerous gaming stories for The Independent.

TREASURER: Bryan Horwath

Bryan came to the Las Vegas Sun from Wichita, Kan., where he worked as a reporter for the Wichita Eagle and the Wichita Business Journal. After growing up in Wisconsin and graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Bryan got his first full-time reporting job in 2007 and worked for a handful of newspapers in the Midwest for the next decade. He holds a master’s degree in mass communication from South Dakota State University.

AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER: Mary Hausch

Mary Hausch worked for the Review-Journal for 19 years including a decade as managing editor. She then taught journalism at UNLV for 25 years. She was named a Distinguished Nevadan by the Nevada Board of Regents in 2017. She is a past president of the Las Vegas SPJ chapter and served as adviser to the campus chapter.

AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER: West Juhl

West Juhl is a former Las Vegas news reporter and remains a dedicated advocate for open government policies and the First Amendment. They are also on the board for the Nevada Open Government Coalition, and they serve as director of communications and campaigns at the ACLU of Nevada.

AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER: Brett Forrest

Brett Forrest has been a Nevada broadcast reporter for nearly three years. He currently works as a General Assignment Reporter for local NBC affiliate KSNV, serving as the primary political correspondent. Previously, he was an anchor and reporter for the Reno NBC affiliate where he extensively covered devastating wildfires, which earned him an Emmy nomination. He was born and raised in Colorado and earned his Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School. Brett directed a documentary on a Paralympic athlete that won numerous awards and helped produce an investigative podcast called “The Heist” with the Center for Public Integrity.

AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER: Pashtana Usufzy

Pashtana Usufzy is a freelance writer specializing in health and human interest stories. She previously worked as a staff writer for the Las Vegas Sun and a health/medicine reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She has been a member of SPJ since 2010 and is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Want to get involved? Email vegasspj@gmail.com