Our Board of Directors
ChicoSol’s managing editor Leslie Layton is a bilingual journalist who founded ChicoSol in 2007 as a classroom teaching tool while working as an adjunct faculty member in the Chico State University journalism department. Layton has a Master's in Communication from Stanford University. She has guided ChicoSol into its position as a key community news source and a leader in nonprofit journalism.
Lindajoy is a bilingual writer and teacher and senior editor at ChicoSol. Lindajoy has worked on newspapers in California and in Central America, and as a financial journalist in Mexico City. Lindajoy has Masters degrees in Spanish and journalism and founded Dos Tradiciones, a Mexico-based nonprofit cultural exchange organization, in 1997.
Natalie, a journalist with 10 years experience, grew up in Chico and earned degrees in journalism and political science at Chico State. She served as editor of the Butte College student newspaper The Roadrunner, editor of the Chico State newspaper The Orion, worked in Chico as a daily newspaper reporter and began writing freelance for ChicoSol in 2022.
Nancy Park
Nancy, a native Chicoan, has a journalism degree from UC Berkeley and oversees ChicoSol’s membership program. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Contra Costa County and has served on the boards of Chico Housing Action Team, Shalom Free Clinic and Friends of Bidwell Park.
Forrest Hartman
Forrest is a full-time lecturer at California State University, Chico, and adviser to The Orion, the university’s independent, student-run news organization. He is chief film critic for Highbrow Magazine, an online magazine, and serves as a university liaison at ChicoSol.
Other contributors
Chris Hutton holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from California State University, Chico. He served as managing editor on Chico State's The Orion and freelanced for local news outlets. Hutton's news and arts and culture coverage have been recognized with awards, and he is an Associated Collegiate Press finalist for Reporter of the Year. Hutton says he spends his birthdays rock-climbing in the mornings and working on stories in the afternoons.
Elias S. Myers studied history at the University of California, Berkeley. At Cal, he was the editor-in-chief of the Berkeley Political Review, the nation’s largest collegiate political newsroom at a public university. He is interested in surveillance and artificial intelligence. Myers can be found walking around Chico's Barber Neighborhood, thinking about Seinfeld or fixing his 2003 Gen One Prius.
Dave Waddell, our former news director, contributes investigative reporting. Dave is a professor emeritus in the Chico State Department of Journalism and worked for 20 years for daily newspapers.
Patrice Berry runs The Little Sun, ChicoSol's free weekly newsletter, and acts as creative director during outreach and fundraising campaigns.
Karen Laslo is a freelance photographer who often contributes photos to ChicoSol.
Danielle Alexich is ChicoSol’s resident poet, who reminds us of the power of art to inform and engage.
Carina Merrick (Fila Design) redesigned ChicoSol’s website for a February 2026 relaunch, guiding us through the process of organizing almost 20 years of material.
Work with ChicoSol
ChicoSol has a growing team of people who are passionate about news, democracy and citizen engagement. Volunteer to support this community-run news outlet by joining the Sol Media Collective, or contact us at ch**********@***il.com to discuss freelance opportunities.